Pub. 17 2018-2019 Issue 2

N E W J E R S E Y C O A L I T I O N O F A U T O M O T I V E R E T A I L E R S I S S U E N O . 3 , 2 0 1 8 6 new jersey auto retailer Chairman’s MESSAGE | BY ROBERT J. LARSON A lot has happened over the last 100 years. The United States has dealt with wars, economic recessions (and the Great Depression) , natural disasters, terrorist attacks, an ever-widening political divide and many other challeng- es. We sent a man to the moon, launched the Internet and technology continues to advance more rapidly every single day. And let’s not forget about the advances in auto- mobiles. A century ago, there were only a handful of manu- facturers and few vehicle types to choose from. Back then, a Ford Model T cost $360. Now, consumers have dozens and dozens of vehicles to choose from and the technolo- gy available, from electric mo- tors to hydrogen fuel cells to autonomous features, would have been unimaginable to our 1918 counterparts. Through it all, NJ CAR has had our backs. The Coalition’s earliest Statewide predecessor, the New Jersey Automotive Trade Association (NJATA) , was founded in early 1918. The NJATA and a regional group that pre-dated the NJA- TA, the Newark Automobile Trade Association (NATA) , jointly called Newark home for more than 25 years. The NJATA relocated to Trenton in 1944, changing its name to the New Jersey Automobile Dealers Association (NJADA) in October 1967 and was fi- nally renamed the New Jersey Coalition of Automotive Re- tailers, Inc. (NJ CAR) in 1995. NJ CAR’s current headquar- ters in Ewing Township has been home to the association offices for the past 44 years. In 1992, NJ CAR purchased a second building near its head- quarters to house the largest dealer-only motor vehicle agency in the State. In 1977, NJ CAR Services, Inc.— NJ CAR’s for-profit subsid- iary— was formed to sell a variety of business forms, advertising specialty items and other products to deal- erships. In 1983, NJ CAR Insurance Company, Ltd.—a Bermuda-based company, was established to reinsure various insurance products offered to dealers. The addition of all these operations greatly ex- panded the support NJ CAR provided its dealer members. The Many Roles of NJ CAR NJ CAR continues to serve a variety of roles for its dealer members—advocate, business partner, educator, information provider and much more. NJ CAR- A Century of Service The Coalition has achieved many legislative victories over the years, but none is more important than the Franchise Practices Act, first passed in the 1970s and amended several times over the decades to provide greater protection to New Jersey consumers and motor vehicle franchisees. NJ CAR continues to work hard on dealers’ behalf to ensure a level playing field between retailers and their manufacturers and it serves as a vocal defender when the industry comes under attack. Throughout its history, NJ CAR has represented a wide-range of member inter- ests before various Depart- ments and Divisions of State government. These efforts have resulted in open lines of communication between State regulators and the retail automotive industry, which benefits all of us. NJ CAR’s role as “educator” has evolved over the decades, with hundreds of seminars and webinars offered under the NJ CAR Academy banner, producing an annual Motor Vehicle Training & Reference Manual and offering legal & regulatory compliance guides that cover the myriad of laws and regulations that impact all aspects of our operations. And don’t forget the thou- sands of phone calls answered by Coalition staff every year, providing one-on-one support to dealers and their managers for virtually any question. Providing dealers with timely and valuable information has been another key role of NJ CAR. For 60+ years, members have received the NJ CAR NewsLetter, an important vehicle for provid- ing information to Coalition members. We also publish this quarterly magazine, the New Jersey Auto Retailer, and utilize various electronic tools, including the NJ CAR website (www.njcar.org ) , email, mobile apps and a growing social me- dia footprint to keep dealers informed. These tools allow dealers and their employees to engage with NJ CAR WHEN they want, HOW they want and WHERE they want. NJ CAR’s success during the last century would not have been possible without the vol- unteer leaders who have served on the Executive Committee and Board of Trustees—all of whom have helped build the Coalition into the incredible or- ganization it is today thanks to their commitment, dedication and hard work. What began as a handful of dealers in New- ark meeting over dinner a few times each year has grown into an established, well-respected Statewide trade association representing the interests of New Jersey’s 520 franchised new car and truck retailers. NJ CAR is our advocate, our business partner, and a valu- able educational resource. In its earliest years, it was critical for dealers to support the NJA- TA as it grew from infancy. It is just as vital, a century later, for dealers to support the orga- nization that has been (and will continue to be) here to serve and support franchised dealers in the next century.