U.S. dealers set for record sales per store; Md., Va. gain stores

The average number of new vehicle sales per dealership is set to achieve an all-time high

this year of 945 units, based on projected vehicle sales of 17.1 million, says Urban Science. That

would mark the fourth straight year the U.S. auto retail network set a new throughput record.

Urban Scienceês latest Franchise Activity Report shows a 0.3 percent increase in the number of

U.S. dealerships from the end of 2014, with a total of 18,011 as of July 1. The number of

franchises also rose by 0.3 percent, to 31,714.

Most local markets havenêt seen any change in the number of dealerships, but Maryland and

Virginia each gained five stores. Texas, California and Florida gained seven to ten stores each.