Chicago Automobile Trade Association membership dues, unchanged for nearly 20 years, increase in 2021 to $800 a year. The current rate is $400 annually.

Directors of the CATA made the move at their November board meeting amid the uncertainty of a 2021 Chicago Auto Show and escalating costs of providing the member services to dealerships and allied companies during the pandemic.

Billings for legal services are certain to escalate in the months ahead as the association negotiates with unionized technicians on a new collective bargaining agreement to replace the one that expires next July 31. A favorable contract with unionized technicians would help all area new-car dealerships, whether or not they have Local 701 employees.

The DriveChicago.com portal — free to dealer members and only for members — sends thousands of customers each month directly to dealership vehicle detail pages. In 2021, DriveChicago’s goal is to deliver 100,000 customers to CATA dealers.

In a Dec. 7 letter to all members, CATA President David Sloan noted that the benefits of a CATA membership exceed the annual dues even at $800 a year.

"The CATA board of directors has always sought to deliver benefits to members that far exceed the cost of membership, and it is the CATA’s promise to continue to deliver on that pledge," Sloan wrote.