The Federal Trade Commission recently issued a final rule that is squarely aimed at changing the way dealers interact with customers in the financing process. The final rule takes effect on July 30, 2024....more
On December 12, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) published the long-awaited regulation specific to motor vehicle dealers to address concerns of consumer deception in the sales process (Final Rule). In a 3-0 vote, the FTC...more
Today, Shanghai is slated to come out of a strict two-month COVID lockdown. China’s largest city, Shanghai is home to about 25 million people. The end of lockdown will permit residents to more freely move about the city,...more
In July 2020, the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) issued its “Staff Report on Buying and Financing Cars.” The Staff Report consisted of two separate reports – a report from the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection (“BCP”)...more
On July 30, 2020, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued a Bureau of Consumer Protection Staff report titled Buckle Up: Navigating Auto Sales and Financing. The report includes findings from the FTC’s April 2017 study and...more
New mandatory UK CO2 emissions targets are set to come into effect from 1 January 2021. Whilst these rules replicate the previous EU emissions targets and penalties, their effect when assessed on a UK only basis may result in...more
The Chinese automotive industry is suffering its first sustained downturn in at least two decades. As previewed in our July update, sales in China started to turn over the summer. After a 4.8% increase in June, sales fell by...more
Taking a break from our regular legal and business analysis, this post focuses on a different type of industry topic. As a long-time fan of The Fast and the Furious franchise and a lover of all things automotive, I anxiously...more
“A [not so] long time ago in an automotive industry [not] far, far away,” John Murphy, Research Analyst for Merrill Lynch delivered his popular annual “Car Wars” presentation in Detroit on May 10th. This was the 26th year of...more
A mind boggling number of cars are on the recall list for safety problems – including about 34 million American vehicles for defective Takata airbags alone. Additionally, last year was a record for the National Highway...more
Event data recorders, also known as “black boxes” or “sensing diagnostic modules,” capture information such as the speed of a vehicle and the use of a safety belt. In the event of a collision this information can be used to...more
The automotive industry ended 2015 with a bang, breaking the record with nearly 17.5 million sales of cars and light trucks. This tops the previous record of 17.35 million cars in 2000. In all, American consumers spent $570...more
The Center for Automotive Research held its 50th anniversary Management Briefing Seminars event last week in Traverse City, Michigan. The theme of the conference was “Competition Rules!” and featured an in-depth look at the...more
We think that we know where our car is made. Turns out, we might not be so right. The more globalized the automotive industry becomes with each passing day, the harder it is to identify an “American-Made” car. Cars.com...more
Car dealerships must be a Mecca for pranks. The combination of substantial periods of downtime with a lively sales staff leads to workplace fun. But what happens when things turn ugly, and someone gets hurt? Does the employer...more
The equipment finance industry breathed a sigh of relief when Federal legislation was enacted in 2005 preempting state laws imposing vicarious liability on lessors of motor vehicles. That relief may have been premature if the...more
Those tracking sales for Automakers got good news from July. This continues a positive trend that we noted recently. Strong sales now project to hit levels not seen since 2007....more