Tickets and coupons that admit the holder to the 2023 Chicago Auto Show free or at a reduced price can be ordered by CATA members using the order form posted at www.CATA.info.
The passes promote goodwill with customers and even can help persuade a prospect to close a deal. Two kinds of passes are available, General Admission tickets and Weekday Discount coupons. The former, which costs CATA members $7 each for a minimum 100 tickets, admits the holder to the auto show free, without a box-office wait. The coupon costs members $100 for 100 and admits the holder for $10 during the week. Regular adult admission is $15.
Click here to download the order form.
Chicago Automobile Trade Association (CATA) dealers are at the center of their communities and giving back during the holiday season is no exception to that standard.
From Jeeps on the Run to Fill the Van, dealers across the area rallied their communities to raise money and goods for those in need this holiday season. In its 10th year, Jeeps on the Run, in partnership with Ray Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram, once again took over the streets of northern Illinois to bring Jeep lovers together for a good cause. This year’s event was a huge success!
Jeeps on the Run and Ray CDJR had a significant impact in their community:
Ray Scarpelli, president of Ray CDJR and Ray Chevrolet, is also in the running for the TIME Dealer of the Year Award. That ceremony is set to take place at the NADA Show this January.
Jeeps on the Run and Ray CDJR aren’t the only ones raising money and collecting items for Toys for Tots. Dealers from across the area are holding toy drives as well including Arlington Heights Ford, Elgin Hyundai and Apple Chevrolet.
Apple Chevrolet hosted its annual Toys for Tots event on Dec. 10 in conjunction with the Marines Toys for Tots Foundation. The day included free food, a live DJ playing holiday music, pictures with Santa, conversations with U.S. Marines and an appearance from ABC 7 Chicago’s Tracy Butler.
By the end of the event they filled three Humvees (large military trucks) with toys for donation.
Advantage Chevrolet of Bolingbrook hosted a “Fill the Van” event this month with the DuPage County Area Project (DuCAP). Now in the 13th year, this partnership sponsors local families in need of food and gifts. The showroom Christmas tree was decorated with families’ wish lists for customers to fulfill.
These are just a few examples of the many generous events happening throughout the Chicagoland area this season. Dealers make a difference and we thank you for all that you do for our communities during the holidays and year-round. Does your dealership or organization deserve to be spotlighted in an upcoming CATA e-Headlines? Let us know.
Tuesday, December 27 | 1pm-2pm ET
Presented by:
Join experts from NADA and the Alliance for Automotive Innovation as they review the vehicles and customers that may be eligible for these tax credits. They'll also discuss how dealers may best obtain the information that must be disclosed at the point of sale, how these credits likely will change in the future, and how to get additional information. This webinar is designed for dealers, new, used, and F&I sales managers, accountants and attorneys. REGISTER.
[courtesy of CATA member Woodward & Associates]
2022 YEAR-END CHECKLIST FOR DEALERS Woodward & Associates P.O. Box 1584, Bloomington, IL 61702 309.662.8797
As another tax year comes to a close, it is time to consider your tax planning opportunities and year-end tasks.
Year-End Planning:
Keep the Accounting Records Open at the End of December:
Additional Year-End TO DOs:
Year-End Tax Reporting:
Review Procedures for the Use of Demonstrators to Ensure You Comply With the Current IRS Regulations:
Other:
Here are the results from the 2022 CATA Dealer Holiday Hours Survey.
Former CATA and Chicago Auto Show Chairman Mike McGrath, Sr. passed away on Monday. Nov. 28 at the age of 75. McGrath, Sr. was CATA Chairman in 2002-03 and Chicago Auto Show Chairman in 2004. Visitation was Tuesday, Dec. 6. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to USO of Illinois, www.uso.org, 312-822-6699. More information can be found here.
[NADA] The Federal Trade Commission on Nov. 15 announced it is extending by six months the deadline for companies to comply with some of the amendments to the FTC’s Safeguards Rule. Earlier this year, NADA submitted comments to the FTC seeking an extension of the deadline. The deadline for complying with some of the updated requirements of the Safeguards Rule is now June 9, 2023.
The provisions of the updated rule specifically affected by the six-month extension include requirements that covered financial institutions:
Dealers are encouraged to continue in their efforts to expeditiously comply will all the new requirements of the Rule but should consult with their attorneys, service providers and IT professionals about the potential impact of this deadline extension. More information can be found here: https://www.nada.org/nada/issues/issues/ftc-safeguards-rule.
CATA will be sending 2023 dealer kits to dealer members shortly after the new year. These kits include:
While factory direct sales have been a shiny button in auto retail over the last decade, new research shows that when it comes to customer satisfaction, local new car and truck dealerships dramatically outperform their direct seller counterparts.
According to research by Pied Piper Management Company, luxury brands Cadillac, Infiniti and Mercedes-Benz held the top spots in customer satisfaction among 25 luxury brands. Direct sellers Tesla, Lucid and Rivian scored 21st, 23rd and 25th, respectively.
Pied Piper’s process measured customers’ shopping experience, starting with responsiveness to website customer inquiries, and continuing when customers visited retailers in-person. Measurement of responsiveness to website customer inquiries was based upon 22 best-practice behaviors, while effectiveness of shopping in-person was based upon more than 50 best-practice behaviors, using 1,657 measurements of response to website customer inquiries, and 1,096 measurements of the in-person sales experience. The evaluation took place between July 2021 and July 2022.
“We have found that when their customers reach out for help or with questions, they are usually met with brand reps who answer only simple, scripted questions without being proactively helpful,” said Fran O’Hagan, CEO of Pied Piper, regarding direct sellers Tesla, Rivian and Lucid. “It’s a missed opportunity that does not currently compensate for the missing retail experience.”
O’Hagan continued: “Tesla compares poorly today for helping website customers too. … Tesla’s model today appears to be, ‘If you want what we sell, and require no assistance, it’s easy to order.’”
For more information on Pied Piper’s study, click here.
[Automotive News] Auto dealerships have another six months to beef up their consumer information security following a Federal Trade Commission Safeguards Rule extension announced Tuesday, Nov. 15.
The last-minute reprieve moves the date for dealerships and other financial institutions to comply with the revamped Safeguards Rule, from Dec. 9, 2022, to June 9, 2023. The Safeguards Rule is part of the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act regulating business customer information practices.
FTC commissioners voted 4-0 in favor of the extension. On Monday, Nov. 14, FTC Commissioner Christine Wilson issued a separate statement noting that she still opposes the FTC's 2021 decision to change the rule in the first place.
The agency cited reports — including from the Small Business Administration Office of Advocacy — of a lack of qualified personnel to oversee the changes and businesses having difficulty sourcing necessary technology.
"These difficulties were exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic," the FTC wrote in a news release Tuesday. "These issues may make it difficult for financial institutions, especially small ones, to come into compliance by the deadline."
The National Automobile Dealers Association, auto lender trade group American Financial Services Association, credit bureau organization Consumer Data Industry Association and collections association ACA International made a similar point in a July letter to the FTC. The associations had requested a year-long extension, to Dec. 9, 2023.
"Our members appreciate the FTC's work to protect customers' information," NADA and the others wrote. "At the same time, the residual effects of COVID-19 on the labor market and supply chain, as well as dueling regulatory demands and the technological changes required for proper compliance, make it difficult for covered entities to uplift their information security programs to meet the requirements in the Final Rule."
NADA did not respond to a request for comment. AFSA said it appreciates the FTC's action.
"AFSA member companies provide crucial services in our economy," AFSA Senior Vice President Celia Winslow said in a statement. "Extending the implementation date of the rule means that companies will be able to make appropriate enhancements to systems and staffing, ultimately benefiting consumers."
The Small Business Administration Office of Advocacy, an independent SBA entity tasked with advancing the views of small businesses, wrote to the FTC in August asking for an additional year, citing similar points as the trade groups.
The updated Safeguards Rule instituted in 2021 lists nine elements that must be found in a dealership's cybersecurity program by the compliance deadline.
A business must hire or outsource a "qualified individual" to oversee the program and report to company leadership; assess risks and act to minimize them; have an incident response plan should a breach occur; test or monitor its system; train staff; monitor vendors for information security; and adapt the system to changes at the business or other developments.
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