Resilient consumers and low interest rates helped propel three of the country's top automotive retailers to stronger-than-expected

first-quarter results, according to a Wall Street Journal story by Karen Lundegaard.

AutoNation Inc., Sonic Automotive Inc. and Group 1 Automotive Inc. expressed confidence that new-vehicle sales will strengthen, although not fully recover to last year's level, and raised their 2002 earnings outlooks.

AutoNation posted record earnings of $91.7 million, or 28 cents a share, for the quarter ended March 31, up 53 percent from $59.9 million, or 17 cents a share, a year ago. AutoNation raised its outlook for the year to $1.12 to $1.15 a share and second quarter outlook to 28 cents to 30 cents a share.

Group 1 posted net income of $15.5 million, or 64 cents a share, up 67 percent from last year's results of $9.3 million, or 47 cents a

share. Group 1 raised its year outlook to between $2.70 and $2.85 a share from between $2.60 and $2.70. Group 1 also announced it spent $85 million in cash to acquire 10 franchises with $530 million in annual revenue. The bulk of that -- $400 million -- came from the Miller Auto Group with six import franchises in the Los Angeles area.

Sonic had a 64 percent gain in net income to $22.1 million or 52 cents a share, compared with $13.5 million, or 33 cents a share a year ago. Sonic, too, raised its outlook for the year to between $2.52 and $2.57 a share from $2.45 and $2.50. For the second quarter it predicts earnings per share of between 67 cents and 69 cents, meeting or exceeding consensus estimates of 67 cents a share.