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UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

(Mark One)

x

QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

Commission file number: 000-21789

LITHIA MOTORS, INC.

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: 541-776-6899

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes x No o

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an accelerated filer (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes x No o

Indicate the number of shares outstanding of each of the issuer’s classes of common stock, as of the latest practicable date.

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LITHIA MOTORS, INC.
FORM 10-Q
INDEX

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PART I — FINANCIAL INFORMATION

Item 1. Financial Statements

LITHIA MOTORS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
(In thousands)

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

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LITHIA MOTORS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
(In thousands, except per share amounts)
(Unaudited)

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

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LITHIA MOTORS, INC.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
(In thousands)
(Unaudited)

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

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LITHIA MOTORS, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(Unaudited)

Note 1. Basis of Presentation
The financial information included herein as of March 31, 2003 and for the three-month periods ended March 31, 2003 and 2002 is unaudited; however, such information reflects all adjustments, consisting only of normal recurring adjustments, which are, in the opinion of management, necessary for a fair presentation of the financial position, results of operations and cash flows for the interim periods. The financial information as of December 31, 2002 is derived from our 2002 Annual Report on Form 10-K. The interim consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and the notes thereto included in our 2002 Annual Report on Form 10-K. The results of operations for the interim periods presented are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for the full year.

Note 2. Inventories
Inventories are valued at the lower of market value or cost, using the specific identification method for vehicles and the first-in first-out (FIFO) method of accounting for parts (collectively, the FIFO method). Detail of inventory is as follows (in thousands):

Note 3. Stock-Based Compensation
We account for stock options using the intrinsic value method as prescribed by Accounting Principles Board (APB) Opinion No. 25, “Accounting for Stock Issued to Employees.” Pursuant to Statement of Financial Accounting Standards (SFAS) No. 148 “Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation — Transition and Disclosure,” which we adopted in December 2002, we have computed, for pro forma disclosure purposes, the impact on net income and net income per share as if we had accounted for our stock-based compensation plans in accordance with the fair value method prescribed by SFAS No. 123 “Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation” as follows:

To determine the fair value of stock-based awards granted, we used the Black-Scholes option pricing model and the following weighted average assumptions:

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Note 4. Supplemental Cash Flow Information
Supplemental disclosure of cash flow information is as follows (in thousands):

Note 5. Earnings Per Share
Following is a reconciliation of basic earnings per share (“EPS”) and diluted EPS (in thousands, except per share amounts):

Potentially dilutive securities that are not included in the diluted EPS calculations because they would be antidilutive are as follows:

Note 6. Comprehensive Income
Comprehensive income includes the fair value of cash flow hedging instruments that are reflected in shareholders’ equity instead of net income and unrealized gains and losses on investments. The following table sets forth the calculation of comprehensive income for the periods indicated (in thousands):

Note 7. Acquisitions
The following acquisitions were made in the first quarter of 2003. For information on the acquisition made in April 2003, see Note 11. Subsequent Events.

	•		In February 2003, we acquired Richardson Chevrolet in Salinas, California, which has anticipated 2003 annual revenues of approximately $35.0 million. This store has been renamed Chevrolet of Salinas.
	•		In March 2003, we acquired Pacific Hyundai of Anchorage, Alaska, which has anticipated 2003 revenues of approximately $10.0 million. The store has been renamed Lithia Hyundai of Anchorage.

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•

In March 2003, we acquired Randy Hansen Chevrolet of Twin Falls, Idaho, which has anticipated 2003 annual revenues of approximately $30.0 million. The store has been renamed Chevrolet, Cadillac, Suzuki of Twin Falls.

The above acquisitions were accounted for under the purchase method of accounting. Pro forma results of operations assuming the above acquisitions occurred at the beginning of the respective periods are as follows (in thousands, except per share amounts):

There are no future contingent payouts related to any of the above acquisitions. The purchase price for the above acquisitions was allocated as follows (in thousands):

We anticipate that approximately 100% of the goodwill acquired in the above acquisitions will be deductible for tax purposes over the period of 15 years.

Note 8. DaimlerChrysler Agreement
In February 2003 we entered into a working capital and used vehicle flooring credit facility with DaimlerChrysler Services North America LLC totaling up to $200 million, which expires in February 2006, with interest due monthly.

The credit line with DaimlerChrysler Services is cross-collateralized and secured by cash and cash equivalents, new and used vehicle and parts inventories, accounts receivable, intangible assets and equipment. We pledged to DaimlerChrysler Services the stock of all of our subsidiaries except entities operating BMW, Honda, Nissan or Toyota stores.

The financial covenants in the agreement with DaimlerChrysler Services require us to maintain compliance with, among other things, (i) a specified current ratio; (ii) a specified fixed charge coverage ratio; (iii) a specified interest coverage ratio; (iv) a specified adjusted leverage ratio; and (v) certain working capital levels.

Our previous facility with Ford Motor Credit Company was terminated and paid off on February 25, 2003.

Note 9. Recent Accounting Pronouncements
In July 2002, the FASB approved SFAS No. 146, “Accounting for Costs Associated with Exit or Disposal Activities.” SFAS No. 146 addresses the financial accounting and reporting for obligations associated with an exit activity, including restructuring, or with a disposal of long-lived assets. Exit activities include, but are not limited to, eliminating or reducing product lines, terminating employees and contracts and relocating plant facilities or personnel. SFAS No. 146 specifies that a company will

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record a liability for a cost associated with an exit or disposal activity only when that liability is incurred and can be measured at fair value. Therefore, commitment to an exit plan or a plan of disposal expresses only management’s intended future actions and, therefore, does not meet the requirement for recognizing a liability and the related expense. SFAS No. 146 is effective prospectively for exit or disposal activities initiated after December 31, 2002, with earlier adoption encouraged. The adoption of SFAS No. 146 on January 1, 2003 did not have any effect on our financial position or results of operations.

In March 2003, the Emerging Issues Task Force (EITF) issued EITF 02-16 “Accounting by a Customer (Including a Reseller) for Certain Consideration Received from a Vendor.” EITF 02-16 primarily applies to floorplan interest credits and advertising credits received by us from auto manufacturers and specifies the timing of and appropriate classification of such items in our statement of operations. We recognize floorplan interest credits as a reduction to cost of goods sold as related vehicles are sold and recognize advertising credits as a credit to advertising expense. The adoption of EITF 02-16 on January 1, 2003 did not have any effect on our results of operations or financial position.

Note 10. Reclassification
In the fourth quarter of 2002, we reclassified documentation fees from finance and insurance income to new and used vehicle revenue, as appropriate, in order to bring our reporting in line with industry practice. The resulting effect was a reduction of approximately $100 per vehicle of finance and insurance income and an increase in new and retail used vehicle gross margins of between 20 and 50 basis points. Accordingly, the finance and insurance sales per retail unit, revenue by product line and gross margin percentage disclosures have been recalculated for the first three quarters of 2002. Net income was not affected by this reclassification.

In addition, reclassifications related to the reclassification of contracts in transit to a separate line item on the balance sheet from cash and cash equivalents have been made to the 2002 financial statements to be consistent with the 2003 presentation.

Note 11. Subsequent Events

U.S. Bank Agreement Amendment
In April 2003, our U.S. Bank N.A. agreement was amended to provide for a $35.0 million revolving line of credit for leased vehicles and equipment purchases, which expires January 31, 2005. Previously, the amount available under this line of credit was $27.5 million and it expired January 31, 2004.

Acquisitions
The following acquisition was made subsequent to March 31, 2003:

•

In April 2003, we acquired Grizzly Chrysler Dodge of Missoula, Montana, which has anticipated 2003 revenues of approximately $25.0 million. The store has been renamed Lithia Auto Center of Missoula.

Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

Forward Looking Statements and Risk Factors
Some of the statements in this Form 10-Q constitute forward-looking statements. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terms such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “expect,” “plan,” “intend,” “forecast,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “predict,” “potential,” and “continue” or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. The forward-looking statements contained in this Form 10-Q involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and situations that may cause our actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these statements.

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Some of the important factors that could cause actual results to differ from our expectations are discussed in Exhibit 99.3 to our 2002 Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Although we believe that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, we cannot guarantee future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements.

General
We are a leading operator of automotive franchises and retailer of new and used vehicles and services. As of May 5, 2003, we offered 24 brands of new vehicles through 136 franchises in 73 stores in the western United States and over the Internet. As of May 5, 2003, we operate 16 stores in Oregon, 12 in California, 10 in Washington, 7 in Texas, 7 in Idaho, 7 in Colorado, 5 in Nevada, 3 in South Dakota, 3 in Alaska, 2 in Nebraska and 1 in Montana. We sell new and used cars and light trucks; sell replacement parts; provide vehicle maintenance, warranty, paint and repair services; and arrange related financing and insurance for our automotive customers. Over 75% of our stores are located in cities where our store does not compete directly with any other franchised dealers selling the same brand.

During an economic downturn, customers tend to shift towards the purchase of more reasonably priced new vehicle models or used vehicles. Many customers decide to delay purchasing a new vehicle and instead repair existing vehicles. In addition, manufacturers typically offer increased dealer and customer incentives during an economic downturn in order to support new vehicle sales volume. These factors generally lead to less volatility in earnings for automobile retailers than for automobile manufacturers.

Historically, new vehicle sales have accounted for approximately 50% of our total revenues but less than 30% of total gross profit. The most recent three-month period was characterized by a very strong incentive environment, which led to higher than normal new vehicle sales for the period. We emphasize sales of higher margin products, which generate over 70% of our gross profits. Our revenues and gross profit by product line were as follows:

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The following table sets forth selected condensed financial data, expressed as a percentage of total revenues for the periods indicated.

(1)

The percentages may not add due to rounding.

Results of Operations