Carvana’s sales surge in Q2, Ford Credit, retailers’ results mixed

Auto companies saw mixed results in the second quarter related to sales and finance volume, as Carvana’s originations surged, Ford Credit’s earnings rose and Credit Acceptance Corp. and Penske Automotive faced declines.

Carvana’s originations soared 51.1% year over year in Q2 to $3.1 billion, while Credit Acceptance Corp.’s originations plummeted 14.6% YoY on a unit basis to 86,486, according to the lenders’ earnings reports.

Captive Ford Credit saw an 88.1% YoY increase in earnings before taxes to $645 million in Q2, though its finance penetration rate of U.S. Ford Motor sales fell to 33% in Q2, compared with 51% a year earlier, according to its earnings report.

Retailers Asbury Automotive and Penske Automotive faced declining finance and insurance profits. Asbury Automotive’s F&I revenue fell 5.4% YoY to $182 million, while Penske Automotive’s F&I revenue dropped 3.9% YoY to $200.5 million, according to the retailers’ earnings reports.
Retailers also saw mixed new- and used-vehicle inventory in Q2. Asbury Automotive reported new-vehicle inventory down 13 days YoY at 49 days’ supply, while used inventory fell one day YoY at 37 days’ supply. Penske’s new-vehicle inventory hit 57 days’ supply, up YoY from 49, while used vehicles fell YoY to 44 days from 47.

Also last week, asset management firms KKR & Co. and Pacific Management Co. agreed to purchase a stake in Harley-Davidson Financial Services and buy more than $5 billion in existing loan receivables, according to a July 30 Harley-Davidson announcement. The announcement came days before Harley-Davidson appointed Artie Starrs, chief executive of Topgolf, to be its new chief executive starting Oct. 1.

In this episode of the “Weekly Wrap,” Auto Finance News Editor Amanda Harris, Senior Associate Editor Truth Headlam and Associate Editor Aidan Bush discuss trends across second-quarter bank earnings for the week ended Aug. 1.