The administrative challenge brought by the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) and another trade association against the Combating Auto Retail Scams (“CARS”) Trade Regulation Rule, issued last year by the Federal...more
8/22/2024
/ Automotive Industry ,
Automotive Loans ,
Car Dealerships ,
CARS Rule ,
Commercial Litigation ,
Dodd-Frank ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Financial Services Industry ,
FTC Act ,
Motor Vehicles ,
Rulemaking Process ,
State Attorneys General ,
Unfair or Deceptive Trade Practices
On Thursday, August 15, 2024, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Arizona Attorney General announced a $2.6 million settlement to resolve claims that Coulter Motor Company used deceptive online advertising to lure...more
8/20/2024
/ Automotive Industry ,
Automotive Loans ,
Car Dealerships ,
CARS Rule ,
Commercial Litigation ,
Consumer Fraud ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
FTC Act ,
State Attorneys General ,
Unfair or Deceptive Trade Practices
A federal court in Wisconsin recently granted a motion to dismiss all claims in a putative multi-district class action against motorcycle manufacturer Harley-Davidson, asserting claims that the OEM’s warranty violated the...more
Trade associations representing independent repair facilities have become strong advocates for expanding right to repair laws to increase member access to vehicle telematics data. These efforts have created uncertainty for...more
On Friday, December 22, 2023, FCA US LLC, the manufacturer of Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge, Ram vehicles, among others, scored the latest in a series of victories for automakers over claims by consumers that “destination charges”...more
1/8/2024
/ Actual Delivery ,
Automotive Industry ,
Car Dealerships ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Manufacturers ,
Motor Vehicles ,
OEM ,
Putative Class Actions ,
Regulatory Violations ,
Retail Market ,
Service Charges ,
Supply Chain
After more than a year of review, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) on December 12, 2023 launched its much-anticipated final rule targeting misleading advertising and sales tactics by new car dealers. First proposed in the...more
12/14/2023
/ Advertising ,
Auto Lease ,
Automotive Industry ,
Car Dealerships ,
Consumer Contracts ,
Electric Vehicles ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Fees ,
Final Rules ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Hidden Fees ,
Material Misrepresentation ,
Motor Vehicles ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Retail Sales
The Alliance for Automotive Innovation, a trade association representing U.S. automakers and other manufacturers, announced on July 11, 2023 that it had entered into an agreement with trade associations representing...more
The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) recently joined a majority of other courts in holding that the Graves Amendment, 49 U.S.C. § 30106 – which generally protects rental car companies from being held vicariously...more
In a June 13, 2023 filing in the Alliance for Automotive Innovation v. Campbell case pending in Massachusetts federal court, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) gave notice that it had sent a letter to...more
On June 1, 2023, the Massachusetts Attorney General published the Massachusetts Vehicle Telematics System Notice that new car dealers in Massachusetts must now provide to purchasers of model year 2022 or later vehicles if...more
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) continues to focus on the automotive and related industries, with the FTC announcing on March 24, 2023 that it had entered into an agreement settling claims against operators of a...more
Newly-elected Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell gave notice this week that effective June 1, 2023 her office intends to begin enforcing amendments to the state’s Right to Repair Law. The amendments,...more
The Ninth Circuit recently affirmed the dismissal of a putative consumer class action challenging a manufacturer’s “destination charge” as an undisclosed and deceptive “vessel for profit” in violation of California and New...more
In a January 11, 2023 op-ed published in the Wall Street Journal, President Joe Biden urged “Democrats and Republicans to come together to pass strong bipartisan legislation to hold Big Tech accountable.” He warned that the...more
1/24/2023
/ Antitrust Provisions ,
Automotive Industry ,
Biden Administration ,
Big Tech ,
Consumer Privacy Rights ,
Data Collection ,
Data Management ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Motor Vehicles ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Reform
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) received dozens of submissions from dealer trade associations, other industry participants, and members of Congress opposing the FTC’s proposed rules for dealers in connection with the...more
Two procedural orders issued on September 14, 2022 by the Massachusetts federal court in Alliance for Automotive Innovation v. Healy suggest that a public decision in that case is unlikely to be forthcoming until October 2022...more
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) on August 23, 2022 announced that it has decided by a vote of 5-0 to decline requests to extend the public comment period for proposed rules for dealers in connection with the advertising...more
On June 23, 2022, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced that it has initiated the process to adopt regulations for dealers in connection with the advertising and sale of new cars. The proposed rules target “[d]ealer...more
With over-the-air (OTA) updates for motor vehicles becoming increasingly prevalent in the United States, consumers will be able to receive and install updates to vehicle firmware and software. Some updates might simply...more
The battle continues in state legislatures between electric vehicle (EV) manufacturers who want to sell direct to consumers and interest groups representing dealers and technicians who sell and service traditional internal...more
On April 15, 2022, the Massachusetts federal court in Alliance for Automotive Innovation v. Healy issued a procedural order informing the parties that the court would need another two and a half months to issue a decision on...more
April Fool’s Day this year was no joke for a prominent dealer ownership group with locations in the Midwest and Southeast United States. On Friday, April 1, 2022, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Illinois Attorney...more
On March 8, 2022, the Massachusetts federal court in Alliance for Automotive Innovation v. Healy issued a procedural order informing the parties that the court would need another month to issue a decision on a challenge...more
The Massachusetts federal district court judge overseeing a challenge to recent changes to the Massachusetts Right to Repair Law in Alliance for Automotive Innovation v. Healey announced today that he will issue a decision in...more
On Friday, January 14, the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office and the Alliance for Automotive Innovation filed dueling briefs in Alliance for Automotive Innovation v. Healey, a case pending in Massachusetts federal...more