The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) held a one-day public workshop on January 19, 2016, to discuss and accept comments on various issues related to auto retailing. The workshop, consisting of presentations and discussion that focused on the following topics: (1) the regulation of dealer location; (2) laws relating to reimbursement for warranty services; (3) restrictions on manufacturers’ ability to engage in direct sales to consumers; and (4) new developments affecting motor vehicle distribution, such as autonomous vehicles, connected cars, and the rise of subscription-based automobile sharing services.
NJ CAR’s President Jim Appleton and representatives from NADA were among those testifying during the workshop. If you were not able to listen to the live webcast, the FTC has posted video and slide presentations from the event at: https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/events-calendar/2016/01/auto-distribution-current-issues-future-trends. The PDF slide presentations are under the Event Speakers tab, and the video clips of all four panel discussions can be found under the Video tab.