http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-06-04/costco-moves-the-metal
Costco makes no money on the auto sales. It offers discounted vehicles to attract members and keep existing ones paying the club’s $55 annual fee. “Their primary, overwhelming interest is members’ willingness to join and renew,” says John Rand, senior vice president for retail insights at Kantar Retail. “The filter by which they do anything is, ‘What do my members think?’ ”
Eight years ago, it was sometimes difficult for Costco to get carmakers’ attention for national promotions, says Gina Paolino, president of the Costco Auto Program. Today, automakers are coming to them, and there’s a waiting list of dealers keen to participate at almost every Costco warehouse. “Now we have a story,” Paolino says. “We’re getting more interest because of the success.”
The bottom line: More than 398,000 vehicles were sold through Costco’s warehouse stores last year vs. more than 199,000 in 2008.