Coalition of Dealers and Auto Manufacturers Disbanding

A manufacturer-dealer coalition called Automotive Retailing Today is becoming a thing of tomorrow.

The organization, created to promote a better understanding of the retail side of the automotive industry and to build stronger customer relationships, will be disbanded. Leaders say that's because its mission has been accomplished.

ART utilized research to dispel outdated perceptions of franchise auto dealerships and automotive careers among both the media and the public with the support of its diverse membership.

Most notably, ART documented that the public's new-car buying experience is much more positive than is usually reported.

“For more than 11 years, ART served as the industry watchdog, providing a unified voice for dealers and manufacturers, combating false perceptions about auto retailing and careers in dealerships with research and facts,” says ART Chairman William H. Bradshaw, a North Carolina dealer

“None of the accomplishments and relationships built by ART would have been possible without the cooperation of member organizations” he says.

Another cited ART accomplishment was collecting data that shows teens are attracted to dealership auto technician careers and that the industry needed to do better in getting career information to parents, the industry's primary detractors.