Pub. 4 Issue 3

6 President’s and Executive Director’s MESSAGE Fritz Hitchcock, President and Bob Smith, Executive Director GREATER LOS ANGELES NEW CAR DEALERS ASSOCIATION A s we leave 2017 behind us, we hope that you (our dealer members, industry partners, and elected officials) are as excited and optimistic about what 2018 has in store for the retail automobile busi- ness as we are! The National New Car sales figures may have dipped some in 2017 from the previous year, but still are at levels that support strong and healthy projections for 2018. The challenges remain, and our work at the association is more important than ever. Dealers that come together with a unified voice in Sacramento and our nations capital, Washington D.C., do make a difference. With all eyes on autonomous vehicles, safety recalls, impacts of tax reform to name a few, staying engaged in the political process is more critical than ever. Making the most of your membership simply means taking advantage of the opportunity to be heard. Throughout the year we will invite you to sit with elected officials and voice what our needs and concerns are. It’s that simple! Additionally we have some great training events planned with networking lunches built into those days that give you and your employees chances to better themselves and your organizations. The first event will be on March 14 at the Universal Sheraton in Universal City and there will be a morning and afternoon session with lunch in between, to allow the f lexibility to send one or more people to whichever session works best. The topic will be on texting/mobile phones, and best practices in the sales and service departments of your dealerships. There is more information about the event and early bird registration in this newsletter. We are proud of our partnership with the Los Angeles Auto Show! The 2017 show that concluded on Decem- ber 10th, brought more people through the doors than ever before for both press and public days. The show was a positive contributing factor behind strong December sales figures in Los Angeles County. We hope this continues on for all our dealer members in 2018 and hope to see you at some association events this year.  All the best. Fritz Hitchcock President Bob Smith Executive Director Greater Los Angeles New Car Dealers Association 818-468-9021