NADA was in fighting mode at this year’s NADA Show (formerly the NADA Convention), and celebrating a year of dealer victories in the public policy arena. And what better place to celebrate than Las Vegas?
Much of the NADA’s advocacy for dealers was focused on Washington, with the continuing effort to resist overregulation. In that realm, NADA’s actions were helped by a new presidential administration with the same goal of easing the burden of regulation on business.
Outgoing NADA Chairman Mark Scarpelli highlighted NADA’s successes over the past year in big areas like tax reform. For 2018, incoming Chairman Wes Lutz said “NADA will continue to fight for dealers in the nation’s capital in the face of regulatory and legislative burdens.”
On the convention floor, there was talk of challenges that dealers have wrestled with for years, such as OEM stair-step programs, and newer ones, such as autonomous vehicles and car-sharing services. The accident where an autonomous Uber killed a pedestrian had occurred a few days before the NADA Show. Waymo CEO John Krafcik, one of the show’s keynote speakers, referenced the crash in his remarks.
The NADA Show, as always, had a very busy Exposition floor with 560 vendors, more than 100 executive workshop sessions and dozens of dealer franchise meetings. Close to 24,000 dealers and dealership managers attended the Show, including many international dealers, along with automaker executives and exhibitor staff.
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