Author: Automotive News n Feed

Forecasts of what the future will bring for dealers abound. What makes car dealers special is their ability to adapt to the changes taking place around them and, if need be, reinvent themselves in order to survive.

When President George W. Bush signed the Motor Vehicle Franchise Contract Arbitration Fairness Act into law in 2002 after years of legal wrangling, NADA called it ‘the biggest legislative victory for NADA in at least 50 years.’

From 2001-12, Phillip D. Brady served as president of NADA. Each year was eventful. In this column, he recalls some of the highlights.

When Harold Wells became NADA chairman in 2000, he’d already been in the thick of the fight against company stores. And new issues loomed for the General Motors and Chrysler dealer from Whiteville, N.C.: dealer consolidation and Internet sales.

There is little doubt that the yearly NADA conclave serves as a family reunion for the retail side of the auto business. At NADA, you see people you don’t see anywhere else.

NADA has undergone major change in the four years since Peter Welch took the helm. It has slimmed down by shedding non-core operations and focusing on what its members deemed core to its mission.

Many Congressmen can say they have business experience. But only a handful can say they have dealership experience. Here’s a listing of some of the dealers-turned-politicians, past and present.

As one of more than 100 members of the Automotive Trade Association Executives in the United States, I have had a front-row seat to watch how NADA works and all it has done on behalf of the nation’s 16,000-plus franchised new-car and -truck…

NADAPAC, which contributes money to U.S. congressional races, spent about $4.6 million on races this election cycle as of Oct. 19, putting it roughly in line with its spending in the last several cycles.

A look at some of the parties at NADA conventions past. All photos by Joe Wilssens