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AutoNation history
AutoNation company history timeline
Huizenga merged AutoNation into Republic in April 1996.
In 1996, Republic built twelve AutoNation locations.
In 1996, Republic Industries began purchasing new car dealerships and offering long-term contracts to owners who joined the newly created automotive division of Republic Industries, which led to the company operating twelve retail locations under the "AutoNation" brand.
1997: Republic spins off its waste business as Republic Services Inc.
Republic Industries offered in July 1998 an initial public offering of its original core waste disposal business as Republic Services and it was from this sale of 36% of Republic Services stock, the company netted $1.4 billion to be used to fund the new company being formed.
While CarMax had received a $50 million jury award in its lawsuit, it was overturned on appeal in 1998.
The company’s first Chief Executive Officer (CEO) was Steve Berrard, who resigned from the company in July 1999.
Low Profits at Used-Car Mega Stores Trigger Big Changes in 1999
The announcement was long-awaited, due to the fact that ANC Rental lost $71 million in 1999.
1999: AutoNation launches AutoNationDirect.com.
The remaining 64% of Republic Services were spun off to Republic Industries shareholders in 1999.
In 1999, he was hired to fix AutoNation by its founder, H. Wayne Huizenga, the billionaire who also started the Blockbuster video store chain and Waste Management.
CEO Michael Jackson told Automotive News, in January 2000, that AutoNation intended to concentrate on becoming a new-vehicle retailer now that they were free of their rental business.
Another important announcement, along the same lines as the AOL announcement, made on May 15, 2000, was that AutoNation acquired AutoVantage, a car-buying service from Cendant Corporation.
In July 2000, AutoNation decided to capitalize on brand recognition by changing the names of 28 of their 30 car dealerships in Florida to Maroone.
The company also includes AutoNation Financial Services, a finance arm, which has securities assets of more than $1 billion in 2000.
AutoNation Spins Off ANC Rental Corp.: 2000
AutoNation did not limit Internet partnerships to the year 2000.
Since January 1, 2001, share prices roughly doubled for AutoNation-- the company's market capitalization had jumped to $3.6 billion.
In addition to their selling success, AutoNation officials reported (in a conference call with Daily Business Review in April 2002) first-quarter earnings of $91.7 million, or 28 cents a share, compared with the earlier year's $59 million, or 17 cents a share.
New-and-Used Car Sales up for AutoNation: 2002
In January 2003, Jackson was named chairman of the board, replacing Huizenga.
On October 24, 2005, the AutoNation building in downtown Fort Lauderdale suffered significant damage due to Hurricane Wilma.
In 2009, AutoNation announced the AutoNation Payment Protection program, promising that the dealership will buy back any car at market value, should the owner lose their job.
The charity was founded as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization following the 2009 passing of the founders mother due to colon cancer.
In 2009, during the great recession, AutoNation announced a newly formed AutoNation Payment Protection program, promising that the dealership will buy back any car at market value, should the owner lose their job.
By 2011, AutoNation was the first auto retailer in the United States to sell a total of 8 million vehicles.
In January 2013, AutoNation announced that it would completely replace localized brand names of its car retail operations with its own name, starting with car retail stores that are identified with the “Maroone” name in Florida.
In January 2013, AutoNation announced that it would replace localized brand names of its car retail operations with its own name.
In May 2013, AutoNation partnered with Indy Car Series Champion Ryan-Hunter Reay to support his "Racing for Cancer" charity.
In August 2013, AutoNation announced the sale of its 9 millionth vehicle which was a record achievement for the industry.
Although AutoNation has run into headwinds as the auto market has softened after its 2016 peak, it is the country’s largest chain of car dealerships and the leading seller of brands including Ford, Chevrolet and Toyota.
As the auto industry bounced back from the recession, AutoNation’s own fortunes rose. Its shares tumbled at the start of 2016, however, and have lagged its peers since.
Anybody can see that." In June 2017, AutoNation sold a total of 11 million vehicles.
On November 2, 2017, AutoNation announced that Waymo, a developer of self-driving technology, enlisted AutoNation to maintain and repair their driverless vehicles fleet.
The new chief executive will most likely take the helm in the first half of 2019.
Cheryl Miller resigned her position as CEO for AutoNation in July 2020.
In November 2021, Mike Jackson retired from his 20 years service to AutoNation and was replaced by Mike Manley, previous CEO of Stellantis Corp.
She was replaced by Mike Jackson, who was to fill the role until April 2022.
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AutoNation competitors
| Company name | Founded date | Revenue | Employee size | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sonic Automotive | 1997 | $12.4B | 9,750 | 380 |
| Maroone Chevrolet LLC | - | $114.2M | 572 | - |
| Team Toyota Auto Group | - | $23.0M | 181 | 3 |
| Lithia Motors | 1946 | $36.2B | 14,538 | 24 |
| Penske Automotive Group | 1990 | $30.5B | 25,000 | - |
| Cars.com | 1998 | $719.2M | - | 52 |
| Asbury Automotive Group | 1995 | $9.8B | 8,000 | 764 |
| Saturn Consortium | 1985 | $14.5M | 100 | 24 |
| Autobytel | 1995 | $71.6M | 162 | - |
| Mercedes-Benz USA | 1965 | $7.6B | 1,400 | 61 |
AutoNation history FAQs
Zippia gives an in-depth look into the details of AutoNation, including salaries, political affiliations, employee data, and more, in order to inform job seekers about AutoNation. The employee data is based on information from people who have self-reported their past or current employments at AutoNation. The data on this page is also based on data sources collected from public and open data sources on the Internet and other locations, as well as proprietary data we licensed from other companies. Sources of data may include, but are not limited to, the BLS, company filings, estimates based on those filings, H1B filings, and other public and private datasets. While we have made attempts to ensure that the information displayed are correct, Zippia is not responsible for any errors or omissions or for the results obtained from the use of this information. None of the information on this page has been provided or approved by AutoNation. The data presented on this page does not represent the view of AutoNation and its employees or that of Zippia.
AutoNation may also be known as or be related to AutoNation, AutoNation Inc, AutoNation, Inc., Autonation and Autonation, Inc.