Sales at117 local auto dealers here rose 19% last year to $7.6 billion, Newport Beach-based Orange County Automobile Dealers Association said.
The figure included sales of new and used vehicles along with service and parts.
The greatest concentration of dealerships is in Costa Mesa, Irvine, Tustin, Anaheim and Huntington Beach, each with 10 or more.
Sales of new vehicles rose 10% from 2011 to $4.6 billion. Used vehicle sales rose about 27% to $1.8 billion.
The sales momentum is expected to continue this year, OCADA said. The association is forecasting an 8.4% increase in light-vehicle registrations, an indicator of local sales.
OCADA also reported a 5% rise in employment 5% to 11,115 full- and part-time workers last year.
—Kari Hamanaka
