Table of Contents

UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

Form 10-K

x      ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2012

o         TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the transition period from                to                

Commission file number 1-12297

Penske Automotive Group, Inc.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code (248) 648-2500

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None.

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes x No o

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act. Yes o No x

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes x No o

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files). Yes x No o

Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of the registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K. x

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer or a smaller reporting company. (Check one):

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes o No x

The aggregate market value of the voting common stock held by non-affiliates as of June 30, 2012 was $900,150,690. As of February 15, 2013, there were 90,302,095 shares of voting common stock outstanding.

Documents Incorporated by Reference

Certain portions, as expressly described in this report, of the registrant’s proxy statement for the 2013 Annual Meeting of the Stockholders to be held May 9, 2013 are incorporated by reference into Part III, Items 10-14.

Table of Contents

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Table of Contents

PART I

Item 1.  Business

We are the second largest automotive retailer headquartered in the U.S. as measured by the $13.2 billion in total revenue we generated in 2012. As of December 31, 2012, we operated 344 retail automotive franchises, of which 173 franchises are located in the U.S. and 171 franchises are located outside of the U.S. The franchises outside the U.S. are located primarily in the U.K. In 2012, we retailed and wholesaled more than 402,000 vehicles. We are diversified geographically, with 64% of our total revenues in 2012 generated in the U.S. and Puerto Rico and 36% generated outside the U.S. We offer approximately 40 vehicle brands, with 96% of our total retail revenue in 2012 generated from brands of non-U.S. based manufacturers, and 70% generated from premium brands, such as Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Porsche. Each of our 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 and the sale and placement of third-party finance and insurance products, third-party extended service and maintenance contracts and replacement and aftermarket automotive products.

We also hold a 9.0% ownership interest in Penske Truck Leasing Co., L.P. (“PTL”), a leading provider of transportation services and supply chain management. PTL operates and maintains more than 200,000 vehicles and serves customers in North America, South America, Europe and Asia and is one of the largest purchasers of commercial trucks in North America. Product lines include full-service truck leasing, truck rental and contract maintenance, logistics services such as dedicated contract carriage, distribution center management, transportation management and acting as lead logistics provider. The general partner of PTL is Penske Truck Leasing Corporation, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Penske Corporation, which, together with other wholly-owned subsidiaries of Penske Corporation, owns  41.1% of PTL. The remaining 49.9% of PTL is owned by General Electric Capital Corporation (“GECC”). We account for our investment in PTL under the equity method, and we therefore record our share of PTL’s earnings each quarter on our statements of operations under the caption “Equity in Earnings of Affiliates” which also includes the results of our other investments.

We believe our diversified 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, customer pay, collision repair, and wholesale parts and are typically less cyclical than retail vehicle sales, and generate the largest part of our gross profit. The following graphic shows the percentage of our retail revenues by product area and their respective contribution to our overall gross profit:

2012 Key Developments

Dealership Acquisitions. We acquired or were granted open points (new franchises awarded from the automotive manufacturer) representing 34 automotive franchises. We expect that these franchises will represent approximately $750 million in annualized revenue. These acquisitions include three new geographic markets for our company: the Agnew Group in Northern Ireland (U.K.) representing 14 franchises, Lancaster Toyota and Lexus of Madison, Wisconsin, and seven BMW/MINI franchises in Northern Italy (Monza/Bologna) that we acquired in a joint venture. We also disposed of, or classified as discontinued operations, 26 franchises representing approximately $600 million in annual revenue.

Debt Refinancings. In May 2012, we redeemed $63.3 million of our 3.5% convertible senior subordinated notes for $62.6 million in cash. In August and September 2012, we repurchased all of our $375 million of 7.75% senior subordinated notes in connection with

1

Table of Contents

the issuance of $550 million of ten year 5.75% senior subordinated notes. We used the remaining proceeds of the 5.75% notes to repay amounts outstanding under our U.S. credit agreement and a portion of our U.S. floor plan borrowings.

Shareholder Dividends and Stock Repurchases. We increased our quarterly dividend each quarter. Our latest declared dividend is $0.14 per share payable March 1, 2013, which represents a dividend yield of 1.7% using our January 31st closing stock price. We also repurchased approximately 405,000 shares of our common stock in 2012 for $9.8 million, which, together with the quarterly dividends, represents a return to shareholders of approximately $51 million.

Hertz Rental Car Franchise Acquisitions. We signed an agreement with Hertz System, Inc. to join Hertz’s franchise network in the Memphis, Tennessee market. In accordance with that agreement, in October 2012, we purchased the assets of Hertz’s Memphis market, which provides us the opportunity to operate airport and off-airport rental locations in that area. In December 2012, we signed a similar agreement to purchase the assets of Hertz’s Indianapolis market, which we expect to complete in the first quarter of 2013.

PTL Debt Refinancing. Historically GECC has provided PTL with a majority of its financing. During 2012, PTL refinanced a significant amount of its GECC indebtedness. As part of that refinancing, we and the other PTL partners created a new company (“Holdings”) which, together with GECC, co-issued $700 million of 3.8% senior unsecured notes due 2019 which funds were invested in PTL in exchange for a 21.5% limited partner interest in PTL. PTL used the $700 million of funds to reduce its outstanding debt owed to GECC. Because the PTL partners hold the same relative percentage ownership in Holdings as they did of PTL immediately prior to the transaction, the ultimate economic ownership of PTL did not change, however PTL has diversified its funding sources.

Named “Best Dealerships To Work For”. We were pleased that five of our dealerships in the U.S. were named by Automotive News as “Among the 100 Best Dealerships to Work For.” In addition, our U.K dealerships, collectively known as the Sytner Group, were ranked as the third “Best Big Company to Work for in the U.K.” by the London Sunday Times. We believe these awards reflect our ongoing commitment to our valuable dealership employees, which enhances customer satisfaction and may result in improved sales over time.

Outlook

The level of new automotive unit sales in our markets affects our results. The new vehicle market and the amount of customer traffic visiting our dealerships have improved during the past few years, and there are market expectations for continued improvement in the automotive market in the U.S. over the next several years. During 2012, 14.5 million cars and light trucks were sold in the U.S., representing a 13% improvement over the 12.8 million cars and light trucks sold during 2011. We believe the U.S. automotive market will continue to improve based upon industry forecasts from companies such as JD Power, coupled with demand in the marketplace, an aging vehicle population, lower cost of credit for consumers, and the planned introduction of new models by many different vehicle brands.

Vehicle registrations in the U.K. were 2.04 million during 2012, compared to 1.94 million during 2011, representing an increase of 5.3%. Based on industry forecasts from entities such as the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (www.smmt.co.uk), we believe despite domestic and international economic concerns, the U.K. market will continue to grow as a result of U.K. motorists responding positively to new products and the latest fuel-efficient technology. We also expect continued resiliency in premium brand sales in the U.K. in 2013. See Item 1A. “Risk Factors.”

For a more detailed discussion of our financial and operating results, see “Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.”

Long-Term Business Strategy

Our long-term business strategy focuses on several key areas in an effort to foster long-term relationships with our customers. The key areas of our long-term strategy follow:

·         Attract, develop, and empower associates to grow our business;

·         Offer outstanding brands in premium facilities and superior customer service;

·         Diversification;

·         Expand revenues at existing locations and increase higher-margin businesses;

·         Grow through opportunistic acquisitions;

·         Enhance customer satisfaction;

·         Leverage scale and implement “best practices” and

2

Table of Contents

·         Leverage Internet Marketing

Attract, Develop, and Empower Associates to Grow our Business

We view our local dealership general managers and associates as one of our most important assets. We operate in a decentralized manner that fosters an entrepreneurial spirit where each dealership or group of dealerships has independent operational and financial management responsible for day-to-day operations. We believe experienced local managers are better qualified to make day-to-day decisions concerning the successful operation of a dealership and can be more responsive to our customers’ needs. We seek local dealership management that not only has experience in the automotive industry, but is also familiar with the local dealership’s market. We also have regional management that oversees operations at the individual dealerships and supports the dealerships operationally and administratively. We invest for future growth and offer outstanding brands and facilities which we believe attracts outstanding talent. We believe attracting the best talent to our retail dealership operations and allowing our associates to make business decisions at the local level helps to foster long-term growth through increased repeat and referral business.

Offer Outstanding Brands in Premium Facilities and Superior Customer Service

We offer outstanding brands in premium facilities and believe offering our customers a superior customer service experience will generate repeat and referral business and will help to foster a loyal and dedicated customer base. Customer satisfaction is measured at each of our dealerships on a monthly, quarterly, and/or yearly basis by the manufacturers we represent, and we compensate our dealership employees, in part, based on their performance in such rankings.

We have the highest percentage of revenues from foreign and luxury brands among the U.S. based publicly-traded automotive retailers. We believe luxury and foreign brands will continue to offer us the opportunity to generate same-store growth, including higher margin service and parts sales. Our revenue mix consists of 70% related to premium brands, 26% related to volume foreign brands, and 4% relating to brands of U.S. based manufacturers.

The following chart reflects our percentage of total revenues by brand:

3

Table of Contents

We sell and service outstanding automotive brands in our premium facilities, in attractive geographic markets. Where advantageous, we aggregate our dealerships in a campus setting in order to build a destination location for our customers, which we believe helps to drive increased customer traffic to each of the brands at the location. This strategy also creates an opportunity to reduce personnel expenses, consolidate advertising and administrative expenses and leverage operating expenses over a larger base of dealerships. Our U.S. based dealerships have generally achieved new unit vehicle sales that are significantly higher than industry averages for the brands we sell.

Diversification

Our business benefits from our diversified revenue mix, including the multiple revenue streams in a traditional automotive dealership (new vehicles, used vehicles, finance and insurance, and service and parts 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. We are further diversified within our retail automotive operations due to our brand mix and geographical dispersion.

Diversification Outside the U.S. One of the unique attributes of our operations versus our peers is our diversification outside the U.S. Approximately 36% of our consolidated revenue during 2012 was generated outside the U.S. and Puerto Rico, predominately in the U.K. The U.K. is the second largest retail automotive market in Western Europe. Our brand mix in the U.K. is predominantly premium. We believe that as of December 31, 2012, we were among the largest Audi, Bentley, BMW, Ferrari, Land Rover, Lexus, Mercedes-Benz, Maserati and Porsche dealers in the U.K. based on new unit sales. Additionally, we operate a number of dealerships in Germany, Western Europe’s largest retail automotive market, including through joint ventures with experienced local partners, which sell and service Audi, BMW, Lexus, MINI, Porsche, Toyota, Volkswagen and various other premium brands. We also expanded into two new international markets in 2012, acquiring seven BMW/MINI franchises in Northern Italy (Milan/Bologna) via a joint venture, and by acquiring a group of dealerships in Northern Ireland representing 14 franchises.

Diversification Through Penske Truck Leasing. We hold a 9.0% ownership interest in PTL, a leading provider of transportation services and supply chain management. PTL operates and maintains more than 200,000 vehicles and serves customers in North America, South America, Europe and Asia and is one of the largest purchasers of commercial trucks in North America. Product lines include full-service truck leasing, truck rental and contract maintenance, logistics services such as dedicated contract carriage, distribution center management, transportation management and acting as lead logistics provider.

Diversification Through Hertz Car Rental Business. During the third quarter of 2012, we signed an agreement with Hertz System, Inc. to join Hertz’s franchise network in the Memphis, Tennessee market. In accordance with that agreement, in October 2012, we purchased the assets of Hertz’s Memphis market, which provides us the opportunity to operate airport and off-airport rental locations in that area. In December 2012, we signed a similar agreement to purchase the assets of Hertz’s Indianapolis market, which we expect to complete in the first quarter of 2013.

Expand Revenues at Existing Locations and Increase Higher-Margin Businesses

Increase Same-Store Sales. We believe our emphasis on superior customer service and premium facilities will contribute to increases in same-store sales over time. We have added a significant number of incremental service bays in recent years in order to better accommodate our customers and further enhance our higher-margin service and parts revenues. We have employed a strategy called “Retail First” to increase our same-store used vehicle sales. With this strategy, we have increased our efforts to retail a used vehicle to a consumer before attempting to dispose of it through the traditional wholesale process. We believe this strategy has helped to increase the number of used retail vehicle sales in 2012.

Grow Finance, Insurance, and Other Aftermarket Revenues. Each sale of a vehicle provides us the opportunity to assist in arranging financing for the sale of a vehicle, to sell the customer an extended service contract or other insurance product, and to sell aftermarket products, such as security systems and protective coatings. In order to improve our finance and insurance business, we focus on enhancing and standardizing our salesperson training programs through a menu-driven product offering, and strengthening our product offerings.

Expand Service and Parts and Collision Repair Revenues. Today’s vehicles are increasingly complex and require sophisticated equipment and specially trained technicians to perform certain services. Unlike independent service shops, our dealerships are authorized to perform this work under warranties provided by manufacturers. We believe that our brand mix and the complexity of today’s vehicles, combined with our investment in expanded service facilities and our focus on customer service, will contribute to increases in our service and parts revenue. We also operate 30 collision repair centers which are integrated with local dealership operations. We also offer rapid repair services such as paint-less dent repair, headlight reconditioning, wheel repairs, tire sales and

4

Table of Contents

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.

Grow through Opportunistic Acquisitions

We believe that attractive acquisition opportunities exist for well-capitalized dealership groups with experience in identifying, acquiring and integrating dealerships. The fragmented automotive retail market provides us with significant growth opportunities in our markets. We generally seek to acquire dealerships with high-growth automotive brands in highly concentrated or growing demographic areas that will benefit from our management expertise, manufacturer relations and scale of operations, as well as smaller, single location dealerships that can be effectively integrated into our existing operations. Over time, we have also been awarded new franchises from various manufacturers. In 2012, we acquired or were granted open points representing 34 franchises which we expect will generate approximately $750 million in annualized revenue, including entering three new markets, Madison Wisconsin, Northern Ireland (U.K.) and Northern Italy. We also divested or classified as discontinued operations 26 franchises that generated approximately $600 million of revenue on an annualized basis in 2012.

Enhance Customer Satisfaction

We strive for superior customer satisfaction. By offering outstanding brands in premium facilities, “one-stop” shopping convenience in our aggregated facilities, and a well-trained and knowledgeable sales staff, we aim to forge lasting relationships with our customers, enhance our reputation in the community, and create the opportunity for significant repeat and referral business. We monitor customer satisfaction data accumulated by manufacturers to track the performance of dealership operations, and incent our personnel to provide exceptional customer service, thereby driving increased customer loyalty.

Leverage Scale and Implement “Best Practices”

We seek to build scale in many of the markets where we have dealership operations. Our desire is to reduce or eliminate redundant administrative costs such as accounting, information technology systems and other general administrative costs. In addition, we seek to leverage our industry knowledge and experience to foster communication and cooperation between like brand dealerships throughout our organization. Senior management and dealership management meet regularly to review dealership operating performance, examine industry trends, and implement operating improvements. Key financial information is discussed and compared between dealerships across all markets. This frequent interaction facilitates implementation of successful strategies throughout the organization.

Leverage Internet Marketing

We intend to leverage the internet to attract and retain customers as we believe the majority of our customers consult the Internet for information when shopping for a vehicle. In order to attract customers and enhance our customer service, each of our dealerships maintains its own website. All of our dealership websites are presented in common formats (except where otherwise required by manufacturers) which helps to minimize costs and provides a consistent image across dealerships. In addition, many automotive manufacturers’ websites, and our corporate websites, provide links to our dealership websites and, in the U.K., manufacturers also provide a website for the dealership.

In addition, we list substantially all our U.S. and U.K. vehicle inventory on www.PenskeCars.com or www.sytner.co.uk, respectively. These websites are designed to make it easy for consumers, employees and partners to view and compare over 30,000 new, certified and pre-owned vehicles. These sites, together with our dealership websites, provide consumers a simple method to schedule maintenance and repair services at their local Penske Automotive dealership and view extensive vehicle information, including photos, prices, promotions, videos and third party vehicle history reports for pre-owned vehicles.

We attempt to obtain high visibility for these websites by utilizing strategies to obtain high search engine relevance on sites like Google and Bing. We also encourage interaction with our customers on social media sites such as Facebook and YouTube to bring new customers to our dealership and enhance repeat and referral business.

5

Table of Contents

Acquisitions

We routinely acquire and dispose of franchises. Our financial statements include the results of operations of acquired dealerships from the date of acquisition. The following table sets forth information with respect to our current dealerships that were acquired or opened from January 1, 2010 to December 31, 2012:

6

Table of Contents

In 2012, 2011, and 2010, we disposed of 11, 16, and 7 franchises, respectively, that we believe were not integral to our strategy or operations. We expect to continue to pursue acquisitions and selected dispositions in the future.

Dealership Operations

Franchises.  Following are summaries of our franchises by location and our dealership mix by franchise as of December 31, 2012:

New Vehicle Retail Sales. In 2012, we sold 180,764 new vehicles which generated 55% of our retail revenue and 28% of our retail gross profit. We sell approximately 40 brands of domestic and import family, sports and premium cars, light trucks and sport utility vehicles in the U.S., Puerto Rico, the U.K., Italy and Germany. New vehicles are typically acquired by dealerships directly from the manufacturer. We strive to maintain outstanding relations with the automotive manufacturers, based in part on our long-term presence in the automotive retail market, our commitment to providing premium facilities, our commitment to drive customer satisfaction, the reputation of our management team and the consistent high 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 2012, we sold 145,580 used vehicles, which generated 30% of our retail revenue and 14% of our retail gross profit. We acquire used vehicles from various sources, including auctions open only to authorized new vehicle dealers, public auctions, trade-ins from consumers in connection with their purchase of a new vehicle from us and lease expirations or terminations. To improve customer confidence in our used vehicle inventory, each of our dealerships participates in all available 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. Most of our dealerships have implemented software tools which assist in procuring and selling used vehicles. In the U.K., we offer used vehicles to wholesalers and other dealers via online auction. We have employed a strategy called “Retail First” to increase our same-store used vehicle sales. Under this strategy, we have increased our efforts to retail a used vehicle to a consumer before attempting to dispose of it through the traditional wholesale process. We believe this strategy has helped to increase the number of used retail vehicles sales in 2012. We believe these strategies have resulted in greater operating efficiency and helped to reduce costs associated with maintaining optimal inventories.

7

Table of Contents

Vehicle Finance, Extended Service and Insurance Sales. Finance, extended service and insurance sales represented 3% of our retail revenue and 16% of our retail gross profit in 2012. At our customers’ option, our dealerships can arrange third-party financing or leasing in connection with vehicle purchases. We typically receive a portion of the cost of the financing or leasing paid by the customer for each transaction as a fee. 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 prepayment. 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, guaranteed auto protection (known as “GAP,” this protection covers the shortfall between a customer’s loan balance and insurance payoff in the event of a total loss), lease “wear and tear” insurance and theft 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 subsidiaries. Similar to finance transactions, we are subject to chargebacks relating to fees earned in connection with the sale of certain extended 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 provide training to our finance and insurance personnel to help assure compliance with internal policies and procedures, as well as applicable state regulations.

Service and Parts Sales. Service and parts sales represented 12% of our retail revenue and 42% of our retail gross profit in 2012. We generate service and parts sales in connection with warranty and non-warranty work performed at each of our dealerships. We believe our service and parts revenues benefit from the increasingly complex technology used in vehicles that makes it difficult for independent repair facilities to maintain and repair today’s automobiles.

A goal of each of our dealerships is to make each vehicle purchaser a customer of our service and parts department. Our dealerships keep detailed records of our customers’ maintenance and service histories, and many dealerships send reminders to customers when vehicles are due for periodic maintenance or service. Many of our dealerships have extended evening and weekend service hours for the convenience of our customers. We also offer rapid repair services such as paint-less dent repair, headlight reconditioning, wheel repairs, 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 30 collision repair centers, each of which is operated as an integral part of our dealership operations.

Penske Truck Leasing

We hold a 9.0% ownership interest in PTL, a leading provider of transportation services and supply chain management. PTL operates and maintains more than 200,000 vehicles and serves customers in North America, South America, Europe and Asia and is one of the largest purchasers of commercial trucks in North America. Product lines include full-service truck leasing, truck rental and contract maintenance, logistics services such as dedicated contract carriage, distribution center management, transportation management and acting as lead logistics provider. PTL has a highly diversified customer base ranging from individual consumers to multi-national corporations across industries such as food and beverage, manufacturing, transportation, automotive, healthcare, and retail.

Full-service truck leasing, truck rental and contract maintenance. Full-service truck leasing, truck rental and contract maintenance of commercial trucks constitutes PTL’s largest business. PTL manages a fleet of approximately 205,000 trucks, tractors and trailers, consisting of approximately 140,000 vehicles owned by PTL and operated by its customers under full-service leases and rental agreements and approximately 65,000 customer-owned and —operated vehicles for which PTL provided contract maintenance services. PTL’s commercial and consumer rental fleet consists of approximately 55,000 vehicles for use by its full-service truck leasing, small business and consumer customers for periods ranging from one hour to 12 months.

Commercial customers often outsource to PTL to reduce the complexity and cost of vehicle ownership. PTL integrates most aspects of fleet management, including the provision of custom configured equipment and the delivery of a package of support and maintenance services, as well as making additional short-term rental vehicles available to its contract customers. Its broad service offering has enabled its customers to reduce the large number of vendors that an in-house fleet manager must coordinate. The services provided under its full-service lease and contract maintenance agreements generally include preventive maintenance, sophisticated diagnostics, emergency road service, fleet services, safety programs and fuel services through its network of approximately 700 locations across the United States and Canada. Its commercial rental operations offer short-term availability of tractors, trucks and

8

Table of Contents

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 that are seeking flexibility in their fleet management.

For consumer customers, PTL provides short-term rental of light- and medium-duty trucks 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. Its fleet consists generally of late model vehicles ranging in size from small vans to 26-foot trucks. Its consumer rentals are conducted through approximately 1,900 independent rental agents and 320 of its PTL-operated leasing and rental facilities.

Logistics. PTL’s logistics business offers an extensive variety of services, including dedicated contract carriage, distribution center management, transportation management and lead logistics provider. PTL 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 products to its customers, PTL can manage the customer’s entire supply chain or any component parts. It 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. PTL’s international logistics business has approximately 300 locations in North America, South America, Europe and Asia.

9

Table of Contents

PAG Dealership Locations

The following is a list of all of our dealerships as of December 31, 2012:

U.S. DEALERSHIPS

10

Table of Contents

NON-U.S. DEALERSHIPS

U.K.

11

Table of Contents

We also own 50% of the following dealerships:

Industry Information

Approximately 64% of our revenues are generated in the U.S., which in 2012 was the world’s second largest automotive retail market. In 2012, sales of cars and light trucks were approximately 14.5 million units, which represents an increase of 13% over 2011. The majority of automotive retail sales in the U.S. are generated at approximately 17,800 franchised dealerships as of January 1, 2013, which generated revenues of approximately $670 billion in 2012 according to the U.S. Census Bureau Monthly and Annual Retail Trade Report. According to the latest available data from the National Automobile Dealers Association, dealership revenue is derived as follows: 55% from new vehicle sales, 32% 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 National Automobile Dealers Association 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.

We also operate in Germany, the U.K., and Italy, which represented the first, second, and fourth largest automotive retail markets, respectively, in Western Europe in 2012, and accounted for approximately 56% of the total vehicle sales in Western Europe. Unit sales of automobiles in Western Europe were approximately 11.8 million in 2012, an 8.2% decrease compared to 2011. In Germany, the U.K., and Italy, new car sales were approximately 3.1 million, 2.0 million, and 1.4 million units, respectively, in 2012.

In the U.S., 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 players. The Western European retail automotive market is similarly fragmented. We believe that further consolidation in these markets is probable due to the significant capital requirements of maintaining manufacturer facility standards, the limited number of viable alternative exit strategies for dealership owners and the possible impact of a poor economic and industry environment on smaller, less well capitalized dealership groups.

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 retailers have historically been less vulnerable than automobile manufacturers and automotive 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 automotive retail industry’s costs are variable) and their diversified revenue streams such as used vehicle sales and service and parts sales. In addition, automobile manufacturers may offer various dealer incentives when sales are slow, which further increases the volatility in profitability for automobile manufacturers and may help to decrease volatility for automotive retailers.

12

Table of Contents

Business Description

Information Technology

We consolidate financial, accounting and operational data received from our U.S. dealers through a private communications network. Dealership data is gathered and processed through individual dealer systems utilizing a common centralized management system licensed from a third-party. Each dealership is allowed to tailor the operational capabilities of that system locally, but we require that they follow our standardized accounting procedures. Our database technology allows us to extract and aggregate information from the system in a consistent format to generate consolidating financial and operational data. The system also allows us to access detailed information for each dealership individually, as a group, or on a consolidated basis. Information we can access includes, among other things, inventory, cash, unit sales, the mix of new and used vehicle sales and sales of aftermarket products and services. Our ability to access this data allows us to continually analyze these dealerships’ results of operations and financial position so as to identify areas for improvement. Our technology and processes also enable us to quickly integrate dealerships or dealership groups we acquire in the U.S.

Our U.K. dealership financial, accounting and operational data is processed through a common management system licensed from a third-party, except when otherwise required by the manufacturer. Financial and operational information is aggregated following U.S. policies and accounting requirements, and is reported in our U.S. reporting format to ensure consistency of results among our worldwide operations. Similar to the U.S., the U.K. technology and processes enable us to continually analyze these dealerships’ results of operations and financial position so as to identify areas for improvement and to quickly integrate dealerships or dealership groups we acquire in the U.K.

Marketing

Our advertising and marketing efforts are focused at the local market level, with the aim of building our retail operations. We utilize many different media for our marketing activities, focusing increasingly on the Internet and other digital media, including our own websites such as www.PenskeCars.com and www.sytner.co.uk as discussed above under “Leverage Internet Marketing”. We also utilize traditional marketing avenues in many markets, including, newspaper, direct mail, magazine, television, and radio advertising. Automobile manufacturers supplement our local and regional advertising efforts through large advertising campaigns promoting their brands and promoting attractive financing packages and other incentive programs they may offer. In an effort to realize increased efficiencies, we are focusing on common marketing metrics and business practices across our dealerships, as well as negotiating enterprise arrangements for targeted marketing resources.

Agreements with Vehicle Manufacturers

We operate our 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 dealership. 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.

Some of our agreements, including those with BMW, Honda, Mercedes-Benz and Toyota, expire after a specified period of time, ranging from one to six years. Manufacturers have generally not terminated our franchise agreements, and our franchise agreements with fixed terms have typically been renewed without substantial cost. We currently expect the manufacturers to renew all of our franchise agreements as they expire. In addition, certain agreements with the manufacturers 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. To date, we have reached the limit of the number of Lexus dealerships we may own in the U.S., and we have reached certain geographical limitations with certain manufacturers in the U.S. and U.K. Where these limits are reached, we cannot acquire additional

13

Table of Contents

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.

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).

Our agreements with manufacturers or distributors usually give them the right, in some circumstances (including upon a merger, sale, or 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. For example, our agreement with General Motors provides that, upon a proposed purchase of 20% or more of our voting stock by any new person or entity 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, General Motors has the right to acquire all assets, properties and business of any General Motors dealership owned by us for fair value. Some of our agreements with other major manufacturers, including Honda and Toyota, contain provisions similar to the General Motors provisions.

Competition

The automotive retail industry is currently served by franchised automotive dealerships, independent used vehicle dealerships and individual consumers who sell used vehicles in private transactions. For new vehicle sales, we compete primarily with other franchised dealers in each of our marketing areas, relying on our premium facilities, 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 automotive manufacturers and national and regional automotive retail chains. 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 gives them access to new vehicles on the same terms as us. Automotive dealers also face competition in the sale of new vehicles from on-line purchasing services and warehouse clubs. 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 with other franchised dealers, independent used vehicle dealers, automobile rental agencies, on-line purchasing services, private parties and used vehicle “superstores” for the procurement and resale of used vehicles. We believe that the principal factors consumers consider when determining where to purchase a vehicle are the marketing campaigns conducted by manufacturers, the ability of dealerships to offer a wide selection of the most popular vehicles, the location of dealerships and the quality of the customer experience. Other factors include customer preference for particular brands of automobiles, pricing (including manufacturer rebates and other special offers) and warranties. We believe that our dealerships are competitive in all of these areas.

We compete with other franchised dealers to perform warranty repairs and with other automotive dealers, franchised and non-franchised service center chains, and independent garages for non-warranty repair and routine maintenance business. We compete with other automotive dealers, franchised and independent aftermarket auto repair shops, and auto 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 on-line automotive websites, including those developed by automobile manufacturers and other dealership groups. Consumers can use the Internet and other digital media to compare prices for vehicles and related services, which may result in reduced margins for new vehicles, used vehicles and related services.

PTL Competition. As an alternative to using PTL’s full-service truck leasing or contract maintenance services, PTL believes 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. PTL’s full-service truck leasing operations compete with companies providing similar services on a

14

Table of Contents

national, regional and local level. PTL’s contract maintenance offering competes primarily with truck and trailer manufacturers and independent dealers who provide maintenance services. Its commercial and consumer rental operations compete with several other nationwide truck rental systems, a large number of truck leasing and rental companies with multiple branches operating on a regional basis, and many similar companies operating primarily on a local basis. Its logistics business competes with other dedicated logistics providers, transportation 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.

Employees and Labor Relations

As of December 31, 2012, we employed approximately 16,700 people, approximately 595 of whom were covered by collective bargaining agreements with labor unions. We consider our relations with our employees to be satisfactory. Our policy is to motivate our key managers through, among other things, variable compensation programs tied principally to dealership profitability. Due to our reliance on vehicle manufacturers, we may be adversely affected by labor strikes or work stoppages at the manufacturers’ facilities.

Regulation

We operate in a highly regulated industry and a number of regulations affect the marketing, selling, financing and servicing of automobiles. Under the laws of the jurisdictions in which we currently operate, we typically must obtain a license in order to establish, operate or relocate a dealership or operate an automotive repair service. These laws also regulate our conduct of business, including our advertising, operating, financing, employment 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 privacy, identity theft prevention, wage-hour, anti-discrimination and other employment practices laws.

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 recent years, private plaintiffs, state attorneys general and federal agencies in the U.S. have increased their scrutiny of advertising, sales, and finance and insurance activities in the sale and leasing of motor vehicles.

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 the termination or non-renewal.

Europe generally does not have these laws and, as a result, our European dealerships operate without these types of protections. However, current European rules limit automotive manufacturers’ “block exemption” to certain anti-competitive rules in regards to establishing and maintaining a retail network. As a result, existing manufacturer authorized retailers are able to, subject to manufacturer facility requirements, relocate or add additional facilities throughout the European Union, offer multiple brands in the same facility, allow the operation of service facilities independent of new car sales facilities and ease restrictions on transfers of dealerships between existing franchisees within the European Union. In June 2013, the European rules will change such that the authorized retailer’s abilities will be more limited. We do not currently believe that the rule changes will have a material effect on us.

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. As with automotive dealerships generally, and service, parts and body shop operations in particular, 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, and fuel. 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

15

Table of Contents

protection programs govern certain discharges from some of our operations. Similarly, certain air emissions from our operations, such as auto body 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.

An expanding trend in environmental regulation is to place more restrictions and limitations on activities that may affect the environment. Vehicle manufacturers are subject to federally mandated corporate average fuel economy standards, which will increase substantially through 2025. 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.  Furthermore, numerous states, including California, have adopted or are considering requiring the sale of specified numbers of zero-emission vehicles. Significant increases in fuel economy requirements or new federal and state restrictions on emissions of carbon dioxide on vehicles and automobile fuels in the U.S. could adversely affect prices of and demand for the vehicles that we sell.

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 is 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

The automotive retail industry is subject to substantial risk of loss due to the significant concentration of property values at dealership locations, including vehicles and parts. In addition, we are exposed to liabilities arising out of our operations, including claims by employees, customers or third parties for personal injury or property damage and potential fines and penalties in connection with alleged violations of regulatory requirements. We attempt to manage such risks through insurance programs, including umbrella and excess insurance policies, subject to specified deductibles and significant loss retentions. Certain insurers have limited available property coverage in response to the natural catastrophes experienced in recent years. 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 16 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 “Investor Relations” as soon as reasonably practicable after they are electronically filed with, or furnished to, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”).  You may read or copy any materials we filed with the SEC at the SEC’s Public Reference Room at 100F Street, NE, Washington, DC 20549. You may obtain information on the operation of the Public Reference Room by calling the SEC at 800-732-0330.  Additionally, the SEC maintains an internet site that contains reports, proxy and information statements, and other information.  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; and the charters relating to the committees of our Board of Directors. 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 Telegraph Road, Bloomfield Hills, MI 48302 or by calling toll-free 866-715-5289. 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 are incorporated in the state of Delaware and began dealership operations in October 1992.

16

Table of Contents

Seasonality

Our business is modestly seasonal overall. Our U.S. operations generally experience higher volumes of vehicle sales in the second and third quarters of each year due in part to consumer buying trends and the introduction of new vehicle models. Also, vehicle demand, and to a lesser extent demand for service and parts, is generally lower during the winter months than in other seasons, particularly in regions of the U.S. where dealerships may be subject to severe winters. Our U.K. operations generally experience higher volumes of vehicle sales in the first and third quarters of each year, due primarily to vehicle registration practices in the U.K.

Item 1A.  Risk Factors

Our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows, prospects, and the prevailing market price and performance of our common stock may be affected by a number of factors, including the matters discussed below. Certain statements and information set forth herein, as well as other written or oral statements made from time to time by us or by our authorized officers on our behalf, constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Federal Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as “anticipates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “expects,” “intends,” “may,” “plans,” “seeks,” “projects,” “will,” “would,” and similar expressions are intended to identify such 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. You should note that our forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this Annual Report on Form 10-K or when made and we undertake no duty or obligation to update or revise our forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.

Although we believe that the expectations, plans, intentions, and projections reflected in our forward-looking statements are reasonable, such statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause our actual results, performance, or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements.

The risks, uncertainties, and other factors that our stockholders and prospective investors should consider include the following:

Macro-economic conditions. Our performance is impacted by general economic conditions overall, and in particular by economic conditions in the markets in which we operate. These economic conditions include: levels of new and used vehicle sales; availability of consumer credit; changes in consumer demand; consumer confidence levels; fuel prices; personal discretionary spending levels; interest rates; and unemployment rates. When the worldwide economy faltered and the worldwide automotive industry experienced significant operational and financial difficulties in 2008 and 2009, we were adversely affected, and we expect a similar relationship between general economic and industry conditions and our performance in the future.

Automotive manufacturers exercise significant control over us. Each of our dealerships operates under franchise and other agreements with automotive manufacturers or related distributors. These agreements govern almost every aspect of the operation of our dealerships, and give manufacturers the discretion to terminate or not renew our franchise agreements for a variety of reasons, including certain events outside our control such as accumulation of our stock by third parties. Without franchise agreements, we would be unable to sell new vehicles or perform manufacturer authorized warranty service. If a significant number of our franchise agreements are terminated or are not renewed, we would be materially affected.

Restructuring, bankruptcy or other adverse condition affecting a significant automotive manufacturer or supplier. Our success depends on the overall success of the automotive industry generally, and in particular on the success of the brands of vehicles that each of our dealerships sell. In 2012, revenue generated at our BMW/MINI, Audi/Volkswagen/Porsche/Bentley, Toyota/Lexus/Scion, Honda/Acura, and Mercedes-Benz/Sprinter/smart dealerships represented 26%, 19%, 14%, 13%, and 11% respectively, of our total revenues. Significant adverse events, such as the reduced 2011 new vehicle production by Japanese automotive manufacturers caused by the significant production and supply chain disruptions resulting from the earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan in March 2011, or future events that interrupt vehicle or parts supply to our dealerships, would likely have a significant and adverse impact on the industry as a whole, including us, particularly if the events relate to any of the manufacturers whose franchises generate a significant percentage of our revenue.

Our business is very competitive. We generally compete with: other franchised automotive dealerships in our markets; private market buyers and sellers of used vehicles; Internet-based vehicle brokers; national and local service and repair shops and parts retailers; and automotive manufacturers (in certain markets). Purchase decisions by consumers when shopping for a vehicle are extremely price sensitive. The level of competition in the market generally, coupled with increasing price transparency resulting from increased use of the Internet by consumers, can lead to lower selling prices and related profits. If there is a prolonged drop in retail

17

Table of Contents

prices, new vehicle sales are allowed to be made over the Internet without the involvement of franchised dealers, or if dealerships are able to effectively use the Internet to sell outside of their markets, our business could be materially adversely affected.

Property loss, business interruption or other liabilities. Our business is subject to substantial risk of loss due to: the significant concentration of property values, including vehicle and parts inventories, at our operating locations; claims by employees, customers and third parties for personal injury or property damage; and fines and penalties in connection with alleged violations of regulatory requirements. While we have insurance for many of these risks, we retain risk relating to certain of these perils and certain perils are not covered by our insurance. Certain insurers have limited available property coverage in response to the natural catastrophes experienced in recent years. If we experience significant losses that are not covered by our insurance, whether due to adverse weather conditions or otherwise, or we are required to retain a significant portion of a loss, it could have a significant and adverse effect on us.

Leverage.  Our significant debt and other commitments expose us to a number of risks, including:

Cash requirements for debt and lease obligations. A significant portion of the cash flow we generate must be used to service the interest and principal payments relating to our various financial commitments, including $2.1 billion of floor plan notes payable, $937.5 million of non vehicle long-term debt and $4.8 billion of future lease commitments (including extension periods and assuming constant consumer price indices). A sustained or significant decrease in our operating cash flows could lead to an inability to meet our debt service or lease requirements or to a failure to meet specified financial and operating covenants included in certain of our agreements. If this were to occur, it may lead to a default under one or more of our commitments and potentially the acceleration of amounts due, which could have a significant and adverse effect on us.

Availability. Because we finance the majority of our operating and strategic initiatives using a variety of commitments, including floor plan notes payable and revolving credit facilities, we are dependent on continued availability of these sources of funds. If these agreements are terminated or we are unable to access them because of a breach of financial or operating covenants or otherwise, we will likely be materially affected.

Interest rate variability. The interest rates we are charged on a substantial portion of our debt, including the floor plan notes payable we issue to purchase the majority of our inventory, are variable, increasing or decreasing based on changes in certain published interest rates. Increases to such interest rates would likely result in significantly higher interest expense for us, which would negatively affect our operating results. Because many of our customers finance their vehicle purchases, increased interest rates may also decrease vehicle sales, which would negatively affect our operating results.

International operations. We have significant operations outside the U.S. that expose us to changes in foreign exchange rates and to the impact of economic and political conditions in the markets where we operate. As exchange rates fluctuate, our results of operations as reported in U.S. dollars fluctuate. For example, if the U.S. dollar were to strengthen against the U.K. pound, our U.K. results of operations would translate into less U.S. dollar reported results. Any significant or prolonged increase in the value of the U.S. dollar, particularly as compared to the U.K. pound, could result in a significant and adverse effect on our reported results.

Joint ventures. We have significant investments in a variety of joint ventures, including retail automotive operations in Germany and Italy, and a 9.0% ownership interest in PTL. We expect to receive annual operating distributions from each such venture, and, in the case of PTL, to realize U.S tax savings as a result of our investment. These benefits may not be realized if the joint ventures do not perform as expected, or if changes in tax, financial or regulatory requirements negatively impact the results of the joint venture operations. Our ability to dispose of these investments may be limited. In addition, because PTL is engaged in different businesses than we are, its performance may vary significantly from ours.

Performance of sublessees. In connection with the sale, relocation and closure of certain of our franchises, we have entered into a number of third-party sublease agreements. The rent paid by our sub-tenants on such properties in 2012 totaled approximately $11.5 million. In the aggregate, we remain ultimately liable for approximately $194.6 million of such lease payments including payments relating to all available renewal periods. We rely on our sub-tenants to pay the rent and maintain the properties covered by these leases. In the event a subtenant does not perform under the terms of their lease with us, we could be required to fulfill such obligations, which could have a significant and adverse effect on us.

Information Technology. Our information systems are fully integrated into our operations and we rely on them to operate effectively, including with respect to: electronic communications and data transfer protocols with manufacturers and other vendors; customer relationship management; sales and service scheduling; data storage; and financial and operational reporting. The majority of our systems are licensed from third parties, the most significant of which are provided by one supplier in the U.S. and one supplier

18

Table of Contents

in the U.K. The failure of our information systems to perform as designed or the failure to protect the integrity of these systems could disrupt our business operations, impact sales and results of operations, expose us to customer or third-party claims, or result in adverse publicity.

Cybersecurity. We collect, process, and retain sensitive and confidential customer information in the normal course of our business. Despite the security measures we have in place and any additional measures we may implement in the future, our facilities and systems, and those of our third-party service providers, could be vulnerable to security breaches, computer viruses, lost or misplaced data, programming errors, human errors, acts of vandalism, or other events. Any security breach or event resulting in the misappropriation, loss, or other unauthorized disclosure of confidential information, whether by us directly or our third-party service providers, could damage our reputation, expose us to the risks of litigation and liability, disrupt our business, or otherwise affect our results of operations.

Key personnel.  We believe that our success depends to a significant extent upon the efforts and abilities of our senior management, and in particular upon Roger Penske who is our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.  To the extent Mr. Penske, or other key personnel, were to depart from our Company unexpectedly, our business could be significantly disrupted.

Regulatory issues.  We are subject to a wide variety of regulatory activities, including:

Governmental regulations, claims and legal proceedings. Governmental regulations affect almost every aspect of our business, including the fair treatment of our employees, wage and hour issues, and our financing activities with customers. In the event of regulation restricting our ability to generate revenue from arranging financing for our customers, we could be adversely affected.  We could also be susceptible to claims or related actions if we fail to operate our business in accordance with applicable laws. Claims arising out of actual or alleged violations of law which may be asserted against us or any of our dealers by individuals, through class actions, or by governmental entities in civil or criminal investigations and proceedings, may expose us to substantial monetary damages which may adversely affect us.

Vehicle Requirements. Federal and state governments in our markets have increasingly placed restrictions and limitations on the vehicles sold in the market in an effort to combat perceived negative environmental effects. For example, in the U.S., vehicle manufacturers are subject to federally mandated corporate average fuel economy standards which will increase substantially through 2025. Furthermore, numerous states, including California, have adopted or are considering requiring the sale of specified numbers of zero-emission vehicles.  Significant increases in fuel economy requirements and new federal or state restrictions on emissions on vehicles and automobile fuels in the U.S. could adversely affect prices of and demand for the new vehicles that we sell.

Franchise laws in the U.S. In the U.S., state law generally provides protections to franchised automotive dealers from discriminatory practices by manufacturers and from unreasonable termination or non-renewal of their franchise agreements. If these franchise laws are repealed or amended, manufacturers may have greater flexibility to terminate or not renew our franchises. Franchised automotive dealers in the European Union operate without such protections.

Environmental regulations.  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 storage tanks; and the use, storage and disposal of hazardous substances. In the normal course of our operations we use, generate and dispose of materials covered by these laws and regulations. We face potentially significant costs relating to claims, penalties and remediation efforts in the event of non-compliance with existing and future laws and regulations.

Accounting rules and regulations. The Financial Accounting Standards Board is currently evaluating several significant changes to generally accepted accounting standards in the U.S., including the rules governing the accounting for leases. Any such changes could significantly affect our reported financial position, earnings and cash flows. In addition, the Securities and Exchange Commission is currently considering adopting rules that would require us to prepare our financial statements in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards, which could also result in significant changes to our reported financial position, earnings and cash flows.

Related parties.  Our two largest stockholders, Penske Corporation and its affiliates (“Penske Corporation”) and Mitsui & Co and its affiliates (“Mitsui”), together beneficially own approximately 53% of our outstanding common stock. The presence of such significant shareholders results in several risks, including:

Our principal stockholders have substantial influence. Penske Corporation and Mitsui have entered into a stockholders agreement pursuant to which they have agreed to vote together as to the election of our directors. As a result, Penske Corporation

19

Table of Contents

has the ability to control the composition of our Board of Directors, which may allow them to control our affairs and business. This concentration of ownership, coupled with certain provisions contained in our agreements with manufacturers, our certificate of incorporation, and our bylaws, could discourage, delay or prevent a change in control of us.

Some of our directors and officers may have conflicts of interest with respect to certain related party transactions and other business interests. Roger Penske, our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer and a director, and Robert H. Kurnick, Jr., our President and a director, hold the same offices at Penske Corporation. Each of these officers is paid much of their compensation by Penske Corporation. The compensation they receive from us is based on their efforts on our behalf, however, they are not required to spend any specific amount of time on our matters. One of our directors, Richard J. Peters also serves as a director of Penske Corporation.

Penske Corporation has pledged its shares of common stock to secure a loan facility. Penske Corporation has pledged all of its shares of our common stock as collateral to secure a loan facility. A default by Penske Corporation could result in the foreclosure on those shares by the lenders, after which the lenders could attempt to sell those shares on the open market. Any such change in ownership and/or sale could materially impact the market price of our common stock. See below “Penske Corporation ownership levels.”

Penske Corporation ownership levels. Certain of our agreements have clauses that are triggered in the event of a material change in the level of ownership of our common stock by Penske Corporation, such as our trademark agreement between us and Penske Corporation that governs our use of the “Penske” name which can be terminated 24 months after the date that Penske Corporation no longer owns at least 20% of our voting stock. We may not be able to renegotiate such agreements on terms that are acceptable to us, if at all, in the event of a significant change in Penske Corporation’s ownership.

We have a significant number of shares of common stock eligible for future sale.  Penske Corporation and Mitsui own approximately 53% of our common stock and each has two demand registration rights that could result in a substantial number of shares being introduced for sale in the market. We also have a significant amount of authorized but unissued shares. The introduction of any of these shares into the market could have a material adverse effect our stock price.

Item 1B.  Unresolved Staff Comments

Not applicable.

Item 2.  Properties

We lease or sublease substantially all of our dealership properties and other facilities. These leases are generally for a period of between five and 20 years, and are typically structured to include renewal options at our election. We lease office space in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, Leicester, England and Stuttgart, Germany for our administrative headquarters and other corporate related activities. We believe that our facilities are sufficient for our needs and are in good repair.

Item 3.  Legal Proceedings

We are involved in litigation which may relate to claims brought by governmental authorities, customers, vendors, or employees, including class action claims and purported class action claims. We are not a party to any legal proceedings, including class action lawsuits, that individually or in the aggregate, are reasonably expected to have a material effect on us. However, the results of these matters cannot be predicted with certainty, and an unfavorable resolution of one or more of these matters could have a material adverse effect.

Item 4.   Mine Safety Disclosures

Not applicable.

20

Table of Contents

PART II

Item 5.  Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchase of Equity Securities

Our common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “PAG.” As of February 15, 2013, there were approximately 200 holders of record of our common stock. The following table sets forth the high and low sales prices and quarterly dividends per share for our common stock as reported on the New York Stock Exchange Composite Tape during each quarter of 2012 and 2011.

Dividends

In addition to the dividends noted above, we have announced the payment of a dividend of $0.14 per share to be paid on March 1, 2013 to record holders as of February 11, 2013. Future cash dividends will depend upon our earnings, capital requirements, financial condition, restrictions imposed by any then-existing indebtedness and other factors considered relevant by our Board of Directors. In particular, our U.S. credit agreement and the indenture governing our 5.75% senior subordinated notes contain, and any future indenture that governs any notes which may be issued by us may contain, certain limitations on our ability to pay dividends. See Item 7. “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations — Liquidity and Capital Resources.” We are a holding company whose assets consist primarily of the direct or indirect ownership of the capital stock of our operating subsidiaries. Consequently, our ability to pay dividends is dependent upon the earnings of our subsidiaries and their ability to distribute earnings and other advances and payments to us. Also, pursuant to the automobile franchise agreements to which our dealerships are subject, our dealerships are generally required to maintain a certain amount of working capital, which could limit our subsidiaries’ ability to pay us dividends.

21

Table of Contents

SHARE INVESTMENT PERFORMANCE

The following graph compares the cumulative total stockholder returns on our common stock based on an investment of $100 on December 31, 2007 and the close of the market on December 31 of each year thereafter against (i) the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index and (ii) an industry/peer group consisting of Asbury Automotive Group, Inc., AutoNation, Inc., Group 1 Automotive, Inc., Lithia Motors Inc. and Sonic Automotive, Inc. The graph assumes the reinvestment of all dividends.

COMPARISON OF 5 YEAR CUMULATIVE TOTAL RETURN*

Among Penske Automotive Group, Inc., The S&P 500 Index

And An Industry Peer Group

*                 $100 invested on 12/31/07 in stock or index, including reinvestment of dividends. Fiscal year ending December 31.

Share Repurchases

For information with respect to repurchase of our shares by us, see “Item 7, Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations — Liquidity and Capital Resources — Securities Repurchases” on page 34.

22

Table of Contents

Item 6.  Selected Financial Data

The following table sets forth our selected historical consolidated financial and other data as of and for each of the five years in the period ended December 31, 2012, which has been derived from our audited consolidated financial statements. During the periods presented, we made a number of acquisitions and have included the results of operations of the acquired dealerships from the date of acquisition. As a result, our period to period results of operations vary depending on the dates of the acquisitions. Accordingly, this selected financial data is not necessarily comparable or indicative of our future results. During the periods presented, we also sold or made available for sale certain dealerships which have been treated as discontinued operations in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. You should read this selected consolidated financial data in conjunction with our audited consolidated financial statements and related footnotes included elsewhere in this report.

(1)         Includes charges of $17.8 million ($13.0 million after-tax), or $0.14 per share, relating to costs associated with the repurchase and redemption of our 7.75% senior subordinated notes.

(2)         Includes benefit of $17.0 million, or $0.19 per share, from the resolution of certain tax items in the U.K. offset by a reduction in U.K. deferred tax assets of $6.0 million, or $0.07 per share.

(3)         Includes gains of $5.3 million ($3.6 million after-tax), or $0.04 per share, and $1.6 million ($1.1 million after-tax), or $0.01 per share, relating to a gain on the sale of an investment and the repurchase of $155.7 million aggregate principal amount of our 3.5% senior subordinated convertible notes, respectively, offset by a charge of $4.1 million ($2.8 million after-tax), or $0.03 per share, associated with costs related to franchise closure and relocation costs.

(4)         Includes a gain of $10.4 million ($6.5 million after-tax), or $0.07 per share, relating to the repurchase of $68.7 million aggregate principal amount of our 3.5% senior subordinated convertible notes and charges of $5.2 million ($3.4 million after-tax), or $0.04 per share, relating to costs associated with the termination of the acquisition of the Saturn brand, our election to close three franchises in the U.S. and charges relating to our interest rate hedges of variable rate floor plan notes payable as a result of decreases in our vehicle inventories, and resulting decreases in outstanding floor plan notes payable, below hedged levels.

(5)         Includes charges of $661.9 million ($505.2 million after-tax), or $5.37 per share, including $643.5 million ($493.2 million after-tax), or $5.25 per share, relating to goodwill and franchise asset impairments, as well as, an additional $18.4 million ($12.0 million after-tax), or $0.13 per share, of dealership consolidation and relocation costs, severance costs, other asset impairment charges, costs associated with the termination of an acquisition agreement, and insurance deductibles relating to damage sustained at our dealerships in the Houston market during Hurricane Ike.

(6)         Excludes income from continuing operations attributable to non-controlling interests of $1.6 million, $1.4 million, $1.1 million, $0.5 million, and $1.1 million in 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, and 2008, respectively.

23

Table of Contents

Item 7.  Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

This Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Our actual results may differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including those discussed in Item 1A. “Risk Factors” and “Forward Looking Statements.” We have acquired and initiated a number of businesses during the periods presented and addressed in this Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations. Our financial statements include the results of operations of those businesses from the date acquired or when they commenced operations. This Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations has been updated to reflect the revision of our financial statements for entities which have been treated as discontinued operations through December 31, 2012.

Overview

We are the second largest automotive retailer headquartered in the U.S. as measured by the $13.2 billion in total revenue we generated in 2012. As of December 31, 2012, we operated 344 retail automotive franchises, of which 173 franchises are located in the U.S. and 171 franchises are located outside of the U.S. The franchises outside the U.S. are located primarily in the U.K. In 2012, we retailed and wholesaled more than 402,000 vehicles. We are diversified geographically, with 64% of our total revenues in 2012 generated in the U.S. and Puerto Rico and 36% generated outside the U.S. We offer approximately 40 vehicle brands, with 96% of our total retail revenue in 2012 generated from brands of non-U.S. based manufacturers, and 70% generated from premium brands, such as Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Porsche. Each of our 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 and the sale and placement of third-party finance and insurance products, third-party extended service and maintenance contracts and replacement and aftermarket automotive products.

We also hold a 9.0% ownership interest in Penske Truck Leasing Co., L.P. (“PTL”), a leading provider of transportation services and supply chain management. PTL operates and maintains more than 200,000 vehicles and serves customers in North America, South America, Europe and Asia and is one of the largest purchasers of commercial trucks in North America. Product lines include full-service truck leasing, truck rental and contract maintenance, logistics services such as dedicated contract carriage, distribution center management, transportation management and acting as lead logistics provider. The general partner of PTL is Penske Truck Leasing Corporation, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Penske Corporation, which, together with other wholly-owned subsidiaries of Penske Corporation, owns 41.1% of PTL. The remaining 49.9% of PTL is owned by General Electric Capital Corporation (“GECC”). We account for our investment in PTL under the equity method, and we therefore record our share of PTL’s earnings each quarter on our statements of operations under the caption “Equity in Earnings of Affiliates” which also includes the results of our other investments.

Outlook

The level of new automotive unit sales in our markets affects our results. The new vehicle market and the amount of customer traffic visiting our dealerships have improved during the past few years, and there are market expectations for continued improvement in the automotive market in the U.S. over the next several years. During 2012, 14.5 million cars and light trucks were sold in the U.S., representing a 13% improvement over the 12.8 million cars and light trucks sold during 2011. We believe the U.S. automotive market will continue to improve based upon industry forecasts from companies such as JD Power, coupled with demand in the marketplace, an aging vehicle population, lower cost of credit for consumers, and the planned introduction of new models by many different vehicle brands.

Vehicle registrations in the U.K. were 2.04 million during 2012, compared to 1.94 million during 2011, representing an increase of 5.3%. Based on industry forecasts from entities such as the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (www.smmt.co.uk), we believe despite domestic and international economic concerns, the U.K. market will continue to grow as a result of U.K. motorists responding positively to new products and the latest fuel-efficient technology. We also expect continued resiliency in premium brand sales in the U.K. in 2013. See Item 1A. “Risk Factors.”

Operating Overview

New and used vehicle revenues include sales to retail customers and to leasing companies providing consumer automobile leasing. We generate finance and insurance revenues from sales of third-party extended service contracts, sales of third-party insurance policies, commissions relating to the sale of finance and lease contracts to third parties and the sales of certain other products. Service and parts revenues include fees paid for repair, maintenance and collision services, and the sale of replacement parts and other aftermarket accessories.

24

Table of Contents

Our gross profit tends to vary with the mix of revenues we derive from the sale of new vehicles, used vehicles, finance and insurance products, and service and parts transactions. Our gross profit varies across product lines, with vehicle sales usually resulting in lower gross profit margins and our other revenues resulting in higher gross profit margins. Factors such as inventory and vehicle availability, customer demand, consumer confidence, unemployment, general economic conditions, seasonality, weather, credit availability, fuel prices and manufacturers’ advertising and incentives also impact the mix of our revenues, and therefore influence our gross profit margin.

Aggregate gross profit increased $251.1 million, or 14.3%, during 2012 compared to 2011. The increase in gross profit is largely attributable to a 9.9% increase in same store retail revenue. Our retail gross margin percentage declined from 16.8% during 2011 to 16.3% during 2012, due primarily to lower gross margin on new and used vehicle retail sales as well as an increase in the percentage of our revenues generated by vehicle sales, which carry a lower gross margin than other parts of our business.

Our selling expenses consist of advertising and compensation for sales personnel, including commissions and related bonuses. General and administrative expenses include compensation for administration, finance, legal and general management personnel, rent, insurance, utilities, and other expenses. As the majority of our selling expenses are variable, and we believe a significant portion of our general and administrative expenses are subject to our control, we believe our expenses can be adjusted over time to reflect economic trends.

Floor plan interest expense relates to financing incurred in connection with the acquisition of new and used vehicle inventories that is secured by those vehicles. Other interest expense consists of interest charges on all of our interest-bearing debt, other than interest relating to floor plan financing. The cost of our variable rate indebtedness is based on the prime rate, defined London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”), the Bank of England Base Rate, the Finance House Base Rate, or the Euro Interbank Offered Rate. Our floor plan interest expense has increased during 2012 as a result of higher applicable interest rates due to the impact of interest rate swap transactions that began in 2012, as well as an increase in the amounts outstanding under floor plan arrangements. Our other interest expense has increased during 2012 due to the increase in borrowings under our revolving credit agreements in the U.S. and U.K. due to significant acquisitions in 2012.

Equity in earnings of affiliates represents our share of the earnings from our investments in joint ventures and other non-consolidated investments, including PTL. Because PTL is engaged in different businesses than we are, its operating performance may vary significantly from ours.

The future success of our business is dependent upon, among other things, general economic and industry conditions, our ability to consummate and integrate acquisitions, the level of vehicle sales in the markets where we operate, our ability to increase sales of higher margin products, especially service and parts services, our ability to realize returns on our significant capital investment in new and upgraded dealership facilities and the return realized from our investments in various joint ventures and other non-consolidated investments. See Item 1A — “Risk Factors” and “Forward-Looking Statements” below.

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

The preparation of financial statements in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America requires the application of accounting policies that often involve making estimates and employing judgments. Such judgments influence the assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses recognized in our financial statements. Management, on an ongoing basis, reviews these estimates and assumptions. Management may determine that modifications in assumptions and estimates are required, which may result in a material change in our results of operations or financial position.

The following are the accounting policies applied in the preparation of our financial statements that management believes are most dependent upon the use of estimates and assumptions.

25

Table of Contents

Revenue Recognition

Vehicle, Parts and Service Sales

We record revenue when vehicles are delivered and title has passed to the customer, when vehicle service or repair work is completed and when parts are delivered to our customers. Sales promotions that we offer to customers are accounted for as a reduction of revenues at the time of sale. Rebates and other incentives offered directly to us by manufacturers are recognized as a reduction of cost of sales. Reimbursements of qualified advertising expenses are treated as a reduction of selling, general and administrative expenses. The amounts received under certain manufacturer rebate and incentive programs are based on the attainment of program objectives, and such earnings are recognized either upon the sale of the vehicle for which the award was received, or upon attainment of the particular program goals if not associated with individual vehicles. During 2012, 2011, and 2010, we earned $475.0 million, $373.5 million, and $350.2 million, respectively, of rebates, incentives and reimbursements from manufacturers, of which $463.2 million, $363.5 million, and $341.5 million was recorded as a reduction of cost of sales.

Finance and Insurance Sales

Subsequent to the sale of a vehicle to a customer, we sell installment sale contracts to various financial institutions on a non-recourse basis (with specified exceptions) to mitigate the risk of default. We receive a commission from the lender equal to either the difference between the interest rate charged to the customer and the interest rate set by the financing institution or a flat fee. We also receive commissions for facilitating the sale of various third-party insurance products to customers, including credit and life insurance policies and extended service contracts. These commissions are recorded as revenue at the time the customer enters into the contract. In the case of finance contracts, a customer may prepay or fail to pay their contract, thereby terminating the contract. Customers may also terminate extended service contracts and other insurance products, which are fully paid at purchase, and become eligible for refunds of unused premiums. In these circumstances, a portion of the commissions we received may be charged back based on the terms of the contracts. The revenue we record relating to these transactions is net of an estimate of the amount of chargebacks we will be required to pay. Our estimate is based upon our historical experience with similar contracts, including the impact of refinance and default rates on retail finance contracts and cancellation rates on extended service contracts and other insurance products. Aggregate reserves relating to chargeback activity were $23.4 million and $21.0 million as of December 31, 2012 and 2011, respectively.

Impairment Testing

Franchise value impairment is assessed as of October 1 every year and upon the occurrence of an indicator of impairment through a comparison of its carrying amount and estimated fair value. An indicator of impairment exists if the carrying value of a franchise exceeds its estimated fair value and an impairment loss may be recognized up to that excess. The fair value of franchise value is determined using a discounted cash flow approach, which includes assumptions about revenue and profitability growth, franchise profit margins, and our cost of capital. We also evaluate our franchise agreements in connection with the annual impairment testing to determine whether events and circumstances continue to support our assessment that the franchise agreements have an indefinite life.

Goodwill impairment is assessed at the reporting unit level as of October 1 every year and upon the occurrence of an indicator of impairment. Our operations are organized by management into operating segments by line of business and geography. We have determined that we have two reportable segments as defined in generally accepted accounting principles for segment reporting, including: (i) Retail, consisting of our automotive retail operations, and (ii) Other, consisting of our PAG Investments operating segment, which includes our investments in non-automotive retail operations, and our Hertz rental business operating segment. We have determined that the dealerships in each of our operating segments within the Retail reportable segment are components that are aggregated into four geographical reporting units for the purpose of goodwill impairment testing, as they (A) have similar economic characteristics (all are automotive dealerships having similar margins), (B) offer similar products and services (all sell new and used vehicles, service, parts and third-party finance and insurance products), (C) have similar target markets and customers (generally individuals) and (D) have similar distribution and marketing practices (all distribute products and services through dealership facilities that market to customers in similar fashions). The goodwill included in our Other reportable segment relates to our Hertz rental business operating segment and was initially recorded in the fourth quarter of 2012.

We prepare a qualitative assessment of the carrying value of goodwill in our Retail reportable segment using the criteria in ASC 350-20-35-3 to determine whether it is more likely than not that a reporting unit’s fair value is less than its carrying value. If it were determined through the qualitative assessment that a reporting unit’s fair value is more likely than not greater than its carrying value, additional analysis would be unnecessary. During 2012, we concluded that it was not more likely than not that any of the four reporting units’ fair value were less than their carrying amount. If the additional impairment testing was necessary, we would have estimated the fair value of our reporting units using an “income” valuation approach. The “income” valuation approach estimates our

26

Table of Contents

enterprise value using a net present value model, which discounts projected free cash flows of our business using our weighted average cost of capital as the discount rate. In connection with this process, we also reconcile the estimated aggregate fair values of our reporting units to our market capitalization. We believe that this reconciliation process is consistent with a market participant perspective. This consideration would also include a control premium that represents the estimated amount an investor would pay for our equity securities to obtain a controlling interest and other significant assumptions including revenue and profitability growth, franchise profit margins, residual values and our cost of capital.

Investments

We account for each of our investments under the equity method, pursuant to which we record our proportionate share of the investee’s income each period. The net book value of our investments was $303.2 million and $298.6 million as of December 31, 2012 and 2011, respectively. Investments for which there is not a liquid, actively traded market are reviewed periodically by management for indicators of impairment. If an indicator of impairment is identified, management estimates the fair value of the investment using a discounted cash flow approach, which includes assumptions relating to revenue and profitability growth, profit margins and our cost of capital. Declines in investment values that are deemed to be other than temporary may result in an impairment charge reducing the investments’ carrying value to fair value.

Self-Insurance

We retain risk relating to certain of our general liability insurance, workers’ compensation insurance, auto physical damage insurance, property insurance, employment practices liability insurance, directors and officers insurance and employee medical benefits in the U.S. As a result, we are likely to be responsible for a significant portion of the claims and losses incurred under these programs. The amount of risk we retain varies by program, and, for certain exposures, we have pre-determined maximum loss limits for certain individual claims and/or insurance periods. Losses, if any, above the pre-determined loss limits are paid by third-party insurance carriers. Certain insurers have limited available property coverage in response to the natural catastrophes experienced in recent years. Our estimate of future losses is prepared by management using our historical loss experience and industry-based development factors. Aggregate reserves relating to retained risk were $20.1 million and $25.9 million as of December 31, 2012 and 2011, respectively. Changes in the reserve estimate during 2012 relate primarily to positive claims experience in our general liability and workers compensation programs.

Income Taxes

Tax regulations may require items to be included in our tax returns at different times than the items are reflected in our financial statements. Some of these differences are permanent, such as expenses that are not deductible on our tax return, and some are temporary differences, such as the timing of depreciation expense. Temporary differences create deferred tax assets and liabilities. Deferred tax assets generally represent items that will be used as a tax deduction or credit in our tax returns in future years which we have already recorded in our financial statements. Deferred tax liabilities generally represent deductions taken on our tax returns that have not yet been recognized as expense in our financial statements. We establish valuation allowances for our deferred tax assets if the amount of expected future taxable income is not likely to allow for the use of the deduction or credit.

We do not provide for U.S. taxes relating to undistributed earnings or losses of our foreign subsidiaries. Income from continuing operations before income taxes of foreign subsidiaries (which subsidiaries are predominately in the U.K.) was $117.0 million, $98.4 million, and $97.0 million during 2012, 2011 and 2010, respectively. We believe these earnings will be indefinitely reinvested in the companies that produced them. At December 31, 2012, we have not provided U.S. federal income taxes on a total of approximately $817.4 million of earnings of individual foreign subsidiaries. If these earnings were remitted as dividends, we would be subject to U.S. income taxes in excess of foreign taxes paid and certain foreign withholding taxes.

Classification in Continuing and Discontinued Operations

We classify the results of our operations in our consolidated financial statements based on generally accepted accounting principles relating to discontinued operations, which requires judgments, including whether a business will be divested, whether the cash flows will be replaced, the period required to complete the divestiture, and the likelihood of changes to the divestiture plans. If we determine that a business should be either reclassified from continuing operations to discontinued operations or from discontinued operations to continuing operations, our consolidated financial statements for prior periods are revised to reflect such reclassification.

27

Table of Contents

New Accounting Pronouncements

In May 2011, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued ASU No. 2011-04, “Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures (Topic 820) — Amendments to Achieve Common Fair Value Measurement and Disclosure Requirements in U.S. GAAP and IFRSs.” ASU No. 2011-04 clarifies the application of existing fair value measurement and disclosure requirements, changes certain principles related to measuring fair value, and requires additional disclosures about fair value measurements. ASU No. 2011-04 is effective for periods beginning after December 15, 2011. We adopted the standard on January 1, 2012. Adoption of ASU No. 2011-04 did not affect our consolidated financial position, results of operations, or cash flows.

In June 2011, the FASB issued ASU No. 2011-05, “Comprehensive Income (Topic 220) — Presentation of Comprehensive Income”, which requires the presentation of components of other comprehensive income with the components of net income. We adopted the standard on January 1, 2012. In December 2011, the FASB issued ASU No. 2011-12, which included amendments that effectively deferred only those changes in ASU No. 2011-05 that relate to the presentation of reclassification adjustments out of accumulated other comprehensive income. In February 2013, the FASB issued ASU No. 2013-02, which includes amendments that supersede and replace the presentation requirements for reclassification out of other comprehensive income. ASU No. 2013-02 is effective for reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2012. Adoption of ASU No. 2011-05 and ASU No. 2011-12 did not affect our consolidated financial position, results of operations, or cash flows. We do not expect the adoption of ASU No. 2013-02 to affect our consolidated financial position, results of operations, or cash flows.

In December 2011, the FASB issued ASU No. 2011-11, “Balance Sheet (Topic 210) — Disclosures about Offsetting Assets and Liabilities.” ASU No. 2011-11 will require disclosure of the effect or potential effect of offsetting arrangements on our financial position as well as enhanced disclosure of the rights of setoff associated with our recognized assets and recognized liabilities. In January 2013, the FASB issued ASU No. 2013-01, which included amendments that clarified the scope of ASU No. 2011-11. ASU No. 2011-11 and ASU No. 2013-01 are effective for periods beginning on or after January 1, 2013. Since these amended principles require only additional disclosures concerning offsetting and related arrangements, adoption will not affect our consolidated financial position, results of operations, or cash flows.

In July 2012, the FASB issued ASU No. 2012-02, “Intangibles — Goodwill and Other (Topic 350) — Testing Indefinite-Lived Intangible Assets for Impairment.” In accordance with the amendments in ASU No. 2012-02, we have the option to first assess qualitative factors to determine whether the existence of events and circumstances indicates that it is more likely than not that an indefinite-lived intangible asset other than goodwill is impaired. If, after assessing the totality of events and circumstances, we conclude that it is not more likely than not that the indefinite-lived intangible asset is impaired, we are not required to take further action. We adopted the standard on October 1, 2012. Adoption of ASU No. 2012-02 did not affect our consolidated financial position, results of operations, or cash flows.

Results of Operations

The following tables present comparative financial data relating to our operating performance in the aggregate and on a “same-store” basis. Dealership results are included in same-store comparisons when we have consolidated the acquired entity during the entirety of both periods being compared. As an example, if a dealership was acquired on January 15, 2010, the results of the acquired entity would be included in annual same store comparisons beginning with the year ended December 31, 2012 and in quarterly same store comparisons beginning with the quarter ended June 30, 2011.

2012 compared to 2011 and 2011 compared to 2010 (in millions, except unit and per unit amounts)

Our results for 2012 include costs of $17.8 million ($13.0 million after-tax), or $0.14 per share, relating to the redemption of $375.0 million aggregate principal amount of our previously outstanding 7.75% Notes. Our results for 2011 include a net income tax benefit of $11.0 million, or $0.12 per share, reflecting a positive adjustment from the resolution of certain tax items in the U.K. of $17.0 million, or $0.19 per share, partially offset by a reduction in U.K. deferred tax assets of $6.0 million, or $0.07 per share.

Our results for 2010 include a gain of $5.3 million ($3.6 million after-tax), or $0.04 per share, relating to a gain on the sale of an investment, a gain of $1.6 million ($1.1 million after-tax), or $0.01 per share, relating to the repurchase of $155.7 million aggregate principal amount of our previously outstanding 3.5% senior subordinated convertible notes, and a charge of $4.1 million ($2.8 million after-tax), or $0.03 per share, associated with costs related to franchise closure and relocation costs.

28

Table of Contents

New Vehicle Data

Units

Retail unit sales of new vehicles increased 31,696 units, or 21.3%, from 2011 to 2012, and increased 5,206 units, or 3.6%, from 2010 to 2011. The increase from 2011 to 2012 is due to a 18,612 unit, or 12.9%, increase in same store new retail unit sales, coupled with a 13,084 unit increase from net dealership acquisitions during the year. Same store units increased 14.8% in the U.S. and 7.6% internationally. The same store increases were driven by a 9.5% increase in our premium brands, a 16.4% increase in our volume foreign brands, and a 20.4% increase in our domestic brands. We believe our premium, volume foreign, and domestic brands are being positively impacted by improved market conditions including increased credit availability, pent-up demand, introduction of new models, and specifically in the case of volume foreign Japanese brands, improved inventory levels, as these manufacturers have returned to normal production levels following the March 2011 tsunami.

The increase from 2010 to 2011 is due to a 406 unit, or 0.3%, increase in same store new retail unit sales, coupled with a 4,800 unit increase from net dealership acquisitions during the year. The same store increase is primarily due to an increase in premium brand unit sales.

Revenues

New vehicle retail sales revenue increased $1.14 billion, or 20.3%, from 2011 to 2012 and increased $532.7 million, or 10.4%, from 2010 to 2011. The increase from 2011 to 2012 is due to a $687.4 million, or 12.6%, increase in same-store revenues, coupled with a $455.6 million increase from net dealership acquisitions during the year. The same store revenue increase is due primarily to the 12.9% increase in same store unit sales, which increased revenue by $699.4 million, somewhat offset by an $83, or 0.2%, decrease in comparative average selling prices per unit, which decreased revenue by $12.0 million.

The increase from 2010 to 2011 is due to a $299.0 million, or 6.0%, increase in same store revenues, coupled with a $233.7 million increase from net dealership acquisitions during the year. The same store revenue increase is due primarily to a $2,012, or 5.7%, increase in average selling prices per unit, which increased revenue by $283.7 million, coupled with the 0.3% increase in new retail unit sales, which increased revenue by $15.3 million. We believe the changes in comparative average selling price per unit were driven in part by inventory availability in our Japanese volume foreign brands as a result of the March 2011 tsunami.

Gross Profit

Retail gross profit from new vehicle sales increased $79.6 million, or 17.0%, from 2011 to 2012, and increased $49.1 million, or 11.7%, from 2010 to 2011. The increase from 2011 to 2012 is due to a $40.4 million, or 8.9%, increase in same store gross profit, coupled with a $39.2 million increase from net dealership acquisitions during the year. The same store increase is due primarily to the 12.9% increase in new retail unit sales, which increased gross profit by $56.4 million, somewhat offset by a $111, or 3.5%, decrease in average gross profit per new vehicle retailed, which decreased gross profit by $16.0 million. We believe that the changes in gross

29

Table of Contents

profit per unit and gross margin in 2012 and 2011 were driven in part by inventory availability of Japanese brands as a result of the March 2011 tsunami. Inventory levels normalized in 2012.

The increase from 2010 to 2011 is due to a $30.3 million, or 7.4%, increase in same store gross profit, coupled with a $18.8 million increase from net dealership acquisitions during the year. The same store increase is due primarily to a $206, or 7.1%, increase in the average gross profit per new vehicle retailed, which increased gross profit by $29.0 million, coupled with the 0.3% increase in retail unit sales, which increased gross profit by $1.3 million.

Used Vehicle Data