FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -

Along with revealing the six states where it will operate Fiat dealerships, AutoNation discussed how a lower overall third quarter net income figure still resulted in an improvement on a per-share basis.

The company shared Thursday that its third quarter net income from continuing operations came in at $59 million, or 39 cents per share. In the year-ago quarter, AutoNation posted a net income total of $64 million but it computed into 36 cents per share. Executives computed the year-over-year improvement on a per-share basis was 8 percent.

When looking strictly at revenue, AutoNation enjoyed year-over-year improvements all around.

The company indicated its third quarter revenue totaled $3.3 billion, compared to $2.9 billion in the year-ago period. That amount represented a 13-percent increase.

AutoNation contended the jump was driven primarily by stronger new- and used-retail vehicle revenue, which combined to increase 15 percent.

Looking specifically at used vehicles, AutoNation said its retail revenue for these units moved higher by 31 percent in the third quarter when compared to the year-ago period. Meanwhile, the company also noted retail unit sales increased 25 percent.

Two other third-quarter revenue streams moved higher, too. AutoNation noted its parts and service revenue increased 6 percent and finance and insurance revenue climbed 18 percent compared to the third quarter of 2009.

Turning its attention to new vehicles, AutoNation highlighted how it beat the nationwide performance.

Executives mentioned CNW Research data that revealed total U.S. new-vehicle retail sales decreased 4 percent in the third quarter. However AutoNation said its new-vehicle retail sales on a same-store basis edged up by 1 percent.

The company broke down those sales by its three operating segments: domestic, import and premium luxury. It classifies the domestic segment as stores that sell vehicles manufactured by General Motors, Ford and Chrysler. AutoNation defines its import segment as stores that sell vehicles manufactured primarily by Toyota, Honda and Nissan, while its premium luxury segment is made up of stores that sell units manufactured primarily by Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Lexus.

Segment results for the third quarter were as follows:

—Domestic: Segment income was $43 million compared to year-ago segment income of $33 million. Third quarter domestic retail sales increased 15 percent.

“We had a solid performance from our domestic stores, especially Ford and Chevrolet,” AutoNation executives pointed out.

—Import: Segment income was $51 million compared to year-ago segment income of $63 million.  Third quarter retail sales decreased 3 percent.

—Premium luxury: Segment income was $48 million compared to year-ago segment income of $44 million.  Third quarter retail sales also dropped 3 percent.

“We delivered strong performance in the third quarter, which was driven by both new and used vehicle unit sales and revenue,” AutoNation chairman and chief executive officer Mike Jackson insisted.

“We continue to expect full year industry new vehicle unit sales to be in the range of 11.5 million new units,” Jackson added.

AutoNation also offered how it has performed for the first nine months of the year that wrapped up Sept. 30.

The company reported adjusted net income from continuing operations of $179 million or $1.11 per share. That figure is higher than what AutoNation generated during the first nine months of last year — $154 million or 87 cents per share.

Executives pointed out adjusted net income from continuing operations excluded debt refinancing costs of $12 million after-tax, or 7 cents per share. The figure also includes a net benefit of $17 million after-tax, or 10 cents per share, that was primarily related to a net gain on asset sales and a gain on senior note repurchases.

On a GAAP basis, AutoNation said its net income from continuing operations for the nine-month period that ended Sept. 30 was $167 million or $1.04 per share. A year ago, that total was $171 million or 96 cents per share.

Furthermore, the company stated its revenue for the recent nine-month period totaled $9.2 billion, up 17 percent from $7.9 billion in the prior year.

Fiat Dealership Locations

AutoNation also announced that it was awarded seven Fiat franchises, prompting executives to claim the company will be the biggest Fiat dealer in the U.S.

The dealerships are set to operate in California, Colorado, Arizona, Washington, Virginia and Georgia.