As Filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on February 22, 2019

Registration No. 333-                    

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

FORM S-3

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

UNDER

THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

AutoNation, Inc.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

SEE TABLE OF ADDITIONAL REGISTRANTS

200 SW 1st Ave

Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301

(954) 769-6000

(Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of registrant’s principal executive offices)

C. Coleman Edmunds

Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary

200 SW 1st Ave

Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301

(954) 769-6000

(Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)

Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to the public: From time to time after the effective date of this registration statement.

If the only securities being registered on this Form are being offered pursuant to dividend or interest reinvestment plans, please check the following box.  ☐

If any of the securities being registered on this Form are to be offered on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933, other than securities offered only in connection with dividend or interest reinvestment plans, check the following box.  ☒

If this Form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, please check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering.  ☐

If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering.  ☐

If this Form is a registration statement pursuant to General Instruction I.D. or a post-effective amendment thereto that shall become effective upon filing with the Commission pursuant to Rule 462(e) under the Securities Act, check the following box.  ☒

If this Form is a post-effective amendment to a registration statement filed pursuant to General Instruction I.D. filed to register additional securities or additional class of securities pursuant to Rule 413(b) under the Securities Act, check the following box.  ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act.  ☐

CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE

TABLE OF ADDITIONAL REGISTRANTS

TABLE OF ADDITIONAL REGISTRANTS (CONTINUED)

TABLE OF ADDITIONAL REGISTRANTS (CONTINUED)

TABLE OF ADDITIONAL REGISTRANTS (CONTINUED)

TABLE OF ADDITIONAL REGISTRANTS (CONTINUED)

TABLE OF ADDITIONAL REGISTRANTS (CONTINUED)

TABLE OF ADDITIONAL REGISTRANTS (CONTINUED)

TABLE OF ADDITIONAL REGISTRANTS (CONTINUED)

TABLE OF ADDITIONAL REGISTRANTS (CONTINUED)

TABLE OF ADDITIONAL REGISTRANTS (CONTINUED)

c/o AutoNation, Inc.

200 SW 1st Ave

Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33301

(954) 769-6000

PROSPECTUS

AutoNation, Inc.

COMMON STOCK

PREFERRED STOCK

DEBT SECURITIES

GUARANTEES OF DEBT SECURITIES

WARRANTS

SUBSCRIPTION RIGHTS

DEPOSITARY SHARES

STOCK PURCHASE CONTRACTS

UNITS

We may from time to time offer to sell, together or separately, common stock, preferred stock, debt securities, guarantees of debt securities, warrants, subscription rights to purchase common stock or preferred stock, depositary shares or stock purchase contracts, as well as units that include any of these securities. The debt securities may consist of debentures, notes or other types of debt and may be guaranteed by certain of our subsidiaries. The preferred stock, debt securities, warrants and stock purchase contracts may be convertible into, or exercisable or exchangeable for, common or preferred stock or other securities.

We will provide specific terms of these securities in one or more supplements to this prospectus at the time of offering. Any prospectus supplement may also add, update or change information contained in this prospectus. You should read this prospectus and any relevant prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus, as well as the documents incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference in this prospectus, carefully before you make your investment decision with respect to any offering.

Our common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange and trades under the ticker symbol “AN.” Each prospectus supplement will indicate if the securities offered thereby will be listed on any securities exchange.

This prospectus may not be used to sell securities unless accompanied by a prospectus supplement or a free writing prospectus.

We may offer securities through underwriting syndicates managed or co-managed by one or more underwriters, or directly to purchasers. The prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus for an offering of securities will describe in detail the plan of distribution for that offering. For general information about the distribution of securities offered, please see “Plan of Distribution” on page 7 of this prospectus.

Investing in our securities involves risks, including those described under “Risk Factors” beginning on page 4 of this prospectus. You should carefully read and consider these risk factors and the risk factors included in our periodic reports, in any prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus relating to specific offerings of securities and in other documents that we file with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

The date of this prospectus is February 22, 2019

TABLE OF CONTENTS

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FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference herein contain forward looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included or incorporated by reference herein, are, or may deemed to be, forward-looking statements. Words such as “anticipate,” “expect,” “intend,” “goal,” “plan,” “believe,” “continue,” “may,” “will,” “could,” and variations of such words and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. Statements regarding our strategy, future operations, financial position, estimated financial results, planned transactions, projected costs, as well as other statements that describe our objectives, goals or plans, are forward-looking statements.

We intend for our forward-looking statements to be covered by the safe harbor provisions for forward-looking statements contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, and we set forth this statement in order to comply with such safe harbor provisions. Our forward-looking statements reflect our current expectations concerning future results and events, and they involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that are difficult to predict and may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance and achievements expressed or implied by these statements. The risks, uncertainties, and other factors that our stockholders and prospective investors should consider include, but are not limited to, the following:

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Please refer to our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and to our subsequent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) for additional discussion of the foregoing risks. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made, and we undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances, except as required by law.

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ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS

This prospectus is part of an “automatic shelf” registration statement that we filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC, as a “well-known seasoned issuer” as defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act. Under this shelf registration process, we may sell, from time to time, an indeterminate amount of any combination of the securities described in this prospectus in one or more offerings. This prospectus provides you with a general description of the securities we may offer, which is not meant to be a complete description of each security. Each time that we sell securities, a prospectus supplement or a free writing prospectus containing specific information about the terms of that offering will be provided, including the specific amounts, prices and terms of the securities offered and the manner in which they will be offered. The prospectus supplement and any other offering material (including any free writing prospectus) may also add to, update or change information contained in this prospectus or in documents we have incorporated by reference into this prospectus. We urge you to read both this prospectus and any prospectus supplement and any other offering material (including any free writing prospectus) prepared by or on behalf of us for a specific offering of securities, together with the additional information described under the heading “Where You Can Find Additional Information” on page 7 of this prospectus. We have not authorized anyone to provide any information other than that contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus, any prospectus supplement or any free writing prospectus prepared by or on behalf of us or to which we have referred you. We take no responsibility for, and can provide no assurance as to the reliability of, any other information that others may give you. We are not making an offer to sell or soliciting an offer to purchase these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted.

You should not assume that the information contained in this prospectus, any prospectus supplement or any free writing prospectus is accurate on any date other than the date on the front cover of such documents or that any information we have incorporated by reference is correct on any date subsequent to the date of the document incorporated by reference, even though this prospectus or any prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus is delivered or securities are sold on a later date. Neither the delivery of this prospectus or any applicable prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus nor any distribution of securities pursuant to such documents shall, under any circumstances, create any implication that there has been no change in the information set forth in this prospectus or any applicable prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus or in our affairs since the date of this prospectus or any applicable prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed since those dates.

For convenience, the terms “AutoNation,” “the Company,” “we,” “us,” and “our” are used in this prospectus to refer to AutoNation, Inc. and its subsidiaries, unless otherwise required by the context. Our dealership operations are conducted by our subsidiaries.

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THE COMPANY

This summary highlights certain information about AutoNation, Inc. Because it is a summary, it does not contain all the information you should consider before investing in our securities. You should read carefully this entire prospectus, any prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus and the documents that we incorporate herein and therein by reference, including the sections entitled “Risk Factors” and our financial statements and related notes. You may obtain a copy of the documents that we incorporate by reference without charge by following the instructions in the section below entitled “Where You Can Find Additional Information.”

AutoNation, Inc., through its subsidiaries, is the largest automotive retailer in the United States. As of December 31, 2018, we owned and operated 326 new vehicle franchises from 239 stores located in the United States, predominantly in major metropolitan markets in the Sunbelt region. Our stores, which we believe include some of the most recognizable and well-known in our key markets, sell 33 different new vehicle brands. The core brands of new vehicles that we sell, representing approximately 92% of the new vehicles that we sold in 2018, are manufactured by Toyota (including Lexus), Honda, Ford, General Motors, FCA US, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, BMW, and Volkswagen (including Audi and Porsche). We also own and operate 85 AutoNation-branded collision centers, and together with our vehicle dealerships, our AutoNation USA stores and our automotive auctions, we owned and operated over 325 locations coast to coast.

We offer a diversified range of automotive products and services, including new vehicles, used vehicles, “parts and service,” which includes automotive repair and maintenance services as well as wholesale parts and collision businesses, and automotive “finance and insurance” products, which include vehicle service and other protection products, as well as the arranging of financing for vehicle purchases through third-party finance sources.

We were incorporated in Delaware in 1991. Our principal executive offices are located at 200 SW 1st Ave, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301, and our telephone number at that address is (954) 769-6000. We maintain a website at www.autonation.com. Information contained in or accessed through our website and social media channels does not constitute a part of this prospectus.

RISK FACTORS

Investing in our securities involves risks. Before you decide whether to purchase any of our securities, in addition to the other information, documents or reports included or incorporated by reference into this prospectus and any prospectus supplement or other offering materials (including any free writing prospectus), you should carefully consider the risk factors described in the section entitled “Risk Factors” in any prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus, our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, any Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K filed subsequent to such Annual Report on Form 10-K, each of which is incorporated by reference into this prospectus and any prospectus supplement in its entirety, and as the same may be amended, supplemented or superseded from time to time by our filings under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act. For more information, see the section entitled “Where You Can Find Additional Information” on page 7 of this prospectus. These risks could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition or operating results and could result in a partial or complete loss of your investment. Furthermore, additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us, or that we currently deem immaterial, may also affect our operations.

USE OF PROCEEDS

Unless otherwise indicated in a prospectus supplement or a free writing prospectus, the net proceeds from the sale of the securities will be used for general corporate purposes, which may include working capital, acquisitions, construction of new facilities, repayment or refinancing of debt, share repurchases and other business opportunities.

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DESCRIPTION OF CAPITAL STOCK

The following description of our capital stock is based on our Third Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, as amended (our “Certificate of Incorporation”), our Amended and Restated By-Laws (our “By-Laws”) and applicable provisions of law. We have summarized certain portions of our Certificate of Incorporation and By-Laws below. The summary is not complete and is subject to, and is qualified in its entirety by, the applicable provisions of the Delaware General Corporation Law (“DGCL”), our Certificate of Incorporation and our By-Laws, which are incorporated by reference herein. You should read our Certificate of Incorporation and By-Laws for the provisions that are important to you.

Copies of our Certificate of Incorporation and By-Laws are available upon request. Please see “Where You Can Find Additional Information” below. As used in this “Description of Capital Stock,” the terms “our,” “ours” and “us” refer only to AutoNation, Inc., a Delaware corporation, and not, unless otherwise indicated, to any of its subsidiaries.

Capital Stock

Under our Certificate of Incorporation, our authorized capital stock consists of 1,500,000,000 shares of common stock, par value $0.01 per share, and 5,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $0.01 per share. As of February 20, 2019, there were 90,058,836 shares of common stock issued and outstanding and no shares of preferred stock issued and outstanding.

Common Stock

Our common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol “AN.” Each holder of shares of our common stock is entitled to one vote for each share held of record on the applicable record date on all matters submitted to a vote of stockholders. Subject to any preferential dividend rights granted to the holders of any shares of our preferred stock that may at the time be outstanding, holders of our common stock are entitled to receive dividends as may be declared from time to time by our Board of Directors (“Board”) out of funds legally available therefor. Upon any liquidation or dissolution of AutoNation, holders of our common stock are entitled to share pro rata in all remaining assets available for distribution to stockholders after payment or providing for our liabilities and the liquidation preference of any outstanding preferred stock. Holders of our common stock have no preemptive right to purchase, subscribe for or otherwise acquire any unissued or treasury shares or other securities.

Preferred Stock

Our Certificate of Incorporation authorizes our Board to create preferred stock in one or more classes or series and to fix for each such class or series the voting powers, designations, preferences and relative, participating, optional or other special rights and any qualifications, limitations or restrictions thereof. Our Board is authorized to, among other things, provide that any such class or series of preferred stock may be (i) entitled to voting powers, full or limited; (ii) subject to redemption at such time or times and at such price or prices as our Board may establish; (iii) entitled to receive dividends (which may be cumulative or non-cumulative) at such rates, on such conditions, and at such times, and payable in preference to, or in such relation to, the dividends payable on any other class or classes or any other series as our Board may establish; (iv) entitled to such rights upon the dissolution of us, or upon any distribution of our assets, as our Board may establish; or (v) convertible into, or exchangeable for, shares of any other class or classes of stock, or of any other series of the same or any other class or classes of stock, of ours at such price or prices or at such rates of exchange and with such adjustments as our Board may establish. Issuance of preferred stock could discourage bids for the common stock at a premium as well as create a depressive effect on the market price of the common stock. As of the date hereof, no shares of preferred stock are outstanding.

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Certain Anti-Takeover Provisions of Our Certificate of Incorporation and By-Laws and the DGCL

Certain provisions in our Certificate of Incorporation and By-Laws and the DGCL may have the effect of delaying, deferring or discouraging another party from acquiring us. These provisions, which are summarized below, are expected to discourage coercive takeover practices and inadequate takeover bids. These provisions are also designed to encourage persons seeking to acquire control of us to first negotiate with our Board.

Advance Notice of Stockholder Proposals or Nominations

Our By-Laws provide that stockholders at an annual meeting may only consider proposals or nominations specified in the notice of meeting or brought before the meeting by or at the direction of the Board or by a stockholder who was a stockholder of record on the record date for the meeting, who is entitled to vote at the meeting and who has given to our Corporate Secretary timely written notice, in proper form, of the stockholder’s intention to bring that proposal or nomination before the meeting. In addition to certain other applicable requirements, for a stockholder proposal or nomination to be properly brought before an annual meeting by a stockholder, such stockholder generally must have given notice thereof in proper written form to our Corporate Secretary not less than 90 days nor more than 120 days prior to the anniversary date of the immediately preceding annual meeting of stockholders. Our By-Laws may have the effect of precluding the conduct of certain business at a meeting if the proper procedures are not followed or may discourage or defer a potential acquiror from conducting a solicitation of proxies to elect its own slate of directors or otherwise attempting to obtain control of us.

Special Meetings of Stockholders

Our By-Laws deny stockholders the right to call a special meeting of stockholders. Our By-Laws provide that only the Board may call special meetings of the stockholders. Stockholders are permitted under our By-Laws to act by written consent in lieu of a meeting.

Delaware General Corporation Law

We are a Delaware corporation and consequently are also subject to certain anti-takeover provisions of the DGCL. Subject to certain exceptions, Section 203 of the DGCL prevents a publicly held Delaware corporation from engaging in a “business combination” with any “interested stockholder” for three years following the date that the person became an interested stockholder, unless the interested stockholder attained such status with the approval of our Board or unless the business combination is approved in a prescribed manner. A “business combination” includes, among other things, a merger or consolidation involving us and the “interested stockholder” and the sale of more than 10% of our assets. In general, an “interested stockholder” is any entity or person beneficially owning 15% or more of our outstanding voting stock and any entity or person affiliated with or controlling or controlled by such entity or person. Section 203 makes it more difficult for an interested stockholder to effect various business combinations with a corporation for a three-year period. This statute could prohibit or delay mergers or other takeover or change in control attempts not approved in advance by our Board and as a result could discourage attempts to acquire us, which could depress the market price of our common stock.

DESCRIPTION OF OTHER SECURITIES

We will set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus a description of any debt securities, guarantees of debt securities, warrants, subscription rights to purchase common stock or preferred stock, depositary shares, stock purchase contracts or units that may be offered under this prospectus.

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PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION

The securities being offered hereby may be sold by us from time to time in one or more transactions, including without limitation:

We will identify the specific plan of distribution, including any underwriters, dealers, agents or direct purchasers and their compensation, in the applicable prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus, as the case may be.

WHERE YOU CAN FIND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

We file annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. The SEC maintains a website at www.sec.gov that contains reports, proxy and information statements and other information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC, including AutoNation.

The SEC allows us to “incorporate by reference” information into this document. This means that we can disclose important information to you by referring you to another document filed separately with the SEC. The information incorporated by reference is considered to be a part of this document, except for any information superseded by information that is included directly in this document or incorporated by reference subsequent to the date of this document.

This prospectus incorporates by reference the documents listed below and any future filings that we make with the SEC under Section 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act (other than information in the documents or filings that is deemed to have been furnished and not filed) after the date of this prospectus and prior to the termination of the offering.

You may also request a copy of any documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus (including any exhibits that are specifically incorporated by reference in them), at no cost, by writing or telephoning us at the following address or telephone number:

AutoNation, Inc.

200 SW 1st Ave

Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301

Attention: Legal Department

Telephone: (954) 769-6000

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LEGAL MATTERS

C. Coleman G. Edmunds, Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary of the Company and Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, Chicago, Illinois will pass upon the validity of any securities issued under this prospectus. Mr. Edmunds owns shares of our common stock, and holds stock options and restricted stock awards and may receive additional awards in the future. Any underwriters will be represented by their own legal counsel.

EXPERTS

The consolidated financial statements of AutoNation, Inc. and its subsidiaries as of December 31, 2018 and 2017, and for each of the years in the three-year period ended December 31, 2018, and management’s assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2018 have been incorporated by reference herein and in the registration statement in reliance upon the reports of KPMG LLP, independent registered public accounting firm, incorporated by reference herein, and upon the authority of said firm as experts in accounting and auditing.

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PART II

INFORMATION NOT REQUIRED IN PROSPECTUS

ITEM 14. OTHER EXPENSES OF ISSUANCE AND DISTRIBUTION

The following table sets forth the costs and expenses to be borne by us in connection with the sale of the securities being registered hereby.