PENSKE AUTOMOTIVE GROUP INC

We are a diversified international transportation services company and one of the world's premier automotive and commercial truck retailers. We operate dealerships in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, Italy, and Japan, and we are one of the largest retailers of commercial trucks in North America for Freightliner. We also distribute and retail commercial vehicles, diesel and gas engines, power systems, and related parts and services principally in Australia and New Zealand. We employ approximately 28,000 people worldwide. Additionally, we own 28.9% of Penske Transportation Solutions, a business that employs over 44,000 people worldwide, manages one of the largest, most comprehensive and modern trucking fleets in North America with over 439,000 trucks, tractors, and trailers under lease, rental, and/or maintenance contracts, and provides innovative transportation, supply chain, and technology solutions to its customers.

Business Overview

In 2023, our business generated $29.5 billion in total revenue, which is comprised of approximately $25.2 billion from retail automotive dealerships, $3.7 billion from retail commercial truck dealerships, and $634.0 million from commercial vehicle distribution and other operations. We generated $4.9 billion in gross profit, which is comprised of $4.2 billion from retail automotive dealerships, $592.4 million from retail commercial truck dealerships, and $165.2 million from commercial vehicle distribution and other operations.

Retail Automotive. We are one of the largest global automotive retailers as measured by the $25.2 billion in total retail automotive dealership revenue we generated in 2023. We are diversified geographically with 56% of our total retail automotive dealership revenues in 2023 generated in the U.S. and Puerto Rico and 44% generated outside of the U.S. We offer over 35 vehicle brands with 71% of our retail automotive franchised dealership revenue in 2023 generated from premium brands, such as Audi, BMW, Land Rover, Mercedes-Benz, and Porsche. As of December 31, 2023, we operated 336 retail automotive franchised dealerships, of which 147 are located in the U.S. and 189 are located outside of the U.S. The franchised dealerships outside of the U.S. are located primarily in the U.K. As of December 31, 2023, we also operated 19 used vehicle dealerships, with seven dealerships in the U.S. and 12 dealerships in the U.K., which retailed used vehicles under a one price, "no-haggle" methodology under the CarShop brand. We retailed and wholesaled, including agency units, more than 587,000 vehicles in 2023.

Each of our franchised dealerships offers a wide selection of new and used vehicles for sale. In addition to selling new and used vehicles, we generate higher-margin revenue at each of our dealerships through maintenance and repair services, the sale and placement of third-party finance and insurance products, third-party extended service and maintenance contracts, replacement and aftermarket automotive products, and at certain of our locations, collision repair services. We operate our franchised dealerships under franchise agreements with a number of automotive manufacturers and distributors that are subject to certain rights and restrictions typical of the industry. Beginning in 2023, we transitioned our Mercedes-Benz U.K. dealerships to an agency model under which these dealerships, and a limited number of our other dealerships in Europe, receive a fee for facilitating the sale by the manufacturer of a new vehicle but do not hold the vehicle in inventory. Vehicles sold under this agency model are counted as new agency units sold instead of new retail units sold by us, and only the fee we receive from the manufacturer, not the price of the vehicle, is reported as new revenue (as opposed to previously recording all of the vehicle sale price as new revenue) with no corresponding cost of sale. We continue to provide new vehicle customer service under the agency model, and the Mercedes-Benz U.K. agency model at this time has not changed our used vehicle sales operations or service and parts operations, although the long-term impact of the agency model at these dealerships as well as other agency models proposed by our manufacturer partners is uncertain. See Item 1A. Risk Factors for a discussion of agency.

During 2023, we acquired two retail automotive franchises in the U.S and two retail automotive franchises in Italy. We also closed seven locations in the U.S., consisting of six retail automotive franchises and one CarShop location, and we closed five locations in the U.K., consisting of four retail automotive franchises and one CarShop location. Retail automotive dealerships represented 85.4% of our total revenues and 84.6% of our total gross profit in 2023. In January 2024, we acquired Rybrook Group Limited, consisting of 16 retail automotive franchises in the U.K., including four BMW franchises, four MINI franchises, four Volvo franchises, two Land Rover franchises, one Jaguar franchise, and one Porsche franchise. Three of the BMW locations also retail BMW Motorrad motorcycles. In January 2024, we also closed one CarShop location in the U.S. and acquired one Ford dealership and one Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram dealership in the U.S.

We believe our diversified retail automotive income streams help to mitigate the historical cyclicality found in some elements of the automotive sector. Revenues from higher margin service and parts sales include warranty work, customer paid work, rapid repair, collision repair services, and wholesale parts sales. Service and parts sales are typically less cyclical than retail vehicle sales and generate the largest part of our retail automotive gross profit.

The following graphics show the percentage of our total retail automotive dealership revenues by product type and their respective contribution to our retail automotive gross profit:

Retail Commercial Truck Dealership. We operate Premier Truck Group ("PTG"), a heavy- and medium-duty truck dealership group offering primarily Freightliner and Western Star trucks (both Daimler brands), with locations across nine U.S. states and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Manitoba. During 2023, we acquired three full-service dealerships and two service and parts centers in Canada. As of December 31, 2023, PTG operated 44 locations selling new and/or used trucks, performing service and parts operations, or offering collision repair services. We retailed and wholesaled 21,846 new and used trucks in 2023. This business represented 12.5% of our total revenues and 12.0% of our total gross profit in 2023. In January 2024, we closed one service and parts location in Canada.

While our retail commercial truck business benefits from diversified income streams similar to those of the retail automotive sector, there are several key differences. As exhibited in the following table, a greater part of our gross profit is derived from the sale of service and parts in the retail truck business given the large volume of parts business, in many cases, to fleet customers, as well as historically lower selling, general, and administrative expense as a percentage of gross profit as compared to retail automotive due to lower sales compensation and advertising expenses. The following graphics show the percentage of our total retail commercial truck dealership revenues by product type and their respective contribution to our retail commercial truck gross profit:

Penske Australia. Penske Australia is the exclusive importer and distributor of Western Star heavy-duty trucks (a Daimler brand), MAN heavy- and medium-duty trucks and buses (a VW Group brand), and Dennis Eagle refuse collection vehicles, together with associated parts, across Australia, New Zealand, and portions of the Pacific. In most of these same markets, we are also a leading distributor of diesel and gas engines and power systems, principally representing MTU (a Rolls-Royce solution), Detroit Diesel, Allison Transmission, and Bergen Engines. Penske Australia offers products across the on- and off-highway markets, including in the trucking, mining, power generation, defense, marine, rail, and construction sectors and supports full parts and aftersales service through a network of branches, field service locations, and dealers across the region. These businesses represented 2.1% of our total revenues and 3.4% of our total gross profit in 2023.

Penske Transportation Solutions. We hold a 28.9% ownership interest in Penske Truck Leasing Co., L.P. ("PTL"). PTL is owned 41.1% by Penske Corporation, 28.9% by us, and 30.0% by Mitsui & Co., Ltd. ("Mitsui"). We account for our investment in PTL under the equity method, and we therefore record our share of PTL's earnings on our statements of income under the caption "Equity in earnings of affiliates," which also includes the results of our other equity method investments. Penske Transportation Solutions ("PTS") is the universal brand name for PTL's various business lines through which it is capable of meeting customers' needs across the supply chain with a broad product offering that includes full-service truck leasing, truck rental, and contract maintenance along with logistic services, such as dedicated contract carriage, distribution center management, freight management, and dry van truckload carrier services. We recorded $289.5 million in equity earnings from this investment in 2023.

Outlook

Retail Automotive. During 2023, U.S. industry new light vehicle sales increased 12.6%, as compared to 2022, to 15.6 million units, and U.K. new vehicle registrations increased 17.9%, as compared to 2022, to 1.9 million registrations. New vehicle sales are being positively impacted by continued strong consumer demand, additional inventory availability, and incentives. Our new vehicle days' supply is 39 as of December 31, 2023, compared to 25 as of December 31, 2022, as the supply of new vehicle inventory continues to increase as supply issues have eased. Our used vehicle days' supply is 48 as of December 31, 2023, compared to 53 as of December 31, 2022. As a reference, our new and used days' supply was 71 and 52, respectively, as of December 31, 2019 (pre-COVID). Used vehicle sales in the U.S. and U.K. were negatively impacted by a lack of affordability and lack of availability of quality, low-mileage vehicles from a lower supply of 1-4 year old used vehicles as a result of the lower number of new vehicles sold in recent years, including fewer lease returns in the U.S., which is negatively impacting our used vehicle dealership operations in the U.S. and the U.K. Continued unavailability of quality, low-mileage used vehicles for sale may adversely impact our used vehicle operations. While we continue to expect increasing new vehicle availability, continued production disruptions and supply shortages could result in suppressed new and used vehicle sales volumes, which would impact the availability and affordability of new and used vehicles. As the supply of new vehicles has improved, we experienced, and may continue to experience, reduced new and used vehicle gross profit. The level of new vehicle sales may also be impacted by affordability challenges, inflation and higher interest rates, or a reduction in consumer spending resulting in decreased demand.

Representatives of the U.K. government have proposed a ban on the sale of gasoline engines and gasoline hybrid engines in new cars and new vans that would take effect in 2035 while also providing government incentives on certain electric vehicles to entice consumers to transition from internal combustion vehicles to electric vehicles. In the U.K. during 2023, sales of diesel-powered vehicles decreased 8.3%, petrol-powered vehicles increased 18.1%, pure electric vehicles excluding hybrids ("Electric Vehicles") increased 17.8%, and hybrid electric vehicles increased 31.4%, as compared to 2022. In the U.K., new registrations of electric vehicles, including hybrid, represented 36.5% of the overall market for 2023, compared to 34.5% for 2022, and represented 34.3% of our U.K. new unit sales, compared with 24.6% for 2022. During 2023, approximately 2.6% of new vehicle sales in the U.K. were sold by vehicle manufacturers directly to consumers outside of the retail automotive franchised system, principally consisting of Tesla vehicles.

In the U.S., sales of Electric Vehicles increased approximately 46% to 1.2 million units from 0.8 million units in the prior year. Electric Vehicle sales represented 7.6% of the overall U.S. market in 2023 compared to 5.9% in the prior year. During 2023, approximately 4.6% of new vehicle sales in the U.S. were sold by vehicle manufacturers directly to consumers outside of the retail automotive franchised system, principally consisting of Tesla vehicles.

Retail Commercial Truck Dealership. During 2023, North American sales of Class 6-8 medium- and heavy-duty trucks, the vehicles sold by our PTG business, increased 8.7% from last year to 487,771 units. The Class 6-7 medium-duty truck market increased 12.5% from last year to 156,532 units, and Class 8 heavy-duty trucks, the largest North American market, increased 7.0% from last year to 331,239 units due in part to replacement demand. We expect replacement demand to continue in 2024, although a continued weak freight market may impact unit sales and service and parts demand. As of December 31, 2023, the Class 6-8 medium- and heavy-duty truck backlog is 278,616 units according to data published by ACT Research. When the supply of commercial trucks improves to historical levels, we may experience reduced new and used commercial truck gross profit per unit together with higher sales volumes.

Commercial Vehicle Distribution and Other. During 2023, the Australian heavy-duty truck market reported sales of 17,569 units, representing an increase of 17.4% from last year, while the New Zealand market reported sales of 3,993 units, representing an increase of 10.4% from last year. Additionally, our power system operations continue to grow through sales in the off-highway segments such as power generation solutions for large data centers, mining, and military applications.

Penske Transportation Solutions. A majority of PTS' revenue is generated by multi-year contracts for full-service leasing, contract maintenance, and logistics services. During 2023, PTS continued to expand its managed fleet with over 439,000 trucks, tractors, and trailers under lease, rental, and/or maintenance contracts. PTS expects continued demand for its full-service leasing business, offset by decreased consumer and commercial rental utilization, a decrease in gains from the sale of used vehicles, and increased operating costs and interest expense.

As described in Item 1A. Risk Factors, there are a number of factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from our expectations. For a detailed discussion of our financial and operating results, see Part II, Item 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.

Business Strategy

We aim to deliver excellence to our customers, value to our stakeholders, and opportunity to our team members to be the best growth-oriented, international and diversified transportation services company everywhere we operate. This mission is supported by a set of values embedded in our philosophy to exceed, excel, and encourage.

•Exceed: Provide a superior customer experience that exceeds expectations, and establishes trust and loyalty through honesty, transparency, and accountability

•Excel: Deliver long-term value for our stakeholders through continuous improvement, organic growth, and strategic acquisitions

•Encourage: Provide opportunities for team members to succeed by cultivating talent, rewarding achievement, and maintaining the highest standards of respect for each other

We employ the following set of strategies to achieve these objectives:

Growing our Business

We operate in the highly fragmented automotive retail and commercial truck dealership markets and believe there are attractive opportunities to grow our business, both organically and by acquisition. During 2023, in our retail automotive business, we acquired two dealerships located in the U.S. representing BMW and Porsche brands and two dealerships located in Italy representing BMW and MINI brands. In our commercial retail truck business, we acquired three full-service dealerships and two service and parts centers in Canada. In January 2024, we acquired Rybrook Group Limited, consisting of 16 retail automotive franchises in the U.K., including four BMW dealerships, four MINI dealerships, four Volvo dealerships, two Land Rover dealerships, one Jaguar dealership, and one Porsche dealership. Three of the BMW locations also retail BMW Motorrad motorcycles. In 2024, we expect to continue to devote capital resources to acquire and build premium retail automotive and commercial truck dealerships.

Returning Value to Shareholders

We believe in returning value to our shareholders through a combination of dividends and share repurchases. We increased our quarterly stock dividend four times in 2023 from $0.57 per share to $0.79 per share, resulting in $189.1 million of dividends being paid in 2023 compared with $154.1 million in 2022. Our latest declared dividend is $0.87 per share payable on March 1, 2024, to shareholders of record as of February 15, 2024. We also repurchased 2,808,616 shares of our common stock in 2023 for $382.2 million, which, together with quarterly dividends, represents a return to stockholders of approximately $571.3 million. As of December 31, 2023, we had $215.5 million of authority delegated from our Board of Directors to management to repurchase our outstanding securities. This authority has no expiration.

Human Capital

We believe that our Human Capital is our greatest asset and is an integral component of our growth and value creation strategy. We understand that exceptional customer service can only be consistently delivered by attracting, motivating, training, and retaining the very best team members. We are committed to building a diverse and skilled workforce while providing a work environment that promotes equity and is free from any form of discrimination. With this in mind, we put our employees at the heart of everything that we do by developing their talent and enabling them to build long-term careers.

In recognition of our people-first philosophy, in 2023, 44 of our dealerships were named to the "Automotive News Best Dealerships To Work For", which ranks the top 100 dealerships in the United States, including nine of the top ten spots and 13 of the top 20 spots nationally in 2023's rankings with one of our dealerships claiming the number one spot, more than any other dealership group. Our dealerships were also recognized for their commitment to promoting diverse and inclusive workplaces, receiving accolades for being among the best in the following categories: Best Dealerships for Female Employees; Best Dealerships for Millennial Employees; Best Dealerships for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion; Best Dealerships for Hispanic/Latino Employees; Best Dealerships for Family Friendliness; and Best Dealerships for Health. PTG was also named as the winner of the 2023 "Successful Dealer Award", a leading industry award recognizing medium- and heavy-duty truck dealers for business excellence, customer responsiveness, and civic engagement, among other factors. In January 2024, our Company was named as a winner of Glassdoor's 16th Annual Employees' Choice Awards, honoring the "Best Places to Work 2024" with the Company obtaining top workplace factor ratings in diversity and inclusion, senior management, and culture and values. In January 2024, we were also notified that Penske Automotive Group was named by Fortune as a "World's Most Admired Company". Additionally, we believe our annual employee turnover of approximately 20% is below our industry's average.

Customer Satisfaction

Maintaining high levels of superior customer service is key to our business model. We strive to deliver a positive, valuable experience at every touchpoint to ensure the highest level of customer satisfaction. By offering outstanding brands in premium facilities, “one-stop” shopping convenience in our aggregated facilities, and a well-trained and knowledgeable staff, we aim to forge lasting relationships with our customers throughout their entire ownership journey.

Reputation management is one of our most powerful marketing tools. We proactively monitor online reputation management sites, including Google, Facebook, Yelp, among others, to enhance our online presence, build loyalty, gain a better understanding of our customers' needs, attract top talent, and generate business. Our reputation management strategy of actively monitoring and responding quickly to customer reviews is crucial for maintaining a positive online reputation.

Diversification

Our business benefits from a diversified revenue and gross profit mix, including multiple revenue and gross profit streams in our traditional vehicle and commercial truck dealerships (new vehicles, used vehicles, finance and insurance, and service and parts operations) across many geographies, our commercial vehicle distribution and power systems operations, and returns relating to our joint venture investments, which we believe helps to mitigate the cyclicality that has historically impacted some elements of the automotive sector. Furthermore, PTG provides diversification both by business line and by its business being represented across the U.S. and in Canada. Finally, our ownership interest in PTS provides us with additional diversification as well as equity earnings, cash dividends, and significant cash savings on taxes.

We are also diversified geographically as established by the following table, which shows our consolidated revenue and gross profit by country as a percentage of our total revenue and total gross profit:

We are also diversified within our automotive retail operations by brand. We represent over 35 brands in our markets and our automotive dealership revenue mix consists of 71% related to premium brands, 21% related to volume non-U.S. brands, 1% related to brands of U.S. based manufacturers, and 7% related to our CarShop used vehicle dealerships as further detailed in the chart below:

Digital Strategy/Omnichannel

We are focused on executing a comprehensive omnichannel digital strategy with emphasis on customization, personalization, and creating a connection with our customers. We endeavor to build and optimize our presence across all digital platforms and deliver a seamless, convenient, and transparent experience that gives customers the ability to purchase, sell, or schedule service for their vehicles on their terms.

To stay at the forefront of technological innovations, we continue to develop and test platforms for end-to-end digital retailing through our industry and OEM relationships. Fully online retailing includes features like personalized monthly payments across all inventories, accurate trade-in capabilities, financing, digital contracting, and digital signatures. We are actively testing these technologies at both our franchise and U.S. CarShop locations to ensure we are gaining an understanding of best practices and customer adoption of these initiatives. In addition, we have implemented AI-driven technologies at certain of our dealerships, including a voice assistant to answer and appoint inbound service calls and an engagement system to address customer lead inquiries and schedule sales and service appointments. These technologies are designed to improve our customer experience and are available 24/7.

For U.S. customers who wish for a hybrid online/in-person transaction at our franchise locations, we offer the respective OEM provided digital solution or our own "Preferred Purchase" as our digital retailing solutions. These tools provide a digital buying process including trade-value, pricing, leasing, and financing options with customized payments. Customers can add insurance and protection products to their purchase, evaluate manufacturer and lender incentive programs, and pre-qualify for credit all online or in combination with an in-store experience. These tools are designed to serve a customer wherever they are at in their buying journey, whether they want to evaluate payment options or complete their purchase online through a secure link where they can sign documents digitally and arrange for curbside or home delivery.

Similarly, in the U.K., we offer online resources that enhance customers’ overall dealership experience. Customers can reserve a vehicle for up to three days with a fully refundable £99 deposit and complete their finance application entirely online with instant acceptance for qualified buyers. With our internally developed digital retailing program called “Click & Collect”, customers can fully pay for a vehicle online with a debit or credit card and request vehicles be transferred between dealerships by paying a transfer fee online. CarShop U.K. customers can access a bespoke finance eligibility tool, which helps them gauge their likelihood for financial acceptance.

We also promote our U.S. and U.K. automotive retail new and pre-owned vehicle inventory online through PenskeCars.com, Agnewcars.com, CarShop.com, Sytner.co.uk, and CarShop.co.uk (the latter two built in-house and hosted on a proprietary technology platform). These websites are designed to streamline the car-buying process and allow consumers to view and compare new, certified, and pre-owned vehicles. Along with our dealership websites, these sites provide consumers a simple way to view extensive vehicle information, including photos, prices, promotions, videos, and third-party vehicle history reports for pre-owned vehicles, schedule service appointments online 24/7, and use our digital tools to customize their vehicle purchase. These websites also support our "Sell Us Your Car" initiative, offered in the U.S. and U.K., which allows customers to sell their vehicles to us without a requirement to purchase a vehicle.

Corporate Responsibility

As a leading international, diversified transportation services company, we recognize it is our responsibility to ensure that we contribute to a healthy environment, economic opportunity, and social equity in the communities where we operate around the world. We recognize we are accountable to key stakeholders and the communities in which we do business. We are committed to responsible business practices, continuous improvement of our operations, and strengthening relationships with our stakeholders. We focus our efforts where we can have the most positive impact on our business and society and are driven by our core values that ensures we enrich our communities, minimize our environmental impact, protect the health and safety of our team members and customers, and provide a diverse and inclusive workplace – all while creating value for our stakeholders. The most important investments we make are in our people. Everything we aspire to be as a company builds on our ability to come together as one team. We provide our team members with a supportive work environment that empowers them to do meaningful work while fulfilling their passions and balancing work goals with life goals.

We are pleased to have published our 2023 Corporate Responsibility Report, which highlights the Company's strategies, activities, progress, metrics, and performance for 2022, which is available on our website under the tab “Corporate Responsibility.” The report is responsive to the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board ("SASB") Multiline & Specialty Distributors sector standard and includes additional disclosures responsive to the framework established by the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures ("TCFD"). We are committed to regular, transparent communication of our progress and look forward to bringing our stakeholders along with us on this journey. We encourage you to review our Corporate Responsibility report, which includes additional detail in regard to certain of our key efforts highlighted below.

Human Capital, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. We believe that our employees are our greatest asset. We understand that exceptional customer service can only be consistently delivered by attracting, motivating, training, and retaining the very best team members. With this in mind, we put our employees at the heart of everything that we do by developing their talent and enabling them to build long-term careers.

We are committed to building a diverse and skilled workforce while providing a work environment that promotes equity and is free from any form of discrimination on the basis of race, color, creed, religion, sex (including breast feeding and related medical conditions), pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, marital status, national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, uniform service member and veteran status, age, genetic information, protected medical condition, disability, or any other protected status in accordance with all applicable federal, state, and local laws.

Community Participation. We believe community participation and charitable giving enrich the neighborhoods where we work, live, and play. We are proud of these efforts, and we encourage participation by all dealerships and employees, including through our commitment to the Paralyzed Veterans of America (“PVA”). Since 2015, our dealerships have supported the PVA, an organization working to ensure paralyzed and disabled veterans receive the care, benefits, and job opportunities they deserve. Each year, we match certain donations from our customers and team members to the PVA and have contributed collectively more than $9.8 million to PVA over time. As a company with a presence spanning four continents, we are able to make positive impacts in communities where our dealerships are located. In 2023, we donated $2.8 million to charities in our markets to facilitate these goals.

Environmental Sustainability-Electric Vehicles. Our dealerships market, sell, and service vehicles that are engineered and manufactured by over 35 of the world’s automotive manufacturers. Our new car dealerships sell the full suite of vehicles offered by our manufacturer partners, including hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and pure electric vehicles. These vehicles can reduce the emissions that contribute to climate change and smog, improving public health and reducing ecological damage.

We encourage the sale and use of these vehicles and are actively placing charging stations across our network to facilitate a reliable infrastructure for their use. As of December 31, 2023, our network of charging stations totaled over 2,000, including a combination of Level 1 (standard), Level 2 (240V), and Level 3 (fast charging) capabilities. We expect to install additional charging stations to support these vehicles as our manufacturer partners introduce more of these products to the marketplace. We estimate that approximately 26.7% of our new vehicles sold in 2023 in the U.S. and U.K. combined were either Electric Vehicles or hybrid electric vehicles.

Managing our Energy Use and Reducing Waste. We are committed to monitoring and managing our energy use and the environmental impacts of our business. We recognize our responsibility to advocate for a cleaner environment through self-awareness, leveraging our global partnerships, promoting cleaner driving vehicles through our dealerships, and reducing pollution and waste. We have deployed several strategies for reducing or optimizing our energy use, such as installing LED lighting, occupancy sensors, energy-efficient glass, and high-efficiency heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems.

We are committed to reducing the environmental impact of waste produced at our facilities. We deploy several strategies to ensure the efficient use of resources and responsible disposal of waste, including hazardous waste, and use third parties to manage, collect, and process recycling for many of the materials that go through our service departments. Other strategies to reduce pollution and waste include recycling worn-out tires collected from participating U.S. retail dealerships and eliminating the use of paper for internal communications and customer documentation.

Retail Automotive Dealership Operations

Retail Automotive Franchises. We routinely acquire and dispose of retail automotive franchises. The following table exhibits our retail automotive franchises by location and manufacturer as of December 31, 2023:

Retail Automotive CarShop Used Vehicle Dealerships. The following table exhibits the CarShop used vehicle dealerships we operated by geographic location as of December 31, 2023:

New Vehicle Retail Sales. In 2023, we retailed, including agency units, more than 229,742 new vehicles which generated 44.7% of our retail automotive dealership revenue and 29.7% of our retail automotive dealership gross profit. Beginning in 2023, we transitioned our Mercedes-Benz U.K. dealerships to an agency model under which these dealerships, and a limited number of our other dealerships in Europe, receive a fee for facilitating the sale by the manufacturer of a new vehicle but do not hold the vehicle in inventory. We strive to maintain outstanding relationships with the automotive manufacturers based in part on our long-term presence in the retail automotive market, our commitment to providing premium facilities, our commitment to drive customer satisfaction, the reputation of our management team, and the consistent sales volume at our dealerships. Our dealerships finance the purchase of most new vehicles from the manufacturers through floor plan financing provided primarily by various manufacturers' captive finance companies.

Used Vehicle Retail Sales. In 2023, we retailed 256,721 used vehicles, which generated 35.4% of our retail automotive dealership revenue and 10.4% of our retail automotive dealership gross profit. We acquire used vehicles from various sources, including trade-ins from consumers in connection with their purchase of a new or used vehicle from us, purchases of used vehicles directly from consumers, lease expirations, public auctions, and auctions open only to authorized new vehicle dealers. To improve customer confidence in our used vehicle inventory, we provide vehicle history reports for all used vehicles, and virtually all of our franchised new vehicle dealerships participate in manufacturer certification processes for used vehicles. If certification is obtained, the used vehicle owner is typically provided benefits and warranties similar to those offered to new vehicle owners by the applicable manufacturer.

Vehicle Finance and Insurance Sales. Finance and insurance sales represented 3.3% of our retail automotive dealership revenue and 20.1% of our retail automotive dealership gross profit in 2023. At our customers' option, our dealerships can arrange third-party financing or leasing in connection with vehicle purchases. We typically receive a flat fee or a portion of the cost of the financing or leasing paid by the customer for each transaction. While these services are generally non-recourse to us, we are subject to chargebacks in certain circumstances, such as default under a financing arrangement or pre-payment. These chargebacks vary by finance product but typically are limited to the fee we receive.

We also offer our customers various vehicle warranty and extended protection products, including extended service contracts, maintenance programs, and voluntary vehicle protection products. The extended service contracts and other products that our dealerships currently offer to customers are underwritten by independent third parties, including the vehicle manufacturers' captive finance companies. Similar to finance transactions, we are subject to chargebacks relating to fees earned in connection with the sale of certain protection products. We also offer for sale other aftermarket products, including security systems and protective coatings.

We offer finance and insurance products using a "menu" process, which is designed to ensure that we offer our customers a complete range of finance, insurance, protection, and other aftermarket products in a transparent manner. We utilize docuPAD® at our U.S. dealerships, an interactive electronic interface designed to improve document processing and menu presentation of finance and insurance options during the purchase or lease transaction.

Service and Parts Sales. Service and parts sales represented 10.8% of our retail automotive dealership revenue and 38.4% of our retail automotive dealership gross profit in 2023. We generate service and parts revenue in connection with providing a wide range of services such as vehicle maintenance, repair, manufacturer recalls, warranty, out-of-warranty, and collision repair services. We also recondition used vehicles that we intend to sell in our dealerships. We look to generate higher revenue by driving higher levels of customer satisfaction, marketing, and the use of technology such as videos which allow our technicians to interact directly with the customer, obtain digital approvals, and increase efficiency. Additionally, we believe our service and parts revenues benefit from the increasingly complex technology built into vehicles today. We believe this offers an advantage to our automotive dealerships as the complexity makes it increasingly difficult for independent repair shops and do-it-yourself enthusiasts to maintain and repair today’s vehicles, including the components and systems used in battery and hybrid electric vehicles.

A goal of each of our dealerships is to make each vehicle purchaser a customer of our service and parts department. Our dealerships keep records of our customers' maintenance and service histories, and many dealerships send reminders to customers when vehicles are due for periodic maintenance or service. We also offer rapid repair services, such as paintless dent repair, tire sales, and windshield replacement at most of our facilities in order to offer our customers the convenience of one-stop shopping for all of their automotive requirements. We also operate 34 automotive collision repair centers, each of which is operated as an integral part of our dealership operations.

Fleet and Wholesale Sales. Fleet and wholesale sales represented 5.8% of our retail automotive dealership revenue and 1.4% of our retail automotive dealership gross profit in 2023. Fleet activities represent the sale of new units to customers that are deemed to not be retail customers, such as cities, municipalities, or rental car companies and are generally sold at contracted amounts. Wholesale activities relate to the sale of used vehicles generally to other dealers and occur at auction. Vehicles sold through this channel generally include units acquired by trade-in that do not meet certain standards or aged units. In the U.K., we offer used vehicles to wholesalers and other dealers via a proprietary online auction.

Retail Commercial Truck Dealership Operations

Premier Truck Group (“PTG”) is a heavy- and medium-duty truck dealership group offering primarily Freightliner and Western Star trucks (both Daimler brands) with 44 locations across nine U.S. states and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Manitoba. PTG dealerships provide a similar suite of services as our automotive dealerships, offering new trucks and a large selection of used trucks for sale, a full range of parts, maintenance and repair services, collision centers, and finance and insurance options by facilitating truck and trailer financing and leasing, extended maintenance plans, physical damage insurance, voluntary vehicle protection products, roadside relief, and other programs.

The maintenance and repair of commercial trucks is an essential service and a key area of differentiation for our business. We offer “Elite Support” certified locations to help maximize vehicle uptime. Elite Support certified locations provide an express assessment whereby we communicate a primary diagnosis, check parts availability, and provide an estimate of cost and repair time within a few hours of service write-up. As part of this service, many of our locations offer a comfortable environment for customers with amenities such as customer lounges, lockers, showers, and laundry facilities. We also offer roadside remote service for certain repairs and provide 24/7 technician support for breakdown/emergency service.

The collision centers at PTG are full-service, heavy-duty paint and collision repair facilities with certified professionals that can handle everything from light cosmetic issues to complete vehicle reconstruction, including mechanical engine repairs. PTG also carries an extensive inventory of parts for the new and used trucks they sell and service. The service and parts business of our PTG commercial truck dealerships represents approximately 65% of our retail commercial truck dealership gross profit.

Commercial Vehicle Distribution and Other Operations

Penske Australia. Penske Australia is the exclusive importer and distributor of Western Star heavy-duty trucks (a Daimler brand), MAN heavy- and medium-duty trucks and buses (a VW Group brand), and Dennis Eagle refuse collection vehicles, together with associated parts, across Australia, New Zealand, and portions of the Pacific. In most of these same markets, we are also a leading distributor of diesel and gas engines and power systems, principally representing MTU (a Rolls-Royce solution), Detroit Diesel, Allison Transmission, and Bergen Engines. Penske Australia offers products across the on- and off-highway markets, including in the trucking, mining, power generation, defense, marine, rail, and construction sectors and supports full parts and aftersales service through a network of branches, field service locations, and dealers across the region.

Penske Australia distributes commercial vehicles and parts for Western Star, MAN, and Dennis Eagle to a network which comprises on average of more than 70 dealership locations across Australia, New Zealand, and portions of the Pacific. Of these dealership locations, 11 are company-owned retail commercial vehicle and/or service and parts dealerships in Australia and three are company-owned retail commercial vehicle dealerships in New Zealand. Our dealership in Brisbane, Australia is the largest retailer of Western Star Trucks in Australia by volume, and our dealership in Perth, Australia is the largest retailer of MAN Trucks in Australia by volume. We finance our purchases of these vehicles under floor plan agreements with a local Daimler affiliate and a local Volkswagen affiliate with terms similar to our other floor plan agreements.

Western Star trucks are manufactured by Daimler Trucks North America in Portland, Oregon. These technologically advanced, custom-built vehicles are ordered by customers to meet their particular needs for line haul, long distance road train, mining, logging, and other heavy-duty applications. We are also the exclusive importer of MAN trucks and buses. MAN Truck and Bus, a VW Group company, is a leading producer of medium- and heavy-duty trucks as well as city and coach buses. These cab-forward, fuel efficient vehicles are principally produced in several sites in Germany and are ordered by customers for line haul, local distribution, mining, and other off-road applications. Dennis Eagle refuse collection vehicles are manufactured by Ros Roca in Warwick, England. These brands represented 3.2% of heavy-duty truck units sold in Australia and 2.8% in New Zealand during 2023.

We also distribute diesel gas engines and power systems to over 100 dealer locations that are strategically located throughout Australia, New Zealand, and portions of the Pacific. Most of the dealers represent the Detroit Diesel brand, with the majority aligned to Western Star and/or Freightliner truck manufacturers. The remaining dealers represent the MTU and Allison Transmission brands. The “off-highway” business principally includes the sale and servicing of power systems directly to customers in the commercial, defense, mining, maritime, and power generation sectors from 20 facilities we operate across Australia and New Zealand. We also utilize mobile remote field service units to travel directly to customer premises.

Penske Transportation Solutions

We hold a 28.9% ownership interest in Penske Truck Leasing Co., L.P. (“PTL”). Penske Transportation Solutions (“PTS”) is the universal brand name for PTL's various business lines through which it is capable of meeting customers' needs across the supply chain with a broad product offering that includes full-service truck leasing, truck rental, and contract maintenance along with logistics services, such as dedicated contract carriage, distribution center management, freight management, and dry van truckload carrier services. PTS has a highly diversified customer base ranging from multi-national corporations across industries, such as food and beverage, transportation, manufacturing, automotive, retail, and healthcare, with whom they have long-term contracts to individual consumers who rent a single truck on a daily basis.

PTS manages one of the largest, most comprehensive and modern trucking fleets in North America, with approximately 439,000 trucks, tractors and trailers under lease, rental and/or maintenance contracts as of December 31, 2023, through their network of locations throughout North America. Furthermore, PTS has consistently been among the largest purchasers of commercial trucks in North America and had an average full-service leasing Class 8 tractor fleet age of approximately 3.3 years as of December 31, 2023, which is substantially lower than the overall Class 8 tractor fleet age in the United States.

Full-service truck leasing, truck rental, and contract maintenance. Full-service truck leasing, truck rental, and contract maintenance of commercial trucks, tractors, and trailers constitutes PTS' largest business. PTS manages a fleet of over 439,000 trucks, tractors, and trailers, consisting of over 289,100 vehicles owned by PTS and leased to customers under full-service lease or rental agreements and over 150,500 customer-owned and -operated vehicles for which they provided contract maintenance services. Lease terms under its full-service leases generally range from four to seven years for tractors and trucks and six to ten years for trailers. Its commercial and consumer rental fleet as of December 31, 2023, consisted of approximately 106,800 vehicles for use by its full-service truck leasing, small business, and consumer customers for periods generally ranging from less than a day to 12 months. Most of its leased vehicles are configured according to customer specifications, including custom painting and lettering, while its rental trucks bear Penske branding.

Commercial customers often outsource to PTS to reduce the complexity, cost, and total capital associated with vehicle ownership. Under a full-service lease, PTS provides and fully maintains the vehicle, which is generally configured for the customer. The services provided under full-service lease and contract maintenance agreements generally include preventive and regular maintenance, advanced diagnostics, emergency road service, fleet services, safety programs, and fuel services through PTS' network of company-operated facilities and a nationwide network of independent truck stops. In addition, PTS makes available to its full-service leasing and contract maintenance customers additional vehicles on a rental basis. PTS' commercial rental operations offer short-term availability of tractors, trucks, and trailers typically to accommodate seasonal, emergency, and other temporary needs. A significant portion of these rentals are to existing full-service leasing and contract maintenance customers who are seeking flexibility in their fleet management. PTS has established a network of approximately 920 locations to provide full-service truck leasing, truck rental, and contract maintenance services to customers. This network enables PTS to meet multi-location customer requirements. PTS' commercial rental business generated 21% of its revenue for 2023 and its full-service lease and contract maintenance business generated 46% of its revenue in 2023.

For consumer customers, PTS provides short-term rental of light- and medium-duty vehicles on a one-way and local basis, typically to transport household goods. Customers typically include local small businesses and individuals seeking a do-it-yourself solution to their moving needs. PTS' consumer fleet generally consists of late model vehicles ranging in size from small vans to 26-foot trucks, and its consumer rentals are conducted through approximately 2,050 independent rental agents and approximately 430 of its company-operated leasing and rental facilities. PTS' consumer business generated 4% of its revenue for 2023.

Logistics. PTS' logistics business offers an extensive variety of services, including dedicated contract carriage, distribution center management, freight management, lead logistics provider, and dry van truckload carrier services. PTS coordinates services for its customers across the supply chain, including inbound material flow, handling and packaging, inventory management, distribution and technologies, and sourcing of third-party carriers. These services are available individually or on a combined basis and often involve its associates performing services at the customer's location. By offering a scalable series of services to its customers, PTS can manage the customer's entire supply chain or any stand-alone service. PTS also utilizes specialized software that enables real-time fleet visibility and provides reporting metrics, giving customers detailed information on fuel economy and other critical supply chain costs. PTS' international logistics business has approximately 520 locations in North America, South America, and Europe. PTS' logistics business generated 28% of its revenue for 2023.

Industry Information

Retail Automotive. Approximately 56% of our retail automotive dealership revenues are generated in the U.S. and Puerto Rico, which in 2023 was one of the world's largest automotive retail markets as measured by units sold. In 2023, sales of new cars and light trucks were approximately 15.6 million units, an increase of 12.6% from 2022, and were generated at approximately 16,800 franchised new-car dealerships. According to data from the National Automobile Dealers Association ("NADA"), dealership revenue is generally derived as follows: 52% from new vehicle sales, 35% from used vehicle sales, and 13% from service and parts sales. Dealerships also offer a wide range of higher-margin products and services, including extended service contracts, financing arrangements, and credit insurance. The NADA figures noted above include finance and insurance revenues within either new or used vehicle sales, as sales of these products are usually incremental to the sale of a vehicle.

In the U.S., the franchised automotive dealer industry is one of the largest retail businesses by revenue in a market of approximately $1.2 trillion. Publicly held automotive retail groups account for less than 10% of total industry revenue. Although significant consolidation has already taken place, the industry remains highly fragmented with more than 90% of the U.S. industry's market share remaining in the hands of smaller regional and independent dealers. Our other markets are similarly fragmented. We believe that further consolidation in these markets is probable due to the significant capital requirements of maintaining manufacturer facility standards and the limited number of viable alternative exit strategies for dealership owners.

Our international automotive retail dealerships operate in the U.K., the European Union, and Japan. In the U.K., new vehicle registrations in 2023 totaled 1.90 million, which increased 17.9% from 1.61 million new vehicle registrations in 2022. Our European Union markets consist of Germany, Italy, and Spain, which represented the first, third, and fourth largest automotive retail markets, respectively, in the European Union in 2023 and accounted for approximately 51% of the total vehicle sales in the European Union markets. Unit sales of automobiles in the European Union were approximately 10.5 million in 2023, a 13.9% increase compared to 2022. In Germany, Italy, and Spain, new car sales were approximately 2.8 million, 1.6 million, and 0.9 million units, respectively, in 2023, and new car sales in Japan were approximately 4.8 million in 2023.

As of December 31, 2023, we also operated 19 CarShop used vehicle dealerships in the U.S. and the U.K. Used vehicle sales are even more fragmented than new vehicle sales and are generated by new car dealerships, used vehicle dealerships, individual small lot sellers, as well as individual to individual sales. In 2023, used vehicle sales were approximately 35.9 million units in the U.S. according to data from Cox Automotive, compared to 36.2 million in the prior year, and approximately 7.2 million units in the U.K. according to data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, compared to 6.9 million in the prior year.

Dealership. Generally, new vehicle unit sales are cyclical, and historically, fluctuations have been influenced by factors such as manufacturer incentives, interest rates, fuel prices, unemployment, inflation, weather, the level of personal discretionary spending, credit availability, consumer confidence, and other general economic factors. However, from a profitability perspective, automotive and truck retailers have historically been less vulnerable than manufacturers and parts suppliers to declines in new vehicle sales. We believe this is due to the retailers' more flexible expense structure (a significant portion of the retail industry's costs are variable) and their diversified revenue streams, such as used vehicle sales and service and parts sales. In addition, manufacturers may offer various dealer incentives when sales are slow, which further increases the volatility in profitability for manufacturers and may help to decrease volatility for franchised automotive retailers.

Retail Commercial Truck Dealership. In 2023, North American sales of Class 6-8 medium- and heavy-duty trucks, the principal vehicles sold by our PTG business, increased 8.7% from last year to 487,771 units and were generated at approximately 2,200 new-truck dealerships. The Class 6-7 medium-duty truck market increased 12.5% from last year to 156,532 units, and Class 8 heavy-duty trucks, the largest North American market, increased 7.0% from last year to 331,239 units. In this market, our principal brands, Freightliner and Western Star, represent approximately 40.4% of that market.

Commercial Vehicle Distribution and Other. Our commercial vehicle distribution and other business operates principally in Australia and New Zealand. In 2023, heavy-duty truck sales in Australia and New Zealand combined were 21,562 units, representing an increase of 16.2% from 2022.

Penske Transportation Solutions. PTS participates broadly in the global supply chain, estimated at $11.4 trillion annually, and particularly, in the U.S. supply chain, estimated at $2.4 trillion annually. Only 16.6% of the total U.S. supply chain function is outsourced to third parties, such as PTS. We estimate, based on R. L. Polk registration data, that there are approximately 9.2 million commercial trucks operating in the United States, of which up to 4.7 million could be potential opportunities for PTS' full-service leasing and contract maintenance offerings.

Business Description

Marketing Strategy

Retail Automotive. Our integrated marketing strategy empowers each dealership to capitalize on local branding while being supported by corporate programs and web presence, allowing us to leverage scale and our parent brand recognition. We align ourselves with the marketing implemented by our vehicle manufacturer partners for their respective brands and integrate those initiatives and resources across the brands we represent.

Our marketing strategy reflects a data-driven approach that combines key metrics and trends from industry and consumer studies, our customer relationship management systems, and performance data from our businesses. This approach emphasizes objectivity and transparency in our marketing efforts, allows us to create customer-focused solutions, and enables us to measure and gauge our success. Our tools quickly deliver personalized content across all channels, enabling us to confidently develop more proactive strategies that meet and surpass their needs.

We leverage scale by using consistent performance metrics to identify opportunities and negotiate enterprise arrangements for key marketing partners. A single, unified content management tool is used by our franchise dealerships in the U.S. to enhance customer communication, provide visibility into our sales pipeline, generate customer insights, enhance team collaboration, and measure return on investment across our organization.

Our marketing strategy places a strong emphasis on digital marketing with a goal of attracting more prospects, converting more leads, and closing more sales. By focusing on social media, video, search engine marketing, email marketing, online advertising, search engine optimization, automation, personalization, branding, and content, we optimize our digital presence across all avenues of engagement to ensure a seamless customer experience at every touchpoint.

We monitor customer satisfaction data to gain insight into our business performance and enhance the areas of our business that drive customer referral and loyalty. Social media is a highly valued element of our marketing strategy that enables us to engage with customers, increase dealership awareness, improve customer satisfaction, and enhance repeat and referral business. Additionally, we leverage corporate social media efforts and partners to benefit our dealerships and create a strong sense of community. Online reputation management sites, such as Google and Yelp, are proactively monitored to ensure we are offering a superior customer experience.

Retail Commercial Truck Dealership and Commercial Vehicle Distribution and Other. We market commercial trucks in the U.S. and Canada and commercial vehicles and other products in Australia and New Zealand, principally through a network of dealership and service locations supported by corporate level marketing efforts. Our digital marketing leverages manufacturer websites supplemented by brand specific websites to promote our brands and services. We also employ local sponsorships to generate brand awareness in our markets and market to customers at various trade shows and other industry events.

Agreements with Vehicle and Equipment Manufacturers

We operate our new vehicle dealerships under separate agreements with the manufacturers or distributors of each brand of vehicle sold at that dealership. These agreements are typical throughout the industry and may contain provisions and standards governing almost every aspect of the dealership including ownership, management, personnel, training, maintenance of a minimum of working capital, net worth requirements, maintenance of minimum lines of credit, advertising and marketing activities, facilities, signs, products and services, maintenance of minimum amounts of insurance, achievement of minimum customer service standards, and monthly financial reporting. In addition, the General Manager and/or the owner of a dealership typically cannot be changed without the manufacturer's consent. In exchange for complying with these provisions and standards, we are granted the non-exclusive right to sell the manufacturer's or distributor's brand of vehicles and related parts and warranty services at our dealerships. The agreements also grant us a non-exclusive license to use each manufacturer's trademarks, service marks, and designs in connection with our sales and service of its brand at our dealership.

Many of these agreements also grant the manufacturer or distributor a security interest in the vehicles and/or parts sold by them to the dealership as well as other dealership assets and permit them to terminate or not renew the agreement for a variety of causes, including failure to adequately operate the dealership, insolvency or bankruptcy, impairment of the dealer's reputation or financial standing, changes in the dealership's management, owners, or location without consent, sales of the dealership's assets without consent, failure to maintain adequate working capital or floor plan financing, changes in the dealership's financial or other condition, failure to submit required information to them on a timely basis, failure to have any permit or license necessary to operate the dealership, and material breaches of other provisions of the agreement. In the U.S., these termination rights are subject to state franchise laws that limit a manufacturer's right to terminate a franchise. In the U.K., we operate without such local franchise law protection (see “Regulation” below).

In the U.S., some of our franchise agreements, including those with BMW, Honda, and Toyota, expire after a specified period of time ranging from one to six years. Manufacturers have not historically terminated our franchise agreements, and our franchise agreements with fixed terms have typically been renewed. We currently expect the manufacturers to renew all of our U.S. franchise agreements as they expire. In the U.K., many of our agreements have two-year rolling terms. Our agreements with BMW, our largest U.K. manufacturer, expire in December 2025. Similar to the U.S., the manufacturers in the U.K. have not historically terminated our agreements, and our agreements with fixed terms have typically been renewed.

Some of our key automotive manufacturer partners have announced plans to explore an agency model of selling new vehicles in the U.K. and other European countries, and beginning in 2023, we transitioned our Mercedes-Benz U.K. dealerships to an agency model under which these dealerships, and a limited number of our other dealerships in Europe, receive a fee for facilitating the sale by the manufacturer of a new vehicle but do not hold the vehicle in inventory. Vehicles sold under this agency model are counted as new agency units sold instead of new retail units sold by us, and only the fee we receive from the manufacturer, not the price of the vehicle, is reported as new revenue (as opposed to previously recording all of the vehicle sale price as new revenue) with no corresponding cost of sale. We continue to provide new vehicle customer service at our Mercedes-Benz U.K. dealerships, and the Mercedes-Benz U.K. agency model at this time has not changed our used vehicle sales operations or service and parts operations, although the long-term impact of the agency model at these dealerships as well as other agency models proposed by our manufacturer partners is uncertain. We believe transition to an agency model in the U.S. would be difficult for our automotive manufacturer partners in light of U.S. franchise laws. See Item 1. Business, "Regulations" and Item 1A. Risk Factors, "Agency" and "Regulatory Issues."

In addition, we are subject to certain framework agreements with U.S. manufacturers that allow us as a multi-point, public company to own and operate multiple franchises in exchange for us agreeing, among other things, to limit the total number of dealerships of that brand that we may own in a particular geographic area and in some cases, limit the total number of their vehicles that we may sell as a percentage of a particular manufacturer's overall sales. Manufacturers may also limit the ownership of stores in contiguous markets. Certain of our franchise agreements have similar limits. We have reached certain geographical limitations with the Lexus brand nationally in the U.S. and certain other manufacturers in the U.S. and U.K. in specific local markets. Where these limits are reached, we cannot acquire additional franchises of those brands in the relevant market unless we can negotiate modifications to the agreements. We may not be able to negotiate any such modifications.

These agreements also typically restrict the acquisition of additional dealerships unless the Company’s dealerships of that brand individually and/or in the aggregate are meeting certain requirements. These framework agreements typically provide the manufacturer or distributor the right in some circumstances (including upon a merger, sale, change of control of the Company, or in some cases a material change in our business or capital structure) to acquire the dealerships from us at fair market value or other predetermined values, including upon the acquisition of 20% or more of our voting stock by a person, entity, group, or another manufacturer (subject to certain exceptions), an extraordinary corporate transaction (such as a merger, reorganization, or sale of a material amount of assets), or a change of control of our board of directors.

With respect to our commercial vehicle distribution and other operations in Australia and New Zealand, we are party to distributor agreements with each manufacturer of products we distribute pursuant to which we are the distributor of these products in those countries and nearby markets. The agreements govern all aspects of our distribution rights, including sales and service activities, service and warranty terms, use of intellectual property, promotion and advertising provisions, pricing and payment terms, and indemnification requirements. The agreement with Western Star expires in 2031, the agreement with MTU expires in 2029, and the agreement with Detroit Diesel expires in 2031. We also are party to shipping agreements with respect to importing those products. For each of our non-company owned dealers, we have signed a franchise agreement with terms that set forth the dealer's obligations with respect to the sales and servicing of commercial vehicles and associated parts.

Competition

Dealerships. We believe that the principal factors consumers consider when determining where to purchase a vehicle are vehicle pricing (including manufacturer rebates and other special offers), marketing campaigns conducted by manufacturers, the ability of dealerships to offer a wide selection of the most popular vehicles, offering a multi-channel experience to customers so they may purchase a vehicle on site or remotely, the location of dealerships, and the quality of the customer experience. Other factors include customer preference for particular brands of vehicles and warranties. We believe that our dealerships are competitive in all of these areas.

The automotive and truck retail industry is currently served by franchised or agency dealerships, automotive manufacturers that sell direct to consumers, independent used vehicle dealerships, and individual consumers who sell used vehicles in private transactions. For new vehicle sales, we compete primarily with automotive manufacturers that sell direct to consumers and other franchised dealers in each of our marketing areas, relying on our premium facilities, superior customer service, advertising and merchandising, management experience, sales expertise, reputation, and the location of our dealerships to attract and retain customers. Each of our markets may include a number of well-capitalized competitors, including in certain instances dealerships owned by manufacturers and national and regional retail chains. In our retail commercial truck dealership operations, we compete with other manufacturers and retailers of medium- and heavy-duty trucks, such as Ford, International Kenworth, Mack, Peterbilt, and Volvo. We also compete with dealers that sell the same brands of new vehicles that we sell and with dealers that sell other brands of new vehicles that we do not represent in a particular market. Our new vehicle dealership competitors have franchise agreements which give them access to new vehicles on the same terms as us. Automotive dealers also face competition in the sale of new vehicles from purchasing services, warehouse clubs, and electric vehicle manufacturers that sell directly to consumers. With respect to arranging financing for our customers' vehicle purchases, we compete with a broad range of financial institutions, such as banks and local credit unions.

For used vehicle sales, we compete in a highly fragmented market which sells approximately 35.9 million units in the U.S. and approximately 7.2 million units in the U.K. annually through other franchised dealers, independent used vehicle dealers, automobile rental agencies, purchasing services, private parties, online retailers, and used vehicle “superstores” for the procurement and resale of used vehicles.

We compete with other franchised dealers to perform warranty repairs and with other dealers, franchised and non-franchised service center chains, and independent garages for non-warranty repair and routine maintenance business. We compete with other dealers, franchised and independent aftermarket repair shops, and parts retailers in our parts operations. We believe that the principal factors consumers consider when determining where to purchase vehicle parts and service are price, the use of factory-approved replacement parts, facility location, the familiarity with a manufacturer's brands, and the quality of customer service. A number of regional or national chains offer selected parts and services at prices that may be lower than our prices.

We believe the majority of consumers are utilizing the Internet and other digital media in connection with the purchase of new and used vehicles. Accordingly, we face increased competition from online vehicle websites, including those developed by manufacturers and other dealership groups.

Commercial Vehicle Distribution and Other. With respect to our commercial vehicle distribution and other operations in Australia and New Zealand, we compete with manufacturers, distributors, and retailers of other vehicles and products in our markets.

PTS. As an alternative to using PTS' full-service truck leasing or contract maintenance services, we believe that most potential customers perform some or all of these services themselves. They may also purchase similar or alternative services from other third-party vendors. Its full-service truck leasing operations compete with companies providing similar services on a national, regional, and local level. Many regional and local competitors provide services on a national level through their participation in various cooperative programs. Competitive factors include price, maintenance, service, and geographic coverage. PTS competes with finance lessors, truck and trailer manufacturers, and independent dealers, each of which provides full-service lease products, finance leases, extended warranty maintenance, rental, and other transportation services. Its contract maintenance offering competes primarily with truck and trailer manufacturers and independent dealers who provide maintenance services.

PTS' commercial and consumer rental operations compete with several other nationwide vehicle rental systems, a large number of vehicle leasing, and rental companies with multiple branches operating on a regional basis and many similar companies operating primarily on a local basis. Because a significant portion of its consumer rentals are used for moving and relocation, PTS competes with local and national moving and storage companies as well as alternatives such as portable container-based transportation and storage. In its commercial and consumer rental operations, it competes primarily on the basis of equipment availability, geographic location, and customer service.

PTS' logistics business competes with other dedicated logistics providers, freight management businesses, freight brokers, warehouse providers, and truckload carriers on a national, regional, and local level as well as with the internal supply chain functions of prospective customers who rely on their own resources for logistics management. Competitive factors include price, efficient logistical design offerings, equipment, maintenance, service, technology, geographic coverage, and driver and operations expertise. PTS seeks to combine its logistics services with its existing full-service truck leasing and truck rental business to create an integrated transportation solution for its customers.

Human Capital

We believe that our Human Capital is our greatest asset. We understand that exceptional customer service can only be consistently delivered by attracting, motivating, training, and retaining the very best team members. We are committed to building a diverse and skilled workforce and strive to provide a work environment that promotes equity and is free from any form of discrimination. With this in mind, we put our employees at the heart of everything that we do by developing their talent and enabling them to build long-term careers. In January 2024, our company was named as a winner of Glassdoor's 16th Annual Employees' Choice Awards, honoring the "Best Places to Work 2024" with the Company obtaining top workplace factor ratings in diversity & inclusion, senior management, and culture & values. Also, in January 2024, we were notified that Penske Automotive Group was named by Fortune as a "World's Most Admired Company".

As of December 31, 2023, we employed approximately 28,000 people, an increase of 4.4% from December 31, 2022. Approximately 630 of our employees were covered by collective bargaining agreements with labor unions, and we believe our relations with our employees, including those represented by collective bargaining agreements, are generally good. We believe our inclusive culture enhances our ability to attract and retain the most talented leadership and workforce, thereby enabling us to better serve and broaden our customer base.

We maintain a culture grounded in safety and endeavor to eliminate workplace incidents, risks, and hazards. We have partnered with environmental and safety consulting firms to assist in compliance with specific local and federal laws and regulations relating to environmental and safety issues and to promote best safety practices. Audits are regularly performed to assure and maintain compliance.

We believe our employee turnover of approximately 20% is below our industry's average. We seek to motivate our key managers and salespersons through, among other things, variable compensation programs tied principally to local profitability and customer satisfaction. We also annually survey our employees to gauge their satisfaction and address any resulting concerns.

Regulation

We operate in a highly regulated industry and a number of regulations affect the marketing, selling, financing, servicing, and distribution of vehicles. Under the laws of the jurisdictions in which we currently operate, we typically must obtain a license in order to establish, operate, relocate a dealership, or operate a repair facility. These laws also regulate our conduct of business, including our advertising, operating, financing, employment, distribution, and sales practices. Other laws and regulations include franchise laws and regulations, environmental laws and regulations (see “Environmental Matters” below), laws and regulations applicable to new and used motor vehicle dealers as well as customer and employee privacy, identity theft prevention, wage-hour, anti-discrimination, and other employment practices laws. With respect to online sales, many laws and regulations applicable to our business were adopted prior to the introduction of the Internet, certain digital technologies, and e-commerce, generally. As a result, we are tasked with maintaining compliance in an uncertain regulatory environment. In December 2023, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (the "FTC") announced its new Combating Auto Retail Scams ("CARS") Rule, which would change the way vehicles are advertised and sold in the U.S. The rule originally was to take effect in July 2024. However, in light of recent legal challenges, the FTC has delayed the rules effective date pending resolution of related litigation. Once effective, the rules are expected to change industry-accepted practices with regard to sales and advertising, require a series of oral and written disclosures to consumers in regard to the sale price of vehicles, credit terms, and voluntary protection products and impose burdensome recordkeeping requirements, all of which may lead to additional transaction times for the sale of vehicles, complicate the transaction process, decrease customer satisfaction, and increase compliance costs and risk, among other effects. See Item 1A. Risk Factors, "Regulatory Issues".

Our financing activities with customers are subject to truth-in-lending, consumer leasing, equal credit opportunity, and similar regulations as well as motor vehicle finance laws, installment finance laws, insurance laws, usury laws, and other installment sales laws. Some jurisdictions regulate finance fees that may be paid as a result of vehicle sales. In the U.K., the Financial Conduct Authority (the "FCA") regulates financial services firms and financial markets, including our activities in acting as broker for the financing of vehicle sales. The FCA has announced that it will investigate the historic use of discretionary commission arrangements ("DCAs") amid concerns that this practice may have been unfair to customers. The purpose of the investigation is to consider whether the historic use of DCAs caused customers to pay too much for their car loans and, if so, to consider potential remedial measures. The investigation is being undertaken after the Financial Ombudsman Service (a public body, which resolves financial complaints) determined that DCAs, in two separate cases which do not involve us, had caused financial losses to consumers. We await the outcome of the FCA’s investigation. Any regulatory or judicial outcome that ultimately results in the refund of historical commissions paid to us could materially and adversely affect us.

In the U.S., we benefit from the protection of numerous state franchise laws that generally provide that a manufacturer or distributor may not terminate or refuse to renew a franchise agreement unless it has first provided the dealer with written notice setting forth good cause and stating the grounds for termination or non-renewal. Some state franchise laws allow dealers to file protests or petitions or to attempt to comply with the manufacturer's criteria within the notice period to avoid termination or non-renewal. Our international locations generally do not have these laws, and as a result, our international operations operate without these types of protections. See Item 1. Business, "Agreements with Vehicle and Equipment Manufacturers."

Environmental Matters

We are subject to a wide range of environmental laws and regulations, including those governing discharges into the air and water, the operation and removal of aboveground and underground storage tanks, the use, handling, storage, and disposal of hazardous substances and other materials, and the investigation and remediation of environmental contamination. Our business involves the generation, use, handling, and contracting for recycling or disposal of hazardous or toxic substances or wastes, including environmentally sensitive materials such as motor oil, filters, transmission fluid, antifreeze, refrigerant, batteries, solvents, lubricants, tires, and fuel. EVs pose additional risks regarding the use, maintenance, and disposal of electric batteries which may be subject to additional regulation. We have incurred, and will continue to incur, capital and operating expenditures and other costs in complying with such laws and regulations.

Our operations involving the management of hazardous and other environmentally sensitive materials are subject to numerous requirements. Our business also involves the operation of storage tanks containing such materials. Storage tanks are subject to periodic testing, containment, upgrading, and removal under applicable law. Furthermore, investigation or remediation may be necessary in the event of leaks or other discharges from current or former underground or aboveground storage tanks. In addition, water quality protection programs govern certain discharges from some of our operations. Similarly, certain air emissions from our operations, such as vehicle painting, may be subject to relevant laws. Various health and safety standards also apply to our operations.

We may have liability in connection with materials that are sent to third-party recycling, treatment, and/or disposal facilities under the U.S. Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act and comparable statutes. These statutes impose liability for investigation and remediation of contamination without regard to fault or the legality of the conduct that contributed to the contamination. Responsible parties under these statutes may include the owner or operator of the site where the contamination occurred and companies that disposed or arranged for the disposal of the hazardous substances released at these sites.

Many jurisdictions in which we operate have placed additional restrictions and limitations on activities that may affect the environment. U.S. vehicle manufacturers are subject to federally mandated corporate average fuel economy standards, which are expected to increase substantially through 2026. Furthermore, in response to concerns that emissions of carbon dioxide and certain other gases, referred to as “greenhouse gases,” may be contributing to warming of the Earth's atmosphere, climate change-related legislation and policy changes to restrict greenhouse gas emissions are being considered, or have been implemented, at state and federal levels. Legislation in various states across the United States would ban the sale of new vehicles with gasoline-only engines in cars as early as 2035. The California legislation requires 35% of all new vehicles sold to meet a zero emissions standard by 2026 (with certain allowances for hybrid gas/Electric Vehicles), which percentage requirement increases until 2035, after which 100% of new vehicles sold must comply. The European Parliament recently approved a law requiring most automakers to reduce the emissions of new cars sold by 55% in 2030 and achieve a zero carbon-emission standard by 2035, effectively banning the sale of new gasoline and diesel cars and vans by 2035. Representatives of the U.K. government have proposed a ban on the sale of gasoline engines and gasoline hybrid engines in new cars and new vans that would take effect in 2035 while also providing government incentives on certain Electric Vehicles to entice consumers to transition from internal combustion vehicles to Electric Vehicles. Significant increases in fuel economy requirements and new restrictions on emissions on vehicles and fuels could adversely affect prices of and demand for the vehicles that we sell, which could materially adversely affect us. Moreover, while increasing consumer adoption of Electric Vehicles may present new service opportunities, including with respect to range maintenance and optimization, cooling protection, torque protection, battery replacement, and warranty on newly released models, our service revenue per vehicle may decline over time as these electric vehicles may require less physical maintenance than gas and hybrid vehicles due to the absence of certain parts systems. However, due to the complexity and training required for the electrical components of the vehicle, we believe a larger percentage of Electric Vehicle customers will be retained for service.

We have a proactive strategy related to environmental, health, and safety compliance, which includes contracting with third parties to inspect our facilities periodically. We believe that we do not have any material environmental liabilities and that compliance with environmental laws and regulations will not, individually or in the aggregate, have a material effect on us. However, soil and groundwater contamination are known to exist at certain of our current or former properties. Further, environmental laws and regulations are complex and subject to change. In addition, in connection with our acquisitions, it is possible that we will assume or become subject to new or unforeseen environmental costs or liabilities, some of which may be material. Compliance with current, amended, new, or more stringent laws or regulations, stricter interpretations of existing laws, or the future discovery of environmental conditions could require additional expenditures by us, and such expenditures could be material.

Insurance

Our business is subject to substantial risk of loss due to significant concentrations of property value, including vehicles and parts at our locations. In addition, we are exposed to liabilities arising out of our operations, such as employee claims, customer claims, claims for personal injury or property damage, and potential fines and penalties in connection with alleged violations of regulatory requirements or data security requirements. We attempt to manage such risks through loss control and risk transfer utilizing insurance programs which are subject to specified deductibles and significant retentions, including information security risk insurance but excluding certain types of insurance. As a result, we are exposed to uninsured and underinsured losses that could have a material adverse effect on us.

Available Information

For selected financial information concerning our various operating and geographic segments, see Note 17 to our consolidated financial statements included in Item 8 of this report. Our Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, and amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act are available free of charge through our website, www.penskeautomotive.com, under the tab “Investors” as soon as reasonably practicable after they are electronically filed with, or furnished to, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). The SEC maintains an internet site that contains reports, proxy, and information statements and other information that issuers file with the SEC. The address of the SEC's website is www.sec.gov. We also make available on our website copies of materials regarding our corporate governance, policies, and practices, including our Corporate Governance Guidelines, our Code of Business Ethics, our 2023 Corporate Responsibility Report, and the charters relating to the committees of our Board of Directors. The content of any website referred to in this Form 10-K is not deemed incorporated by reference into this Form 10-K unless expressly noted. You may obtain a printed copy of any of the foregoing materials by sending a written request to Investor Relations, Penske Automotive Group, Inc., 2555 S. Telegraph Road, Bloomfield Hills, MI 48302 or by calling 248-648-2500. The information on or linked to our website is not part of this document. We plan to disclose changes to our Code of Business Ethics or waivers, if any, for our executive officers or directors on our website. We incorporated in the state of Delaware in 1990 and began dealership operations in October 1992.