The National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) is an American trade organization representing nearly 16,500 franchised new car and truck
dealerships
A car dealership, or car dealer, is a business that sells new or used cars, at the retail level, based on a dealership contract with an automaker or its sales subsidiary. Car dealerships also often sell spare parts and automotive mainten ...
, both domestic and foreign. Established in 1917, the organization is based in
Tysons Corner, Virginia
Tysons, also known as Tysons Corner, is a census-designated place (CDP) in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States, developed from the corner of Chain Bridge Road ( SR 123) and the Leesburg Pike ( SR 7). Located in Northern Virginia between the c ...
. As the automotive retail industry's primary trade association, NADA monitors federal legislation and regulation affecting dealerships and publishes forecasts and reports about
industry
Industry may refer to:
Economics
* Industry (economics), a generally categorized branch of economic activity
* Industry (manufacturing), a specific branch of economic activity, typically in factories with machinery
* The wider industrial sector ...
trends. American Truck Dealers, established in 1970, is a division of NADA representing nearly 1,800 heavy- and medium-duty truck dealerships throughout the United States.
Overview
NADA represents nearly 16,500 new car and truck
dealerships
A car dealership, or car dealer, is a business that sells new or used cars, at the retail level, based on a dealership contract with an automaker or its sales subsidiary. Car dealerships also often sell spare parts and automotive mainten ...
,
with both domestic and international franchises in the United States. The organization serves dealers by regularly representing dealerships before
Congress
A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of a ...
and other federal government agencies. NADA monitors federal legislation affecting dealership operations and vehicle sales, including taxes, trade agreements,
automobile
A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with Wheel, wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primarily on roads, Car seat, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport private transport#Personal transport, pe ...
and
highway safety, and
environmental regulations
Environmental law is a collective term encompassing aspects of the law that provide protection to the environment. A related but distinct set of regulatory regimes, now strongly influenced by environmental legal principles, focus on the manage ...
such as
fuel efficiency and
emissions
Emission may refer to:
Chemical products
* Emission of air pollutants, notably:
**Flue gas, gas exiting to the atmosphere via a flue
** Exhaust gas, flue gas generated by fuel combustion
** Emission of greenhouse gases, which absorb and emit rad ...
,
and publishes forecasts and reports about
industry
Industry may refer to:
Economics
* Industry (economics), a generally categorized branch of economic activity
* Industry (manufacturing), a specific branch of economic activity, typically in factories with machinery
* The wider industrial sector ...
trends.
In addition, to further consumer education regarding vehicle financing, NADA is a supporter of
Americans Well-informed on Automobile Retailing Economics (AWARE), which was established in 2005.
NADA and its
political action committee, NADA PAC (formerly the Dealers Election Action Committee), are headquartered in
Tysons, Virginia
Tysons, also known as Tysons Corner, is a census-designated place (CDP) in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States, developed from the corner of Chain Bridge Road ( SR 123) and the Leesburg Pike ( SR 7). Located in Northern Virginia between the ...
, and Washington, D.C., respectively.
Peter Welch became NADA's president and chief executive officer
A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...
on February 1, 2013. Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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dealer Mark Scarpelli began serving as the association's chairman in January 2017.
American Truck Dealers
American Truck Dealers (ATD), a division of NADA established in 1970, represents 1,800 heavy- and medium-duty truck dealerships throughout the United States. ATD members receive full services from NADA.[ The division's board of directors selects a new chairman every two years.][
]
NADA Show
NADA held its first convention in Chicago in 1918, and has hosted an annual convention for more than 40 years. NADA also presents yearly automotive forums in Los Angeles and New York. Historically, the convention has attracted important guests, including Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), often referred to by his initials LBJ, was an American politician who served as the 36th president of the United States from 1963 to 1969. He had previously served as the 37th vice ...
(1962), Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...
(1968), Henry Ford II
Henry Ford II (September 4, 1917 – September 29, 1987), sometimes known as "Hank the Deuce", was an American businessman in the automotive industry. He was the oldest son of Edsel Ford I and oldest grandson of Henry Ford I. He was president ...
(1977), Lee Iacocca
Lido Anthony "Lee" Iacocca ( ; October 15, 1924 – July 2, 2019) was an American automobile executive best known for the development of the Ford Mustang, Continental Mark III, and Ford Pinto cars while at the Ford Motor Company in the 1960s, an ...
(1990), Ross Perot
Henry Ross Perot (; June 27, 1930 – July 9, 2019) was an American business magnate, billionaire, politician and philanthropist. He was the founder and chief executive officer of Electronic Data Systems and Perot Systems. He ran an inde ...
(1994), Robert James Eaton
Robert James "Bob" Eaton (born 13 February 1940) is an American businessman, who was Chairman and former Chief executive officer, CEO of Chrysler Corporation.
Early life
Eaton was born in Buena Vista, Colorado, Buena Vista, Colorado and grew up ...
(1998), Maya Angelou (1999), George H. W. Bush
George Herbert Walker BushSince around 2000, he has been usually called George H. W. Bush, Bush Senior, Bush 41 or Bush the Elder to distinguish him from his eldest son, George W. Bush, who served as the 43rd president from 2001 to 2009; pr ...
and Bill Clinton
William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and agai ...
in 2009, and George W. Bush
George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...
in 2012. In January 2014, Hillary Clinton
Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, diplomat, and former lawyer who served as the 67th United States Secretary of State for President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, as a United States sen ...
delivered a keynote address at NADA's convention in New Orleans; she received a fee of $325,000 and the appearance received media coverage subsequently due to interest in her paid speeches following her resignation as Secretary of State and prior to beginning her presidential election campaign. Formerly called the NADA Convention and Expo, the event is currently known as the NADA Show.
History
In May 1917, a group of around 30 automobile dealers in Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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met and formed an association in Washington, D.C.
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, following a proposed 5-percent federal luxury tax increase on all vehicles. Their goal was to convince
Convince, also known as Bongo or Flenke, is a religion from eastern Jamaica. It has roots in Kumina and Jamaican Maroon religion.
History
According to research by J. W. Pullis the religion originated in the Portland Parish in Jamaica in the m ...
members of Congress that automobiles were "mass consumers goods", not luxury items, and therefore automobiles contributed to the health of the U.S. economy.[ They successfully persuaded Congress to reduce a proposed ]luxury tax
A luxury tax is a tax on luxury goods: products not considered essential. A luxury tax may be modeled after a sales tax or VAT, charged as a percentage on all items of particular classes, except that it mainly directly affects the wealthy bec ...
to 3 percent from 5 percent, and they prevented vehicle manufacturing facilities from being converted to defense factories during World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
.[
Recognizing the need for ongoing representation, in July 1917, 130 industry leaders gathered in ]Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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and elected Milwaukee
Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee is ...
dealer George Browne the organization's first president
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
*President (education), a leader of a college or university
*President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...
.[ Members focused on membership growth and distributed invitations to around 100 vehicle manufacturers. The first NADA-sponsored federal legislation, known as the National Motor Vehicle Theft Law, passed in 1919, which made motor vehicle theft involving the crossing of ]state
State may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Literature
* ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State
* ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States
* ''Our S ...
borders a federal crime
In the United States, a federal crime or federal offense is an act that is made illegal by U.S. federal legislation enacted by both the United States Senate and United States House of Representatives and signed into law by the president. Prosec ...
.[ NADA also advocated for automobile finance reforms.][
NADA began studying used car values in 1922.][ In 1928, the association's fixed amount membership dues were converted to a ]sliding scale
Sliding scale fees are variable prices for products, services, or taxes based on a customer's ability to pay. Such fees are thereby reduced for those who have lower incomes, or alternatively, less money to spare after their personal expenses, regar ...
based on the dealership's gross sales from the preceding year. However, members were still unable to afford dues, and by 1932 the Great Depression
The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...
had nearly caused NADA to fail. The organization's leadership took measures to save costs, which included relocating the organization's headquarters to reduce rent expenditures.[ In 1933, NADA published its first "Official Used Car Guide", providing used car values for 21 regions of the United States to 40,000 subscribers.][ NADA's membership was 30,000 by 1934. During ]Prohibition
Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcoholic ...
, the association advocated on behalf of dealers who were affected by vehicle repossessions of violators of liquor laws, and in the mid-1930s, NADA established a standard for appraising used cars, and NADA began educating dealers about the sale of used cars.[
During ]World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, NADA worked to reduce rationing and helped recruit mechanics. The association's 1943 convention was canceled because of a temporary ban on gatherings of 50 or more people. NADA was unable to hold large meetings until the 1947 conference in Atlantic City, New Jersey
Atlantic City, often known by its initials A.C., is a coastal resort city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. The city is known for its casinos, boardwalk, and beaches. In 2020, the city had a population of 38,497. , where 6,500 attendees represented 32,000 member dealers.[ During the ]Korean War
, date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...
, NADA fought against price controls and a 7-percent excise tax
file:Lincoln Beer Stamp 1871.JPG, upright=1.2, 1871 U.S. Revenue stamp for 1/6 barrel of beer. Brewers would receive the stamp sheets, cut them into individual stamps, cancel them, and paste them over the Bunghole, bung of the beer barrel so when ...
on new vehicles. In an effort to improve the public perception of dealers, NADA initiated a campaign encouraging dealers to adopt ethical code
Ethical codes are adopted by organizations to assist members in understanding the difference between right and wrong and in applying that understanding to their decisions. An ethical code generally implies documents at three levels: codes of b ...
s during the 1950s.[
Ground broke on the NADA Automotive Education Center, on the ]Northwood University
Northwood University (NU) is a private university focused on business education with its main campus in Midland, Michigan. Opened in 1959, more than 33,000 people have graduated from the institution.
History
Northwood University opened as Nort ...
campus in Midland, Michigan
Midland is a city in and the county seat of Midland County, Michigan. The city's population was 42,547 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Midland Micropolitan Statistical Area, part of the larger Saginaw-Midland-Bay City Comb ...
, in October 1971. The center, which was dedicated on May 18, 1973, was funded by NADA members and features a hotel, offices, classrooms, a kitchen, dining facilities, and is used as a primary meeting and community space on campus. The Ford Courtyard and Commons were dedicated in October 1996 and October 2004, respectively.
In mid-2009, NADA, Chrysler
Stellantis North America (officially FCA US and formerly Chrysler ()) is one of the " Big Three" automobile manufacturers in the United States, headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan. It is the American subsidiary of the multinational automoti ...
, and General Motors
The General Motors Company (GM) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is the largest automaker in the United States and ...
dealers worked to prevent dealerships from closing as the result of the automotive industry crisis of 2008–10; the association purchased advertisements in major publications asking President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
*President (education), a leader of a college or university
*President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...
"to choose Main Street over Wall Street". In September, the association and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce
The United States Chamber of Commerce (USCC) is the largest lobbying group in the United States, representing over three million businesses and organizations. The group was founded in April 1912 out of local chambers of commerce at the urgin ...
requested a review of the Environmental Protection Agency
A biophysical environment is a biotic and abiotic surrounding of an organism or population, and consequently includes the factors that have an influence in their survival, development, and evolution. A biophysical environment can vary in scale f ...
's waiver permitting California to regulate tailpipe emissions. NADA spearheaded a grassroots campaign in 2010 to support the Campbell Amendment, which would make automobile dealers exempt from the Consumer Protection Agency. Dealership in 2009 were facing closure of its company in many different states, they even consider moving their headquarters from downtown Detroit. Their main focus was to try and used different ways to avoid closure. The National Dealers Association look at the crisis from the 1970s to see what effects it had on the car business.
In mid-2015, NADA sold its 82-year-old ''Used Car Guide'' business to J.D. Power and Associates
J.D. Power is an American consumer research, data, and analytics firm based in Troy, Michigan. The company was founded in 1968 by James David Power III. It conducts surveys of customer satisfaction, product quality, and buyer behavior for the au ...
. In January 2017, NADA launched an information website to educate the public about the role of car dealers and to describe their economic impact.
Charitable activities
The NADA Foundation (formerly the National Automobile Dealers Charitable Foundation) was established in 1975. Former NADA President Bob Mallon, a Ford dealer from Tacoma, Washington
Tacoma ( ) is the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. A port city, it is situated along Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, Washington, Olympia, and northwest of Mount ...
, is credited with creating the organization, which has contributed more than $13 million to educational, emergency relief, and health care programs throughout the United States. The foundation's Emergency Relief Fund, which supports dealership employees after disasters, has donated more than $5 million to nearly 8,700 individuals since 1992. The foundation's Frank E. McCarthy Memorial Fund partners with Canine Companions for Independence to provide assistance dog
In general, an assistance dog, known as a service dog in the United States, is a dog trained to aid or assist an individual with a disability. Many are trained by an assistance dog organization, or by their handler, often with the help of a prof ...
s to veterans and children with disabilities. Since its inception, the fund has contributed $250,000 and placed 25 dogs.[ The Joseph J. Sanchez Memorial Fund donates $7,000 annually to students at four educational institutions, and the Survivors Relief Fund has contributed around $800,000 in scholarships to more than 100 students who are victims of the ]September 11 attacks
The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercia ...
. The NADA Foundation has also donated over 4,800 CPR training units.[
]
References
Further reading
*
*
{{authority control
1917 establishments in Washington, D.C.
Automobile associations in the United States
Trade associations based in the United States
Tysons, Virginia
Organizations based in Virginia
Organizations established in 1917