We were nervous last year. The long-anticipated sunset provisions of George W.’s 2001 income and estate tax reform were coming into play and there was no telling how it would end up. All of us who were involved in business succession planning belie

The Japanese earthquake and tsunami have rocked the automotive world.  Honda has reported, at the time of this writing, that it is still not able to manufacturer the Fit small car, the CR-V crossover and the Acura TSX sedan.  Toyota announced that

The state motor vehicle franchise laws may have something to say about that It was reported last week that Mercedes Benz USA is taking over the distribution of smart vehicles from Penske Automotive. The problem, of course, is that Mercedes Benz USA h

A knowledgeable and successful friend of mine and I were discussing prosperous organizations versus, well, not so successful ones (i.e. Marriott vs Ramada). We reviewed obvious differences we all experience such as employee attitudes, facility appear

Negative and intentionally false online comments In 2010 dealers spent more on online advertisements than print media. The explanation is simple: Greater than three-fourths of new-vehicle buyers (79%) use the Internet during the shopping process.  H

Thought I would share with you a letter I recently sent to a newly elected member of the United States Congress. As you peruse, consider giving similar encouragement to your Congressman. Honorable Daniel Webster United States Congress  Dear Congress

“Why aren’t they doing what I told them” Ever muttered those words? You know you have. Long ago my first service manager in New York, Bill Vukovich, used to whine constantly to the shop guys: “Buy you books, buy you books R

When our Chrysler dealer clients first heard that Fiat was not going to provide them with rebadged vehicles but instead offer those vehicles through a separate Fiat franchise, they rightfully felt betrayed. The Auto Task Force attempted to persuade u

Every few months, I ask one of my law partners to share with you the issues they are seeing in their area of our motor vehicle dealer practice. This month, Rob Byerts, describes the myriad of regulatory and compliance issues with which he is assistin