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Lithia scores big in Pittsburgh market Monday May 1, 2017 at 12:11 PM May 1, 2017 at 12:11 PM Greg Stiles Mail Tribune @GregMTBusiness Lithia Motors Chief Executive Officer Bryan DeBoer strongly hinted his firm was poised for explosive growth during last month's quarterly earnings report. The nation's No. 4 new vehicle retailer demonstrated the point Monday as it added a Pennsylvania dealership group with half a billion dollars in anticipated revenue. Lithia's first foray into Pennsylvania will give the auto retailer eight outlets in a Pittsburgh suburb. The company acquired Baierl Auto Group, composed of Toyota, Honda, Subaru, Ford, Chevrolet, Acura, Kia and Cadillac locations in the affluent retail area of Cranberry Township. Lithia said it expects the dealerships to generate $500 million in revenue, akin to 15 cents in per-share earnings. Auto News ranks Lithia as the nation's No. 4 new vehicle seller. It now operates 160 dealerships in 18 states. The Medford-based retailer made its first move into the eastern U.S. market when it acquired DCH Auto Group in 2014, then expanded its New England holdings by purchasing Vermont's Carbone Auto Group last September. "The combination of Baierl and Lithia continues our strategy of acquiring dominant franchises," DeBoer said. "Entering the Pittsburgh market increases our involvement in cutting-edge technology around autonomous transportation and allows us to proactively adapt and learn from the consumer behaviors and trends associated with it." Baierl has operated in western Pennsylvania since 1954. "We continue to increase the size and agility of our organization, strengthening our capital engine for growth," DeBoer said. "Our strategy of acquiring businesses that have yet to realize their potential provides greenfield rates of return, while the stores we purchased over the past several years supply internal dry powder to deliver earnings growth independent from the new vehicle (unit sales rates) as they mature."  — Reach reporter Greg Stiles at 541-776-4463 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/GregMTBusiness, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/greg.stiles.31.