October 29, 2026

The automotive retail landscape continues to evolve, and so does one of the industry’s longest-standing consumer engagement platforms: the auto show.

On Oct. 1, the California Combating Auto Retail Scams (CARS) Act became operative, bringing significant changes to the way California dealers advertise, sell, finance and lease vehicles. By now, dealers have received considerable information about what the new law requires. Policies have been updated. Forms have changed. Sales and finance personnel have been trained. Dealerships

California dealerships will soon face new privacy compliance obligations under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA).

Real estate is expensive, labor costs are high, and competition is intense. Yet sophisticated buyers continue to pursue the state.

On Sept. 15, after canvassing the halls of both the House and Senate office buildings and educating their elected representatives on the major policy issues of the day,

Auto dealers continue to face substantial exposure under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) as they increasingly rely on digital marketing, customer relationship management (CRM) automation, lead-generation vendors and AI-enabled customer engagement tools.

For about a century, franchised dealerships enjoyed a built-in advantage in service. They sold the vehicle, knew its history, employed factory-trained technicians, used only factory parts and had direct access to the manufacturer.