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Group 1 CEO Kenningham views some car dealerships as overpriced

Group 1 CEO Kenningham views some car dealerships as overpriced

Group 1 Automotive Inc. is calling out some dealership sellers who it believes are pricing their businesses unrealistically high.

“There is a certain portion of sellers that have unrealistic expectations,” Group 1 Automotive CEO Daryl Kenningham said during the company’s first-quarter earnings call last week. “I always like to tell people, we will never win a bidding war, but we try to stick to discipline with what we will pay for a group of stores.”

Group 1, of Houston, is pursuing acquisitions as a big part of its growth strategy. It’s also using capital for share buybacks and investment in growth areas such as service and technology.

Its latest acquisition of Estero Bay Chevrolet in Estero, Fla.,  in the first quarter is expected to add an estimated $150 million in annual revenue.

More acquisitions are likely in the months ahead, but Group 1 is avoiding transactions in which sellers are asking exorbitant prices, Kenningham said. They’re not realistic, he added, because they don’t factor in future performance expectations. read more

Carbon is the enemy: An industry response

Carbon is the enemy: An industry response

In boardrooms and shareholder presentations, in auto plants and component manufacturing settings from Tokyo to Paris, automotive executives and factory leaders are pursuing a shared goal: reducing their companies’ carbon footprints.