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Tesla got a carve-out. It’s a good day for auto dealers in the Sunshine State, and not so great for motorists who’d prefer a more direct route for buying a new coupe, sedan or SUV. Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a measure (HB 637) banning most direct-to-consumer vehicle sales, solidifying the future viability of car-selling operations across the Sunshine State. The measure, championed and authored by lobbyists representing the Florida Automobile Dealers Association (FADA), prohibits automakers from selling vehicles directly to buyers.That restriction, which goes into effect July 1, was considered a direct threat to the business model of Tesla, an...

Turns out buying a car in the U.S. is wildly different from buying one in the UK—and not in a good way. I've been working at The Drive for more than a year now and there are a lot of things I've discovered I don't know about the United States. Like, what is Fahrenheit and how you spell words like "color." But one of the biggest ones is that I've had to try and find out how U.S. car dealerships work. Right around the formation of Stellantis, I got the idea this might be something I didn't totally understand. After...

I live in Manassas, Virginia and have an RV, which I took to the Camping World dealer where I purchased it for some service. My brother gave me a ride back to my home and on the drive he remarked that the dealerships did not have new vehciles in their showrooms and lots. As we passed several dealerships on the way to my place, I looked over at the lots and showrooms. Sure enough, while there were many used vehicles, where new vehicles should be on the lots and in the showrooms, it was sparse to empty. The big lie...

An audit by Neil Barofsky, the special inspector general for the Troubled Asset Relief Program, found that President Obama's auto task force arbitrarily closed many profitable dealerships, destroying thousands of jobs "based on a theory and without sufficient consideration of the decision's broader economic impact." Barofsky observed that Chrysler and GM were subsequently forced to reinstate more than 700 of the approximately 3,000 disenfranchised dealers, "suggesting, at the very least, that the number and speed of the terminations was not necessarily critical to the manufacturers' viability." One more thing: China has a virtual monopoly on neodymium, a rare earth metal...

BROWNSVILLE, Texas – Federal and local law enforcement agencies raided a series of car lots and homes in connection with a money laundering investigation involving a convicted Palestinian terrorist. Family members of the suspect had previously been tied to a network of underground casinos, officials say. On Thursday morning, federal agents along with investigators with the Cameron County District Attorney’s Office carried out a series of raids at a home in a luxurious neighborhood and at two car lots owned by George Z. Rafidi.

Link only - http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-12-19/wasserman-schultz-it-aides-ran-shady-cia-car-dealership-borrowed-100k-hezbollah-fugi

Imran Awan was born in Pakistan in 1980. He sought his education in Information Technology. He first came to Capitol Hill in 2004 working for Florida Democrat Robert Wexler. He has worked as a shared employee for Democrats as an information technologist for 13 years. He is a Pakistani immigrant, who made his home in the US in Lorton, Virginia. He has actually provided technical support for 25 other House Democrats working as a shared employee. He, also, managed to get his wife, HIna Alvi, on the House payroll. Then his brother, Abid Awan, then Abid’s wife, Natalia Sova became...

Two members of Congress are asking if the Treasury Department disproportionately targeted more Republican or conservative owned auto dealerships during the government-lead restructuring of General Motors in 2009. Breitbart.com reported today that Mike Kelly (R-PA) and Jim Renacci (R-OH) released a letter asking Treasury Secretary Jack Lew to release documents regarding the process and methodology that determined which GM dealerships were closed.

It’s hard to uphold a reputation as a devoutly religious terrorist group if you make millions selling cocaine. Just ask Hezbollah. Last month, the US government filed suit against a number of American and Lebanese businesses that allegedly helped bankroll the Lebanese terrorist group. The civil indictment in Manhattan blew the lid off a vast criminal network that included money-laundering, cocaine deals and more — including 30 US car dealerships that helped the group launder cash. As one investigator quipped, Hezbollah is the “Gambinos on steroids.” The indictment charges Hezbollah kingpin Ayman Joumaa with smuggling more than 100 tons of...

As many as 100,000 Americans who lost their jobs, or will soon, because of GM and Chrysler dealership closings can thank Barack Obama and his "mandate for shared sacrifice," according to a top Obama official. In a scathing report on the federal auto industry bailout, Special Inspector General Neil M. Barofsky notes that the Obama administration rejected initial automaker plans which would have required relatively minimal dealership closings, insisting instead on far more drastic cuts -- as many as two thousand dealerships between the two corporations. (snip) And Barofsky's report even questions whether the closures would lead to any real...

Video of James Anderer during “Bulls and Bears” – Fox Business News, December 29, 2009 Description: Former Chrysler Dealer Jim Anderer breaks down the continued legal action against the auto manufacturer.

Subject: Fw: Car czar To: This is unbelievable. This could be a scandal of epic proportions and one that makes Nixon's Watergate or Clinton's Monica Lewinsky affair pale by comparison. Why was there neither rhyme nor reason as to which dealerships of the Chrysler Corporation were to be closed? Roll the clock back to the weeks just before Chrysler declared bankruptcy. Chrysler, like GM, was in dire financial straights and federal government graciously offered to "buy the company" and keep them out of bankruptcy and "save jobs." Chrysler was, in the words of Obama and his administration, "Too big to...

YPSILANTI TOWNSHIP, Mich. – As Gene Butman Ford opened its doors Saturday, salesmen outnumbered the shoppers looking at a depleted stock of cars and trucks, and it didn't appear that many customers were ready to buy. Like many dealers across the country, the dealership in Ypsilanti Township, Mich., west of Detroit, is suffering from a Cash for Clunkers hangover, and Sales Manager Paul Grahl isn't sure when it will end.

General Motors Corp. is dropping the franchises of 70 percent of Cadillac dealerships nationwide and southeast Wisconsin is no exception, leaving only two area dealerships confirmed as continuing beyond 2010 — Metropolitan in West Allis and Crest in Brookfield. Metropolitan Cadillac, in fact, is running commercials urging customers whose dealers are closing to switch to its dealership. “My understanding is that there are a lot of Cadillac stores closing,” said Metropolitan president Max Stephenson. “The only two that are staying open are Metropolitan and Crest.” General Motors will not disclose the identities of dealerships that are closing. Only one area...

Immediately following Obama's coup at General Motors, and near-takeover of Chrysler as well, there was about two weeks of news coverage of the shocking number of dealerships summarily, and seemingly arbitrarily, put out of business. The demand for explanation of why and how one dealership was killed, while another was spared execution, was ever so briefly loud, then quieted, and finally silenced. This front page story moved to the back pages and, in short order, to oblivion - and the questions it raised were never answered. Case in point: Ron Marhofer, the owner of Marhofer Chevrolet in the little burg...

A coalition of consumer groups is calling on the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) to ensure, as the agency winds down the Cash for Clunkers program, that dealers are not "double-dipping" and getting paid twice -- once by their customers and again by the government. During the past several weeks, the rejection rate for Cash for Clunkers transactions has hovered around 80 percent. Many dealers jumped the gun and entered into a high volume of contracts in July, before the rules governing the program were issued and before any deals were approved. Since then, the program has been overwhelmed, causing...

* Dealer: Sales increase have been great, ‘like someone turning on a faucet’ * Edmunds.com CEO: Clunkers hangover coming as future sales expected to plumet * Dealer: Great intentions, but not prepared for paperwork * Despite gains in fuel economy, program a small blip (fraction of 1%) of overall gains for the country Watch video: http://www.cardealerreviews.org/?p=116702

Frustrated with delays, rejections and computer-system crashes, several New Hampshire auto dealers are making car buyers pledge to cover rebates if the federal government doesn't come through with checks under the Cash for Clunkers program. Auto dealers say they are doing so because the federal government is a clunker when it comes to sending out rebate checks of $3,500 or $4,500 per car. The New Hampshire Auto Dealers Association created the draft agreement earlier this month and sent it to members, said President Peter McNamara. Some dealers aren't using the agreement. Others are negotiating the agreement into the deal. McNamara...

WASHINGTON — AUG 21, 2009 — The federal cash for clunkers Web site for dealers crashed for part of the afternoon because of the government’s efforts to increase online capacity during the final days of the program, a Transportation Department spokeswoman said. At 8:00 PM ET, the website was restored for most dealers. However, some dealers have been reporting sporadic outages.

<p>WASHINGTON (AP) - The Obama administration plans to end the popular $3 billion Cash for Clunkers program on Monday, giving car shoppers a few more days to take advantage of big government incentives. The Transportation Department said Thursday the government will wind down the program on Monday at 8 p.m. EDT. Car buyers can receive rebates of $3,500 or $4,500 for trading in older vehicles for new, more fuel-efficient models.</p>