Tuesday, 19 May 2009 10:48
AIADA's 3rd Annual Auto Summit Brought Legislators, Manufacturers, and Dealers Together
Last week, on Wednesday and Thursday, international nameplate dealers, manufacturers, and legislators gathered in downtown Washington, D.C. as part of AIADA's 3rd Annual International Auto Summit. Thanks to remarkable participation, especially from dealers, the summit was a rousing success. Those in attendance heard from AIADA President Cody Lusk and AIAM President Mike Stanton on the legislative issues impacting dealers. We also heard from Senators Jeanne Shaheen and John Ensign, Fred Barnes from FOX news, and best-selling author and satirist Christopher Buckley.
But for many dealers, the highlight of the summit was Thursday's automaker panel. John Mendel from Honda, Jim Lentz from Toyota, Johan de Nysschen from Audi, and John Krafcik from Hyundai all graciously took questions from the audience and addressed some of the challenges facing the international auto industry today. Their thoughtful participation is a reminder that as an industry we are more united than ever. Old divisions are fading away as we work together to secure the future for our businesses. As Jim Lentz told us, "If dealers can't make money, our brands can't be successful."
But it was after the panel, as the summit drew to a close that AIADA's most important work began. Eighty-five dealers left the summit to spend the afternoon on Capitol Hill, meeting with their representative and senators in Congress. That's a huge uptick in participation from last year. During the same week, NADA dealers visited their representatives, helping to create a perfect storm of dealer advocacy. Topics covered during the meetings included dealer financing, fuel efficiency standards, cash for clunkers legislation, and trade.
It would be impossible to overstate the value of those 85 meetings. Just think: that means 85 more legislators, and their staff, who know where dealers stand today than they did just two weeks ago. That's 85 more potential votes in support of small businesses, and 85 more minds we might have changed. That's what I call an impact.
Similar advocacy efforts recently resulted in some good news for our industry. Just yesterday president Obama announced his new national plan to reduce carbon emissions and improve fuel efficiency. The program requires that by 2016 vehicles sold in America cut their tailpipe emissions by 30 percent. AIADA has advocated strongly over the past months for an achievable fuel efficiency standard administered and overseen by the federal government. We explained again and again to legislators and administration officials that a confusing patchwork of separate state standards would have handicapped dealers, baffled consumers, and added to the economic crisis faced by the entire industry. Yesterday's announcement offered the auto industry and the environmental movement an opportunity to work together in meeting their goals, and is a reminder that advocacy yields results.
So once again, thank you for your participation in our Summit. And if you didn't make it out to Washington, take action now. Click here to start the process of inviting your representative to visit you and you employees at your dealership. It could be a small step toward big change.
Russ Darrow, AIADA Chairman
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