In a unified effort, key leaders from the Mississippi Automobile Dealers Association (MADA) joined forces with dealers and dealer association executives from across the nation during the NADA Washington Conference. MADA Chairman Paxton King, NADA Director Michael Joe Cannon, Auto PAC Chairman Roger Bacon and MADA President Marty Milstead traveled to Capitol Hill to urge Congress to address critical issues impacting car dealerships and their customers. NEW FTC RULE HARMS CAR BUYERS A major concern raised by the MADA delegation was the Federal Trade Commission’s Vehicle Shopping Rule (VSR), which is set to introduce significant challenges for both consumers and dealers. Rather than streamlining the car-buying process, the rule could inundate buyers with extensive paperwork, making the purchase of a vehicle more difficult and less enjoyable. The VSR, finalized despite significant procedural shortcomings and a lack of robust data analysis, is expected to add a crippling $38 billion in costs over the next decade, according to a study by the Center for Automotive Research. Instead of fostering transparency, this regulation threatens to burden the car-buying experience with unnecessary red tape, ultimately raising costs and causing confusion for customers. ELECTRIC VEHICLE MANDATES GO TOO FAR, TOO FAST Dealers across the nation are united in opposing the EPA’s aggressive electric vehicle (EV) mandates, which call for 56% of all vehicle sales to be electric by 2032. These targets ignore the current consumer demand, financial realities and infrastructure readiness, especially in regions like Mississippi. With inadequate charging infrastructure, limited incentives and the high upfront costs of EVs, millions of Americans — especially those from low-income households — may find themselves priced out of the new vehicle market. During their meetings, MADA leaders urged Mississippi’s congressional delegation to take a stand against the EPA’s de facto EV mandates, which threaten to create an unaffordable and impractical vehicle market for average consumers. In their appeal to Congress, MADA underscored the importance of creating policies that reflect the realities of the automotive industry, consumer needs and the economic well-being of the nation. 21
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