Managing Automotive Blog

AFS Automotive’s Franjo M. Dolenac appeared on a panel with alumnus, Rob Cohen of Vitu, at the New Motor Vehicle Board’s Roundtable held in Sacramento, California on April 27, 2025 to talk about late title transfers for used vehicles.

Cox Automotive predicts 700,000 fewer vehicles will be sold in the United States this year due to tariff volatility.

AFS Automotive’s Kevin Timson and Charles Gallaer chatted with the Eastern New York Coalition of Automotive Retailers on their latest stop of the “2025 Buy-Sell Hot Topics” tour.

Final order requires company to pay over $630,000 in fines and change its business practices.

Automotive Group Leader and Los Angeles Managing Partner Aaron Jacoby shared his insight on autonomous vehicles in a special ride-along with Waymo robotaxi.

AFS Automotive’s Kevin Timson and Charles Gallaer tell us about top trends that impact negotiations in dealership acquisitions.  Have a listen to their first stop on the “2025 Buy-Sell Hot Topics” tour!

In this episode, Aaron H. Jacoby, who leads AFS Automotive, and Franjo M. Dolenac explore challenges dealerships face with the onslaught of DMV investigations into late title and registration transfers and resulting administrative, civil, and criminal actions.

Proposed settlement requires Leader and its Canadian parent company, AutoCanada, to turn over $20 million, include full offering price in ads, and get consent for all charges.

The consent order includes a $1.5 million fine and other non-monetary penalties.

ArentFox Schiff Automotive Group Partner Sara Judge was quoted in a recent Automotive News article regarding a case involving Nissan North America’s sales performance metrics.

ArentFox Schiff represented Keeler in its sale to Open Road Capital of a majority stake in Keeler’s business, which operates Mercedes-Benz, Honda, BMW, and Mini dealerships in Albany, NY and Ridgefield, CT.

The nation’s car dealerships experienced total losses of more than $1 billion as the result of a nationwide hacking and ransomware attack on their software and systems last month.

Hyundai said it does not ‘condone any intentional falsification of sales reporting data and [has] launched an immediate investigation.’

A group of Hyundai Motor dealers has sued the South Korean automobile giant in Chicago federal court for allegedly inflating sales numbers for electric vehicles.

Ford Motor Co. is recommending dealers halt investments related to selling electric vehicles until after it completes a review of its requirements in June.

Connected vehicles, and concerns about the data they collect, are making headlines.

Today, the Federal Trade Commission adopted a final rule purporting to ban noncompete covenants for workers nationwide, which will become effective 120 days after publication in the Federal Register, unless first enjoined in long-anticipated litigation to challenge the FTC’s attempted rulemaking.

The Automotive Group sponsored and attended the National Association of Dealer Counsel conference in Napa Valley.

On April 16, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced that it will hold a special Open Commission Meeting on Tuesday, April 23 at 2:00 p.m. ET, for purposes of voting on its proposed final rule banning noncompete agreements.

ArentFox Schiff represented Group 1 Automotive in its acquisition of Mercedes-Benz, Sprinter and Honda dealerships located in Hilton Head, South Carolina in March.

ArentFox Schiff represented Group 1 Automotive in its acquisition of Newport Lexus and Tustin Lexus in February.

With 2024 underway, we highlight some of the most pressing legal issues facing the automotive industry this year, including a surprise Federal Trade Commission (FTC) rule, changes to manufacturer direct-to-consumer sales, and federal pressure on the electric vehicle (EV) industry.

Toyota, the world’s largest automaker, has been criticized for selling few electric vehicles, but its decision to focus on hybrids is paying off financially.

The German luxury carmaker is one of only a few established automakers that has been able to compete with top EV brands.

The Corporate Transparency Act will now require certain entities to register with FinCEN.