After the National Automobile Dealers Association unveiled the results of its study on facility upgrades at the NADA trade show and conference in February, dealers were left wondering what the next steps would be. At the time, NADA officials weren’t able to offer a concrete plan of action, but now NADA Chairman Bill Underriner has set up an Industry Relations Task Force in response to continuing complaints from dealers about these factory-mandated facility upgrades and stair-step incentive pricing programs.
“As the manufacturers put more pressure on the dealers, they are screaming that these programs are unfair,” said Underriner, in a recent interview onAutoFocus with David Hyatt, the NADA’s news channel. “It has to be fair for everybody. We want a level playing field on these issues.” The NADA says Forrest McConnell, chairman of NADA’s Industry Relations Committee, will lead the task force.
The NADA is also not wasting any time to get to the results. “I want this thing fast-tracked,” says Underriner in the video interview.”Somebody needs to take an interest in the dealer, and who better to do that than NADA,” he says adding the NADA wants fairness for large dealers, small dealers and urban and rural dealers alike.
Click here to watch the interview. (http://www.nadafrontpage.com/autofocus_taskforce.xml)
In response to dealer concerns, NADA commissioned the “Factory Image Programs” study last August to provide an objective, unbiased and neutral analysis of the various factors that drive the economics of facility programs.
The executive summary and NADA’s full report on the facilities issue are available at www.nada.org/facilitystudy.
