Wednesday, 02 September 2009 11:36
As a kid, summer used to fly by. One moment school would be letting out in June, and the next thing I knew it was September, and time to return to class. Where did all those hot, lazy days go?
But as I grew older, summer lost some of its magic and became just another season.
It wasn't until this summer of 2009 that I again experienced that old sense of summer disappearing before my eyes. The automotive retail business has never been so competitive or chaotic. One moment it was June, and AIADA and other advocacy groups were pushing for a government-run "cash for Clunkers" program to stimulate weak sales. Next thing I knew, a $1 billion program was passed. Then in July, rules were implemented, and Cash for Clunkers was a reality. Until it ran out of money in two frantic weeks.
Congress quickly voted to fund the program with another $2 billion, and then, suddenly, it was August and Clunkers was truly at an end. In all, 690,114 vehicle sales were completed under the $3 billion program.
And before we dealers could even take a full breath, the calendar changed, and it is September. The end of summer. The beginning of a new model year. Where did the time go?
And what does autumn hold for dealers? As I write, Congress is returning to Washington, D.C. to tackle issues ranging from Card Check to health care to proposed legislation impacting terminated Chrysler and GM dealers. The remainder of 2009 will be a critical period for international nameplate dealers, and AIADA will be on the frontlines, making sure free trade gets a fair shake in Congress and dealers are paid the money they are owed from their Cash for Clunkers transactions.
AIADA has already made significant headway in our advocacy efforts through our Dealer Visit Program. This August, during Congress' District Work Period, we held more dealer visits than any other month in the program's history. In all, 23 dealers hosted Members of Congress, greatly increasing AIADA's ability to communicate with those representatives.
I would like to take this moment to extend my sincere thanks to the following dealers for their participation:
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Aaron and Tyler Wallace of Ralph Schomp's BMW Alan Wildstein of Alan Jay Toyota Cindy Wagener Robin of Morrie's Mazda Dave Wilson of Preston Automotive Dennis Hardin of Hardin Honda Jim and Mike McDonald of McDonald Automotive Group Jim Norton of Jim Norton Toyota Jim Robertson of Jim Robertson Toyota Kenny Myers of Dobbs Honda on Mendenhall Martin Taylor of Taylor Buick Nissan |
Dustin Fleishman of Team Nissan of Marietta Greg Hapke of Acura of Memphis Jack Tierney of Budget Car Sales Jason Courter of Honda Auto Center of Bellevue Jenell Ross of Ross Motor Cars Myron Bernard of Bachman-Bernard Automall Otto Belovich of Capital Cadillac Subaru Patrick Moore of Rusty Wallace Toyota Stefan Smith of Lexus of Memphis Valery Voyles of Ed Voyles Honda Walt Gutierrez of Toyota of Newnan |
If you have any interest in conducting your own visit with your Member of Congress, click here. Just one hour of your time can make an enormous difference in our impact on Capitol Hill.
When you do your part, AIADA can do its part. In times of turmoil, when it seems like the world is spinning faster than you can keep up, AIADA will continue to be there, on top of every issue, representing the dealers' best interest.
Until then, I am looking forward to a relaxing summer in 2010.
Russ Darrow
AIADA Chairman
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