Last week, the NFDA attended National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) Show in Las Vegas, an ideal opportunity to meet with members, colleagues and NFDA counterparts.
NFDA Chief Executive Sue Robinson spoke at the NADA international roundtable and provided an update on the issues affecting UK dealers. Sue focused on the agency model, with the work NFDA has been undertaking to support its members, as well as the forthcoming changes to Block Exemption Regulations. At the roundtable, NFDA Chair David Newman analysed the current state of the UK car market, with a focus on EVs.
In his traditional speech, 2022 NADA newly appointed Chair Mike Alford encouraged franchised dealers to seize opportunities brought about by electric vehicles and highlighted the key role dealers play on the road to electrification.
“We are on a path to an electric future. And we cannot get to the end of this road without franchised dealers leading the way,” Alford said. “In fact, dealers are essential to the widespread adoption of EVs. This is going to be a big leap for a lot of customers”.
“But dealerships are the launching pad for enabling millions of car buyers to choose electric. If the government and OEMs are serious about scaling EVs and getting them into the mass market, then dealerships are the way forward” he added.
At one of the workshops, Glenn Mercer, Automotive Analyst, gave an overview of the key themes facing US dealers in 2022. These included the EV market in the US, autonomous vehicles, mobility services as well as connected cars. Mercer discussed the implications on dealers and compared the most recent analysis with previous findings. Please download the full presentation here.
At the show, NADA also announced the launch of a new EV training programme for franchised dealers that will provide “easily digestible” talking points to retailers selling EVs. The programme has been developed in collaboration with the Center for Sustainable Energy and Plug In America. NADA said the online program will be designed to complement manufacturers’ training and will represent a brand-agnostic review of essential content that dealership sales staff need to be able to communicate to customers. After completing the course, dealership sales staff will receive a certificate documenting their full understanding of and proficiency in various key areas.
Following meetings with the Canadian Automobile Dealers Association (CADA), the French dealers association (CNPA), and NADA, the NFDA looks forward to engaging further with counterparts from around the world and continuing to best represent dealers' interests.
For further details, please contact us at nfda@rmif.co.uk.
