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By Gabrielle Coppola

February 20, 2019 at 10:37 PM UTC

This article is for subscribers only.

One of the largest U.S. auto dealers just had a rough quarter selling BMWs, and a top executive said Tesla Inc. played a major role.

Sonic Automotive Inc., the fifth-largest U.S. dealership group, reported fourth-quarter profit Wednesday that missed analysts’ estimates. Jeff Dyke, Sonic’s president, said “challenging” times for BMW AG and Honda Motor Co. were partly to blame. Many of Sonic’s stores selling those companies’ brands are in California, the home of Tesla’s headquarters and by far the largest market for the Model 3 sedan.