Dear Colleague,
Over the past months, we have been working hard alongside our legal team to assess the possible scenarios for the future relationship between dealers and manufacturers. We will continue to highlight that any OEM proposing agency agreements must take account of the substantial investments both in people and premises that retailers have made. We have responded to the CMA Vertical Block Exemption Regulation consultation and we liaise regularly with our European counterparts via the Alliance of European Car Dealers and Repairers (AECDR). Recently, I have also met with our Australian counterparts (AADA) and we have had a roundtable with NADA, as well as the Chinese, Canadian and German dealer associations. We will keep you updated, but if you have any questions, please contact me.
Our engagement with the Government continues. In the past months, we have had numerous meetings and exchanges with key Ministers and Departments such as DfT and OZEV, HM Treasury, BEIS, as well as our regular communication with DVLA and DVSA. Over the coming days, we will continue to monitor government announcements and keep you up to date. In December, we responded to a number of FCA consultations including one on the new duty of care and another one on Appointed Representatives.
Earlier this year we had a successful launch of our NFDA Northern Ireland Division (NFDA NI). Since May, we have positively engaged with the Northern Ireland Government on issues such as the VAT margin, the EV charging infrastructure and MOT, and we have secured a number of wins for dealers. In this week’s newsletter, we included a roundup of updates from our NFDA Divisions and initiatives such as NFDA NI, NFDA Commercial Vehicles, Electric Vehicle Approved (EVA) and Drive My Career. Please find further information in the news and contact us for further details.
Applications for our EVA accreditation scheme are now open, and we continue to encourage retailers to apply and fill the remaining Government-funded slots. If you are EV Approved, remember you can use our EVA promotional pack to let your customers know about your expertise in EVs. For more information about EVA, please email eva@rmif.co.uk or visit www.evapproved.co.uk.
Drive My Career will return in the new year to support your recruitment activities. DMC and NFDA members can benefit in a number of ways, and we are asking you what area you would like DMC to focus on going forward. With an engaged audience of young people looking for career opportunities, we can promote vacancies on your behalf, redirect candidates to your career pages, and give you insights from our audience. If you would like more information, please email info@drivemycareer.co.uk.
Thanks for engaging with us throughout the year via our dealer meetings, workshops as well as events like Driving Digital and AM Live. Our regional dealer meetings will return in 2022, providing us with the opportunity to update you on all the work we are doing on behalf of dealers, and obtain your invaluable feedback which proves always crucial in setting the direction of our lobbying as well as operational activities.
The NFDA Spring Ball will be back on 2 April 2022 at The Grove, Chandler’s Cross, Hertfordshire. With Mark-Durden Smith returning as compere for the evening, awards for dealers, industry personalities and manufacturers, it promises to be a great evening! Please email lena.patel@rmif.co.uk to secure your ticket and find more information in the newsletter.
We are also organising a dealer trip to the NADA Show 2022 taking place in Las Vegas, we will be departing on Thursday 10 and returning Monday 14 March 2022, please email Lena for further information and to join us.
Our member helpline will be available over the festive period, if you need any assistance, please contact us on 01788 538303.
Thanks for your continued support, best wishes for the festive season from the NFDA team.
Sue Robinson, NFDA Chief Executive
NFDA is the voice of automotive retailers.
