EDMONTON, Alberta -

The biggest name in Canadian publicly traded dealer groups recently announced its second-quarter results, reporting its most profitable quarter in history.

AutoCanada Inc. revealed they made company history with an increase in earnings of 61.2 percent.

The company enjoyed double-digit increases across the board, with revenue increasing by 3.18 percent to $388.8 million for Q2.

Gross profit for the quarter also increased by 32.2 percent to come in at $64.8 million.

In commenting on the financial results for the three-month period endind June 30, Pat Priestner, chairman and chief executive officer of AutoCanada, said, "We are very pleased with the results of the second quarter of 2013, our most profitable quarter in Company history. The strong growth during the quarter can be attributed to gross profit increases in all four of our business lines — new vehicles, used vehicles, finance and insurance, and parts, service and collision repair.

"Recent acquisitions have contributed to the increases during the quarter, however much of the growth can be attributed to same store revenue and gross profit increases of 26.2 percent and 25.8 percent respectively, during the quarter,' he continued.

Q2 was not just a good quarter for the company overall, but also showed growth in the used-vehicle department.

Same-store used vehicles retailed increased by 4.4 percent. The total Q2 revenue for same-store used vehicles retailed came in at $53,998, up 11.4 percent year-over-year.

The company also saw a considerable rise in used-vehicle retail sales. For Q2, AutoCanada retailed 2,652 used vehicles, up from 2,187 in Q1 and 2,441 sold in Q2 of 2012. Overall revenue for used vehicles in Q2 came in at $5.8 million, up from $3.8 million in Q1 and $4.2 million in Q2 of 2012.

And it seems AutoCanada dealers were using their service department to bring in more clients to, as same store repair orders completed for the quarter were up 10.4 percent.

The company has also been busy acquiring new stores, which may play a part in Q2 growth.

When asked about recently announced acquisitions and future growth opportunities, Priestner said, "We are very pleased to be able to further execute our previously announced acquisition strategy by the recent addition of Courtesy Chrysler located in Calgary, Alberta, and the recently announced acquisition of Eastern Chrysler located in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

"We are strong supporters of Chrysler Canada and look to build upon our excellent relationship with this very important partner, as well, in the case of Eastern Chrysler, of adding to our current dealership footprint of St. James Volkswagen and St. James Audi in the great City of Winnipeg, Manitoba," he continued.

Sarah Rubenoff can be reached at srubenoff@autoremarketing.com. Continue the conversation with Auto Remarketing Canada on LinkedIn and Twitter.