Many of the region’s automotive players have been able to maintain their local workforces over the past year, shown in the slight increase of 1.4% in total Orange County headcount as of September—compared to the 1.1% slide reported in 2024.
The largest grower this year was Irvine-based Kia America, a division of South Korea-based Hyundai Motor Co. With 582 employees in OC as of September, the company jumped 18% in headcount from a year ago.
“As likely seen at other automakers, finding qualified candidates with the skill sets needed to further our growth is always a challenge, but our HR team does a great job of working with local agencies and authorities to reach out to and hire the very best,” a Kia spokesperson said via email.
Irvine-based Rivian Automotive Inc. remains the largest automaker employer with 1,843 local workers, representing a 2% drop from a year ago.
Chief Executive RJ Scaringe told the Business Journal that Orange County has become a recruiting tool for the electric vehicle manufacturer.
“This has served as a great base,” he said during an exclusive interview.
Bollinger Innovations, the struggling EV maker of trucks and vans in Brea formerly known as Mullen Automotive, is estimated to have about 60 employees in Orange County. The company started to offload large portions of its workforce late last year in an attempt to survive while it tries to generate more revenue.
U.S. vehicle sales across the nine local automakers rose 2.8% to 4.2 million for the 12 months ended June 30, representing a significant decrease in activity compared to last year’s 14% growth.
According to the Orange County Auto Outlook report, conducted by the Orange County Automobile Dealers Association (OCADA), new vehicle registrations in the region are expected to fall in the second half of 2025 due to rising prices resulting from tariffs.
Manufacturers such as Kia and Genesis Motor America expect to continue “minimizing unforeseen financial pressures” and aligning with the evolving expectations of automotive customers.
“Genesis is committed to staying competitive in a dynamic market, delivering exceptional products and experiences that meet the demands of U.S. consumers, regardless of changes in federal policy,” a brand spokesperson said.
Top 29 Auto Dealers
This year’s list of 29 auto dealers generated $5.1 billion in sales volume for the 12 months ended June 30, inching up almost 1% from a year ago.
The number of new cars sold outpaced used vehicles in the same 12-month period, with 57,111 new and 31,070 used models rolling off the lot, up 4.2% and down 3.5%, respectively.
Overall, the dealerships reported a total of 786 salespeople employed in Orange County and more than 1,400 service personnel.
Mercedes-Benz of Laguna Niguel, ranked No. 6 among local auto dealers, is now owned by Murgado Automotive Group as of last year. The company named Tom Shanley as the location’s new general manager.
The dealership that recorded the largest growth in sales volume was Anaheim’s Hardin Honda. It increased sales 17% to $116 million for the year ended June 30.
The next two notable growers were Weir Canyon Honda in Anaheim, up 13% to $85 million, and Mazda of Orange, jumping 14% to almost $84 million.
All three reported increases in new vehicle sales, ranging from 6.6% to 23%.
Fletcher Jones Motorcars, located in Newport Beach selling Mercedes-Benz vehicles, remains No. 1 by sales volume of nearly $820 million, which represents a 2% decline from a year ago, same period.
According to OCADA’s outlook report, new retail vehicle registrations increased by 2.5% for the first half of 2025 in the county. The brands with the largest increases in OC registrations, year-to-date, included Acura, Porsche and GMC.
As for market share in the county, Toyota was the top-selling brand with Tesla and Honda following behind.
OCADA reported that in the first six months of 2025, the top five selling models were the Tesla Models Y and 3, Toyota’s RAV4 and Camry, and the Honda CR-V.
