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Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Policies) | 3 Months Ended
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Mar. 31, 2022
Accounting Policies [Abstract] |
Basis of Presentation | Basis of Presentation – The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements of Sonic Automotive, Inc. and its wholly owned subsidiaries (“Sonic,” the “Company,” “we,” “us” or “our”) for the three months ended March 31, 2022 and 2021 are unaudited and have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (the “U.S.”) (“GAAP”) for interim financial information and applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission. Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and footnotes required by U.S. GAAP for complete financial statements. The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements reflect, in the opinion of management, all material normal, recurring adjustments necessary to fairly state the financial position, results of operations and cash flows for the periods presented. The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and related notes thereto included in Sonic’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021.
Principles of Consolidation | Principles of Consolidation – All of our dealership and non-dealership subsidiaries are wholly owned and consolidated in the accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements, except for one 50%-owned dealership that is accounted for under the equity method. All material intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in the accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.
Revenue from Contract with Customers | Revenue Recognition – Revenue is recognized when a customer obtains control of promised goods or services and in an amount that reflects the consideration that the entity expects to receive in exchange for those goods or services. We do not include the cost of obtaining contracts within the related revenue streams since we elected the practical expedient to expense the costs to obtain a contract when incurred. Management has evaluated our established business processes, revenue transaction streams and accounting policies, and identified our material revenue streams to be: (1) the sale of new vehicles; (2) the sale of used vehicles to retail customers; (3) the sale of wholesale used vehicles at third-party auctions; (4) the arrangement of vehicle financing and the sale of service, warranty and other insurance contracts; and (5) the performance of vehicle maintenance and repair services and the sale of related parts and accessories. Generally, performance obligations are satisfied when the associated vehicle is either delivered to a customer and customer acceptance has occurred, over time as the maintenance and repair services are performed, or at the time of wholesale and retail parts sales. We do not have any revenue streams with significant financing components as payments are typically received within a short period of time following completion of the performance obligation(s). Retrospective finance and insurance revenues (“F&I retro revenues”) are recognized when the product contract has been executed with the end customer and the transaction price is estimated each reporting period based on the expected value method using historical and projected data. F&I retro revenues can vary based on a variety of factors, including number of contracts and history of cancellations and claims. Accordingly, we utilize this historical and projected data to constrain the consideration to the extent that it is probable that a significant reversal in the amount of cumulative revenue will not occur when the uncertainty associated with the variable consideration is subsequently resolved. We record revenue when vehicles are delivered to customers, as vehicle service work is performed and when parts are delivered. Conditions for completing a sale include having an agreement with the customer, including pricing, and it being probable that the proceeds from the sale will be collected. The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated balance sheets as of March 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021 include approximately $24.4 million and $34.9 million, respectively, related to contract assets from F&I retro revenues recognition, which are recorded in Receivables, net. Changes in contract assets from December 31, 2021 to March 31, 2022 were primarily due to ordinary business activity, including the receipt of cash for amounts earned and recognized in prior periods. Please refer to Note 1, “Description of Business and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies,” to the consolidated financial statements in Sonic’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021 for further discussion of our revenue recognition policies and processes.
Per Share Data and Stockholders' Equity | Earnings Per Share – The calculation of diluted earnings per share considers the potential dilutive effect of restricted stock units, restricted stock awards and stock options granted under Sonic’s stock compensation plans (and any non-forfeitable dividends paid on such awards).

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- Definition Disclosure of accounting policy regarding (1) the principles it follows in consolidating or combining the separate financial statements, including the principles followed in determining the inclusion or exclusion of subsidiaries or other entities in the consolidated or combined financial statements and (2) its treatment of interests (for example, common stock, a partnership interest or other means of exerting influence) in other entities, for example consolidation or use of the equity or cost methods of accounting. The accounting policy may also address the accounting treatment for intercompany accounts and transactions, noncontrolling interest, and the income statement treatment in consolidation for issuances of stock by a subsidiary. + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/exampleRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 235 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 4 -Subparagraph (a) -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=123372394&loc=d3e18823-107790 Reference 2: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 810 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 1 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=109239629&loc=d3e5614-111684 + Details
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