CARY, N.C. -

Two of the public auto retailers announced expansions Tuesday, including one involving a standalone used-car store program.

Starting with AutoNation, the group said it has opened AutoNation USA San Antonio, its fourth pre-owned store in Texas and the first of five the retailer is planning to open in the U.S. during 2021.

AutoNation also plans to open USA stores in Austin, Texas, Phoenix and two locations in Denver this year.

“We are excited to welcome Customers to our newest AutoNation USA store in San Antonio. We are also excited to offer employment opportunities to the local market,” AutoNation president Steve Kwak said in a news release.

“Our responsibility is to provide a peerless Customer experience in San Antonio and support the community through our Drive Pink initiative,” Kwak said. “Drive Pink has raised nearly $27 million in the fight against cancer. AutoNation is committed to serving the local communities in which we serve.”

AutoNation now has six USA stores and aims to have more than 130 locations open by the end of 2026.

After adding five total this year, AutoNation plans to add 12 more in 2022. And then the growth in AutoNation USA would really escalate.

As one analyst from the investment community calculated during the retailer’s quarterly earnings call last month, reaching the 130-plus AutoNation store count by the end of 2026 would mean adding at least 27 locations a year between 2023 and 2026.

Speaking of rapid expansion, Lithia Motors & Driveway — one of the most (if not the most) active retailers on the M&A side of the market — has broadened its footprint to Las Vegas with the purchase of three Hyundai stores in the area.

The stores are expected to bring in approximately $225 million in annualized revenues.

"We are thrilled to make a strategic entrance into the Las Vegas market with three of the four Hyundai points in the area, giving us a dominant presence with a dynamic growing brand," Lithia president and chief executive officer Bryan DeBoer said in a news release.

“These franchises are matched perfectly with the local market demographics and further expand the reach and selection of our Driveway offerings by providing consumers transportation solutions wherever, whenever, and however they desire,” he said.

Since announcing a five-year plan in 2020, Lithia has now surpassed $6.9 billion in total expected annualized revenues acquired.

“With a pipeline of over $15 billion in annualized revenues that meet our disciplined hurdle rates under negotiation, our accelerated pace of acquisitions will continue into the coming quarters,” said DeBoer.

“After raising nearly $2 billion of additional capital through concurrent equity and debt offerings earlier this month, we are more confident than ever in our five-year plan of reaching $50 billion in revenue and $50 earnings per share. This transaction was financed using existing on-balance sheet capacity,” he said.