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NADA Membership

NADA Membership

Your voice in Washington

NADA, the "Voice of the Dealer," has represented the interests of local new-car dealerships, their employees and their customers for more than 100 years. Founded in 1917 when 30 dealers visited Washington, D.C., to successfully oppose a luxury tax on vehicles, NADA continues to work on behalf of its members with all branches of government, car and truck manufacturers, the media and the public.

NADA’s success lies with its powerful grassroots lobbying efforts, which are most effective when local dealers meet with their members of Congress to advocate on behalf of all dealers and their customers. This team effort involving NADA, state and metro dealer associations and NADA’s dealer members strengthens NADA’s ability to advocate on behalf of local dealerships everywhere and target engagement to dealer-specific issues.

In recent years, NADA successfully pushed back against a variety of government policies that threatened local dealerships and their customers. NADA blocked the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB) efforts to end dealer discounts on auto loans for customers. And NADA helped educate members of Congress and the administration on the unintended consequences of an overly broad safety recall policy—which, if enacted, would have lowered consumer trade-in values.

Most recently, NADA worked with state dealer associations to ensure that autonomous vehicle legislation moving through Congress did not preempt state automotive franchise laws.

Some successes are quieter than others. NADA’s advocacy with federal regulatory agencies, for example, is often behind the scenes but has a profound impact on areas such as tax, employment and finance policy.

NADA PAC (formerly DEAC), represents the interests of all franchised new-car and -truck dealers by supporting pro-dealer candidates of both political parties. NADA PAC is one of the largest and most active political action committees of any trade association, due in large part to the grassroots approach of the PAC. State teams of dealers and association executives are engaged directly in raising the funds and deciding which contributions are made to federal candidates.

While NADA works hard in Washington on behalf of local dealerships, it coordinates efforts with state and metro dealer associations through the Automotive Trade Association Executives (ATAE).

This group comprises 100-plus members, with representation from NADA, state associations, metro associations, minority associations and international dealer associations. ATAE helps advance dealer interests at the local, state and federal levels.

NADA and ATAE meet throughout the year to develop effective strategies for local, state and federal policy, and foster compelling education and consulting programs. Many ATAEs also attend NADA’s annual legislative conference to join dealers when they meet with their legislators and help bolster the dealer message on Capitol Hill.

NADA is the dealer’s best advocate in dealer-manufacturer relations, addressing concerns with manufacturers and distributors.

Twice each year, NADA delivers the results of its semiannual Dealer Attitude Survey to each manufacturer to discuss the positives and negatives of manufacturer performance and initiatives, including incentive programs.

NADA also hosts two annual industry forums—in New York City and Los Angeles—that focus on the latest issues affecting dealers, manufacturers, suppliers and others in the industry. NADA also partners with international dealership associations to stay up to date on international trends in auto retailing—from Europe to Asia to Brazil.

Key economic reports, including NADA Data and ATD Data (annual financial profiles of new-car and -truck dealerships), an annual NADA economic forecast, quarterly economic briefings and the Dealership Workforce Study, place NADA at the forefront of industry information.

Local dealerships benefit consumers, manufacturers and local communities alike. Consumers benefit when dealerships compete on pricing and service. Manufacturers benefit through low-cost and efficient distribution for their products. And local communities benefit from the massive tax revenue and good-paying jobs provided by local dealerships.

NADA promotes these benefits to media, opinion leaders and the general public through media relations, videos, and digital media channels like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. NADA’s chairman gives an annual address to auto writers each year in Detroit to champion the franchise system. And recently, NADA’s efforts helped make preserving dealer-assisted financing a major cause of The Wall Street Journal.

Nowhere is this more evident than in digital media. In 2017, NADA launched the MyDealership initiative to promote dealerships with videos of real consumers and dealership employees who benefited from the price competition and jobs provided by local dealerships. Dozens of state and local dealer associations and dealership groups have begun using the initiative. Make it part of your community relations efforts with the materials available at mydealership.org/toolkit.

The NADA Foundation—begun in 1975—has created programs to benefit the public and promote initiatives sponsored by franchised dealers.

  • The Ambassador Program distributes hundreds of thousands of dollars each year in grants to local charities.
  • The Emergency Relief Program has distributed millions of dollars to dealership employees and their families affected by disasters, including hurricanes, major storms and floods.
  • A program to promote the benefits of dealership jobs in local communities—including jobs in sales, service and management—will be launched soon.
  • Tax-deductible donations to the foundation are available at nadafoundation.org.

NADA and ATD Academy: Investing in your Legacy
The Academy turns dealers and managers into world-class leaders in their stores and communities. Held at NADA headquarters in metropolitan Washington, Academy classes are combined with critical, hands-on experience back in the store. Students gain complete mastery of financial management, fixed operations for parts and service, variable operations for new and used vehicles, and business management. To hone a specific area of expertise, dealership managers can participate in seminars or earn Academy certificates by attending individual classes alongside Academy students.

20 Group: Learning from Legends
With NADA 20 Group, learn from the best—your peers—supported by world-class consultants and NADA, the only advocacy and education organization providing resources dedicated to driving your dealerships success…for more than 100 years.

Education Home: NADA offers premier education opportunities, ranging from in-person training and consulting to webinars and other online learning opportunities. 

Legal and Regulatory Updates
NADA regularly distributes legal updates to its 16,500 members, outlining pertinent regulatory changes issued by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Department of Labor (DOL) and other federal agencies.

The annual NADA Show—formerly the NADA Convention and Expo—rotates among Las Vegas, New Orleans and San Francisco. This is the premier marketplace for products, services and technologies specifically tailored for new-car dealerships.>

More than 500 exhibitors are on the expo floor, which measures an expansive 700,000 sq.ft. An impressive roster of experts deliver more than 120 workshops on the latest topics, including employee hiring/retention, digital marketing, legal/regulatory overviews, fixed ops and more. Attendees interact directly with speakers and their peers during panel and roundtable discussions.

The NADA Show also provides dealers and managers exclusive access to automaker executives during franchise meetings. This interaction is key for dealers to discuss manufacturer challenges and opportunities.

The show offers unparalleled opportunities to network with peers, industry experts and exhibitors all under one roof. It includes general sessions, receptions, supplier meetings and other important gatherings.

  • Members save on registration fees for the NADA Show.
  • UPS discounts for your dealership are part of your member benefit package, so take advantage.
  • NADA Retirement from Empower offers Dealer members access to one of the best in class retirement plans with competitive pricing as an NADA member, a wide array of investment options, innovative investment tools and fiduciary support from CAPTRUST- 3(38) Investment Manager, and Northeast Retirement Services, Inc.-3(16) Administrator.
  • NADA endorsed life insurance programs are available exclusively to dealer members. Dealers may select from Dealer Life and Manager Life term and level premium term products, as well as Employee Group and Individual term life programs, all of which are underwritten by our carrier New York Life Insurance Company.