March 17 (Reuters) - Earnings of U.S. auto dealers have eased over the past few months from record levels hit in 2022 as margins came under pressure from high interest rates and inflation, a report showed on Friday. "We've polled owners of hundreds of dealerships over the past few weeks, and most expect profits will decline 10%-15% in 2023," said Alan Haig, president of the firm. But dealers still expect profits to remain over twice as high as 2019,powering demand for acquisitions in the drive to expand, the report said.