The American International Automobile Dealers Association (sometimes abbreviated as AIADA) is a
United States lobbying force dedicated to the economic and political interests of America's international nameplate
automobile dealer
A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primarily on roads, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport people instead of goods.
The year 1886 is regarded as t ...
s. Headquartered in
Alexandria, Virginia
Alexandria is an independent city (United States), independent city in the northern region of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. It lies on the western bank of the Potomac River approximately south of Downto ...
, its primary focus is on promoting
free trade
Free trade is a trade policy that does not restrict imports or exports. It can also be understood as the free market idea applied to international trade. In government, free trade is predominantly advocated by political parties that hold econo ...
.
History
AIADA was established in 1970 as the
Volkswagen
Volkswagen (),English: , . abbreviated as VW (), is a German Automotive industry, motor vehicle manufacturer headquartered in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. Founded in 1937 by the German Labour Front under the Nazi Party and revived into a ...
Dealers Association in response to a growing
protectionist
Protectionism, sometimes referred to as trade protectionism, is the economic policy of restricting imports from other countries through methods such as tariffs on imported goods, import quotas, and a variety of other government regulations. ...
movement in the United States. On January 30, 1970, VADA opened membership to any franchised dealer of imported automobiles and changed its name to the American Imported Automobile Dealers Association (AIADA). "Imported" was later changed to "international." Ken Sowles became the association's second president. Its current president is Cody Lusk.
Activities
AIADA has fought back against protectionist policies and legislation, including a proposed Border Adjustment Tax in 2017. In 2020, AIADA celebrated its 50th anniversary with a renewed focus on the value of free trade to the livelihoods of its dealer members, who account for more than half of the U.S. auto market and employ over 500,000 Americans.
References
External links
Official Website
Auto dealerships of the United States
Trade associations based in the United States
Companies based in Alexandria, Virginia
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