DESCRIPTION OF BUSINESS AND SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

Organization and Business

AutoNation, Inc., through its subsidiaries, is the largest automotive retailer in the United States. As of December 31, 2014, we owned and operated 276 new vehicle franchises from 232 stores located in the United States, predominantly in major metropolitan markets in the Sunbelt region. Our stores, which we believe include some of the most recognizable and well known in our key markets, sell 34 different new vehicle brands. The core brands of new vehicles that we sell, representing approximately 95% of the new vehicles that we sold in 2014, are manufactured by Toyota, Ford, Honda, Nissan, General Motors, Mercedes-Benz, Chrysler, BMW, and Volkswagen.

We offer a diversified range of automotive products and services, including new vehicles, used vehicles, “parts and service,” which includes automotive repair and maintenance services as well as wholesale parts and collision businesses, and automotive “finance and insurance” products, which include vehicle service and other protection products, as well as the arranging of financing for vehicle purchases through third-party finance sources. For convenience, the terms “AutoNation,” “Company,” and “we” are used to refer collectively to AutoNation, Inc. and its subsidiaries, unless otherwise required by the context. Our dealership operations are conducted by our subsidiaries.

Basis of Presentation

The accompanying Consolidated Financial Statements include the accounts of AutoNation, Inc. and its subsidiaries. All of our automotive dealership subsidiaries are indirectly wholly owned by the parent company, AutoNation, Inc. All significant intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated in the consolidation.

Use of Estimates

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the reporting period. In preparing these financial statements, management has made its best estimates and judgments of certain amounts included in the financial statements, giving due consideration to materiality. We base our estimates and judgments on historical experience and other assumptions that we believe are reasonable. However, application of these accounting policies involves the exercise of judgment and use of assumptions as to future uncertainties and, as a result, actual results could differ materially from these estimates. We periodically evaluate estimates and assumptions used in the preparation of the financial statements and make changes on a prospective basis when adjustments are necessary. Significant estimates made by AutoNation in the accompanying Consolidated Financial Statements include certain assumptions related to goodwill, intangible assets, long-lived assets, and assets held for sale, accruals for chargebacks against revenue recognized from the sale of finance and insurance products, accruals related to self-insurance programs, certain legal proceedings, estimated tax liabilities, and certain assumptions related to stock-based compensation.

Cash and Cash Equivalents

We consider all highly liquid investments with a maturity of three months or less as of the date of purchase to be cash equivalents unless the investments are legally or contractually restricted for more than three months. Under our cash management system, outstanding checks that are in excess of the cash balances at certain banks are included in Accounts Payable in the Consolidated Balance Sheets and changes in these amounts are reflected in operating cash flows in the accompanying Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows.

Inventory

Inventory consists primarily of new and used vehicles held for sale, valued at the lower of cost or market using the specific identification method. Cost includes acquisition, reconditioning, dealer installed accessories, and transportation expenses. Additionally, we receive floorplan interest assistance from certain manufacturers. This assistance is reflected as a reduction to the inventory cost and as a reduction to cost of sales as the vehicles are sold. At December 31, 2014 and 2013, inventory cost had been reduced by $17.9 million and $19.7 million, respectively, for interest assistance received from manufacturers. Parts, accessories, and other inventory are valued at the lower of acquisition cost (first-in, first-out) or market. See Note 3 of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for more detailed information about our inventory.

Property and Equipment, net

Property and equipment are recorded at cost less accumulated depreciation. Expenditures for major additions and improvements are capitalized, while minor replacements, maintenance, and repairs are charged to expense as incurred. In addition, we capitalize interest on borrowings during the active construction period of capital projects. Capitalized interest is added to the cost of the assets and depreciated over the estimated useful lives of the assets. Leased property meeting certain criteria is capitalized and the present value of the related lease payments is recorded as a liability and included in current and/or long-term debt based on the lease term. When property is retired or otherwise disposed of, the cost and accumulated depreciation are removed from the accounts and any resulting gain or loss is reflected in Other Expenses (Income), Net in the Consolidated Statements of Income. See Note 4 of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for detailed information about our property and equipment.

Depreciation is provided over the estimated useful lives of the assets involved using the straight-line method. Leasehold improvements and capitalized lease assets are amortized to depreciation expense over the estimated useful life of the asset or the respective lease term used in determining lease classification, whichever is shorter. The range of estimated useful lives is as follows:


Buildings and improvements	5 to 40 years


Furniture, fixtures, and equipment	3 to 12 years

We continually evaluate property and equipment, including leasehold improvements, to determine whether events or changes in circumstances have occurred that may warrant revision of the estimated useful life or whether the remaining balance should be evaluated for possible impairment. We use an estimate of the related undiscounted cash flows over the remaining life of the property and equipment in assessing whether an asset has been impaired. We measure impairment losses based upon the amount by which the carrying amount of the asset exceeds the fair value. See Note 17 of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for information about our fair value measurements.

During 2014, there were no significant impairment charges recorded for the carrying value of long-lived assets held and used in continuing operations. During 2013, we fully impaired certain long-lived assets held and used in continuing operations and recorded a non-cash impairment charge of $0.7 million. This charge is recorded as a component of Other Expenses (Income), Net in the Consolidated Statements of Income and is reported in the “Corporate and other” category of our segment information.

When property and equipment is identified as held for sale, we reclassify the held for sale assets to Other Current Assets and cease recording depreciation. Assets held for sale in both continuing operations and discontinued operations are reported in the “Corporate and other” category of our segment information.

We had assets held for sale of $64.7 million at December 31, 2014, and $59.8 million at December 31, 2013, included in continuing operations. We recorded an impairment charge of $1.1 million in 2014 associated with assets held for sale in continuing operations. This charge is recorded as a component of Other Expenses (Income), Net in the Consolidated Statements of Income and is reported in the “Corporate and other” category of our segment information. We recorded no impairment charges in 2013 associated with assets held for sale in continuing operations.

We had assets held for sale of $23.2 million at December 31, 2014, and $34.5 million at December 31, 2013, included in discontinued operations. During 2014 and 2013, there were no significant impairment charges associated with assets held for sale in discontinued operations.

During 2013, we recognized a gain of $8.1 million ($5.0 million after-tax) related to the sale of a continuing operations held for sale property. This gain is recorded as a component of Other Expenses (Income), Net in the Consolidated Statements of Income and is reported in the “Corporate and other” category of our segment information.

Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets, net

Goodwill consists of the cost of acquired businesses in excess of the fair value of the net assets acquired. Additionally, other intangible assets are separately recognized if the benefit of the intangible asset is obtained through contractual or other legal rights, or if the intangible asset can be sold, transferred, licensed, rented, or exchanged, regardless of our intent to do so.

Our principal identifiable intangible assets are rights under franchise agreements with vehicle manufacturers. We generally expect our franchise agreements to survive for the foreseeable future and, when the agreements do not have indefinite terms, anticipate routine renewals of the agreements without substantial cost. The contractual terms of our franchise agreements provide for various durations, ranging from one year to no expiration date, and in certain cases, manufacturers have undertaken to renew such franchises upon expiration so long as the dealership is in compliance with the terms of the agreement. However, in general, the states in which we operate have automotive dealership franchise laws that provide that, notwithstanding the terms of any franchise agreement, it is unlawful for a manufacturer to terminate or not renew a franchise unless “good cause” exists. It is generally difficult, outside of bankruptcy, for a manufacturer to terminate or not renew a franchise under these franchise laws, which were designed to protect dealers. In addition, in our experience and historically in the automotive retail industry, dealership franchise agreements are rarely involuntarily terminated or not renewed by the manufacturer outside of bankruptcy. Accordingly, we believe that our franchise agreements will contribute to cash flows for the foreseeable future and have indefinite lives. Other intangible assets are amortized using a straight-line method over their useful lives, generally ranging from three to twenty-nine years.

We do not amortize goodwill or franchise rights assets. Goodwill and franchise rights are tested for impairment annually or more frequently when events or changes in circumstances indicate that impairment may have occurred. We completed our annual impairment tests for both goodwill and franchise rights as of April 30, 2014. Based on our qualitative assessment of potential goodwill impairment, we determined that it was not more likely than not that the fair values of our reporting units were less than their carrying amounts and we recorded no goodwill impairment charges during 2014. Based on our qualitative assessment of potential franchise rights impairment, we determined that we should perform a quantitative test for franchise rights related to one store, and no impairment charges resulted from this quantitative test. For the remainder of our franchise rights, we determined that it was not more likely than not that the fair values of our franchise rights were less than their carrying amounts based on our qualitative assessment and we were therefore not required to perform a quantitative test.

We completed our qualitative annual impairment tests for both goodwill and franchise rights as of April 30, 2013, and determined that we were not required to perform quantitative tests.

We completed our annual impairment tests for both goodwill and franchise rights as of April 30, 2012. Based on our qualitative assessment of potential goodwill impairment, we determined that it was not more likely than not that the fair values of our reporting units were less than their carrying amounts and we recorded no goodwill impairment charges during 2012. We recorded $4.2 million ($2.6 million after-tax) of non-cash impairment charges related to rights under a Premium Luxury store’s franchise agreement as a result of the annual franchise impairment test during 2012. The non-cash impairment charge was recorded to reduce the carrying value of the store’s franchise agreement to its estimated fair value, and is classified as Franchise Rights Impairment in the accompanying Consolidated Statements of Income.

See Note 5 of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for more information about our goodwill and other intangible assets.

Other Current Assets

Other current assets consist of various items, including, among other items, property and equipment held for sale in continuing operations and discontinued operations, current deferred tax assets, and prepaid expenses.

Other Assets

Other assets consist of various items, including, among other items, service loaner and rental vehicle inventory, net, the cash surrender value of corporate-owned life insurance held in a Rabbi Trust for deferred compensation plan participants, and the long-term portions of notes receivable and debt issuance costs. Debt issuance costs are amortized to Other Interest Expense in the accompanying Consolidated Statements of Income.

Other Current Liabilities

Other current liabilities consist of various items payable within one year including, among other items, accruals for payroll and benefits, sales taxes, the current portions of finance and insurance chargeback liabilities and self-insurance reserves, customer deposits, deferred revenue, and accrued expenses.

Other Liabilities

Other liabilities consist of various items payable beyond one year including, among other items, the long-term portions of deferred compensation obligations, finance and insurance chargeback liabilities, and self-insurance reserves.

Employee Savings Plans

We offer a 401(k) plan to all of our employees and provide a matching contribution to certain employees that participate in the plan. We provided a matching contribution of $5.9 million in 2014, $5.2 million in 2013, and $3.5 million in 2012. Employer matching contributions are subject to a 3-year graded vesting period for employees hired subsequent to January 1, 2011, and are fully vested immediately upon contribution for employees hired prior to January 1, 2011.

We offer a deferred compensation plan (the “Plan”) to provide certain employees and non-employee directors with the opportunity to accumulate assets for retirement on a tax-deferred basis. Participants in the Plan are allowed to defer a portion of their compensation and are fully vested in their respective deferrals and earnings. Participants may choose from a variety of investment options, which determine their earnings credits. We provided a matching contribution to employee participants in the Plan of $0.6 million for 2014, $0.5 million for 2013, and $0.5 million in 2012. One-third of the matching contribution is vested and credited to participants on the first business day of the subsequent calendar year, and an additional one-third vests and is credited on each of the first and second anniversaries of such date. We may also make discretionary contributions, which vest three years after the effective date of the discretionary contribution. Participants eligible for a matching contribution under the Plan are not eligible for a matching contribution in our 401(k) plan. The balances due to participants in the Plan were $63.4 million as of December 31, 2014, and $51.7 million as of December 31, 2013, and are included in Other Current Liabilities and Other Liabilities in the accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheets.

Stock-Based Compensation

We grant stock-based awards in the form of stock options, restricted stock, and restricted stock units (“RSUs”). Stock options granted under all plans are non-qualified. Upon exercise, shares of common stock are issued from our treasury stock. We use the Black-Scholes valuation model to determine compensation expense associated with our stock options. Restricted stock awards, which are considered nonvested share awards as defined under generally accepted accounting principles, and RSUs are issued from our treasury stock. Compensation cost for restricted stock awards and RSUs is based on the closing price of our common stock on the date of grant. Certain of our equity-based compensation plans contain provisions that provide for vesting of awards upon retirement. Accordingly, compensation cost for stock-based awards is recognized on a straight-line basis, net of estimated forfeitures, over the shorter of the stated vesting period or the period until employees become retirement-eligible. See Note 10 of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for more information about our stock-based compensation arrangements.

Revenue Recognition

Revenue consists of the sales of new and used vehicles, sales of parts and automotive services, commissions from finance and insurance products, and sales of other products. We recognize revenue (which excludes sales taxes) in the period in which products are sold or services are provided. The automotive services we provide include, but are not limited to, customer-paid repairs and maintenance, as well as repairs and maintenance under manufacturer warranties and extended service contracts. We recognize vehicle and finance and insurance revenue when a sales contract has been executed, the vehicle has been delivered, and payment has been received or financing has been arranged. Revenue on finance and insurance products represents commissions earned by us for: (i) loans and leases placed with financial institutions in connection with customer vehicle purchases financed, (ii) vehicle service contracts sold, and (iii) other protection products sold.

We sell and receive a commission, which is recognized upon sale, on the following types of products: 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 casualty), “tire and wheel” protection, and theft protection products. The products we offer include products that are sold and administered by independent third parties, including the vehicle manufacturers’ captive finance subsidiaries. Pursuant to our arrangements with these third-party providers, we primarily sell the products on a straight commission basis; however, we may sell the product, recognize commission, and participate in future profit pursuant to retrospective commission arrangements, which is recognized as earned. Certain commissions earned from the sales of finance and insurance products are subject to chargeback should the contracts be terminated prior to their expirations. An estimated liability for chargebacks against revenue recognized from sales of finance and insurance products is recorded in the period in which the related revenue is recognized. Our estimated liability for chargebacks is based primarily on our historical chargeback experience, and is influenced by the volume of vehicle sales in recent years and increases or decreases in early termination rates resulting from cancellation of vehicle service contracts and other protection products, defaults, refinancings and payoffs before maturity, and other factors. Chargeback liabilities were $84.9 million at December 31, 2014, and $67.6 million at December 31, 2013. See Note 19 of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for more information regarding chargeback liabilities.

Insurance

Under our self-insurance programs, we retain various levels of aggregate loss limits, per claim deductibles, and claims-handling expenses as part of our various insurance programs, including property and casualty, employee medical benefits, automobile, and workers’ compensation. Costs in excess of this retained risk per claim may be insured under various contracts with third-party insurance carriers. We review our claim and loss history on a periodic basis to assist in assessing our future liability. The ultimate costs of these retained insurance risks are estimated by management and by third-party actuarial evaluation of historical claims experience, adjusted for current trends and changes in claims-handling procedures. See Note 6 of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for more information on our self-insurance reserves.

Manufacturer Incentives and Other Rebates

We receive various incentives from manufacturers based on achieving certain objectives, such as specified sales volume targets, as well as other objectives, including maintaining standards of a particular vehicle brand, which may include but are not limited to facility image and design requirements, customer satisfaction survey results, and training standards, among others. These incentives are typically based upon units purchased or sold. These manufacturer incentives are recognized as a reduction of new vehicle cost of sales when earned, generally at the time the related vehicles are sold or upon attainment of the particular program goals, whichever is later.

We also receive manufacturer rebates and assistance for holdbacks, floorplan interest, and non-reimbursement-based advertising expenses (described below), which are reflected as a reduction in the carrying value of each vehicle purchased by us. We recognize holdbacks, floorplan interest assistance, non-reimbursement-based advertising rebates, cash incentives, and other rebates received from manufacturers that are tied to specific vehicles as a reduction to cost of sales as the related vehicles are sold.

Advertising

We generally expense the cost of advertising as incurred, net of earned manufacturer reimbursements for specific advertising costs and other discounts. Advertising expense, net of manufacturer advertising reimbursements, was $164.9 million in 2014, $166.4 million in 2013, and $135.7 million in 2012, and is reflected as a component of Selling, General, and Administrative Expenses in the accompanying Consolidated Statements of Income.

Manufacturer advertising rebates that are reimbursements of costs associated with specific advertising expenses are earned in accordance with the respective manufacturers’ reimbursement-based advertising assistance programs, which is typically after we have incurred the corresponding advertising expenses, and are reflected as a reduction of advertising expense. Manufacturer advertising reimbursements classified as an offset to advertising expenses were $47.1 million in 2014, $42.4 million in 2013, and $38.3 million in 2012. All other non-reimbursement-based manufacturer advertising rebates that are not associated with specific advertising expenses are recorded as a reduction of inventory and recognized as a reduction of new vehicle cost of sales in the period the related vehicle is sold.

Parts and Service Internal Profit

Our parts and service departments provide reconditioning repair work for the majority of used vehicles acquired by our used vehicle departments and minor preparatory work for new vehicles acquired by our new vehicle departments. The parts and service departments charge the new and used vehicle departments as if they were third parties in order to account for total activity performed by that department. Revenues and costs of sales associated with the internal work performed by our parts and service departments are reflected in our parts and service results in our Consolidated Statements of Income. New and used vehicle revenues and costs of sales are reduced by the amount of the intracompany charge. As a result, the revenues and costs of sales associated with the internal work performed by our parts and service departments are eliminated in consolidation. We also maintain a reserve for internal profit on vehicles that have not been sold.

Income Taxes

We file a consolidated federal income tax return. Deferred income taxes have been provided for temporary differences between the recognition of revenue and expenses for financial and income tax reporting purposes and between the tax basis of assets and liabilities and their reported amounts in the financial statements. See Note 11 of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for more detailed information related to income taxes.

Taxes Assessed by Governmental Authorities

Taxes assessed by governmental authorities that are directly imposed on revenue transactions are excluded from revenue in our Consolidated Financial Statements.

Earnings (Loss) Per Share

Basic earnings (loss) per share is computed by dividing net income (loss) by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding for the period, including outstanding unvested restricted stock awards which contain rights to non-forfeitable dividends and vested restricted stock unit awards. Diluted earnings (loss) per share is computed by dividing net income (loss) by the weighted average number of shares outstanding, noted above, adjusted for the dilutive effect of stock options. See Note 12 of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for more information on the computation of earnings (loss) per share.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

Revenue Recognition

In May 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued an accounting standard update that amends the accounting guidance on revenue recognition. The amendments in this accounting standard update are intended to provide a more robust framework for addressing revenue issues, improve comparability of revenue recognition practices, and improve disclosure requirements. The amendments in this accounting standard update are effective for interim and annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2016, and should be applied using either of the following transition methods: (i) a full retrospective approach reflecting the application of the standard in each prior reporting period with the option to elect certain practical expedients, or (ii) a retrospective approach with the cumulative effect of initially adopting the standard recognized at the date of adoption (which requires additional footnote disclosures). Early adoption is not permitted. We are currently evaluating the method of adoption and the impact of the provisions of the accounting standard update.

Reporting Discontinued Operations

In April 2014, the FASB issued an accounting standard update that changes the definition of a discontinued operation to include only those disposals of components of an entity that represent a strategic shift that has (or will have) a major effect on an entity’s operations and financial results. The amendments in this accounting standard update should be applied prospectively and are effective for annual periods, and interim periods within those years, beginning on or after December 15, 2014. Early adoption is permitted for disposals that have not been reported in financial statements previously issued. We adopted this accounting standard update effective January 1, 2014. During 2014, we divested our customer lead distribution business and two Import stores. See Note 13 of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for more information.

Presentation of an Unrecognized Tax Benefit When a Net Operating Loss, a Similar Tax Loss, or a Tax Credit Carryforward Exists

In July 2013, the FASB issued an accounting standard update to reduce the diversity in practice regarding the financial statement presentation of an unrecognized tax benefit when a net operating loss carryforward, a similar tax loss, or a tax credit carryforward exists. The amendments in this accounting standard update are effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those years, beginning after December 15, 2013. The adoption of this accounting standard update did not have a material impact on our consolidated financial position, results of operations, or cash flows.