Dealer advocacy delivered tangible results in 2025, helping shape a strong year for U.S. franchise retailers, said National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) CEO Mike Stanton. Joining us on the latest episode of Inside Automotive, Stanton outlines the industry’s sales momentum, regulatory wins, and the priorities guiding NADA into 2026.
According to Stanton, dealers are on track to sell more than 16 million vehicles this year. He also notes that, while performance varied by manufacturer, the sector’s overall results were positive, with profitability improving compared with 2024.
Beyond sales, Stanton emphasizes the importance of deal-led advocacy, attributing major policy outcomes to dealer members and state and metro associations.
Stanton outlines policy wins, including:
- Defeated the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) vehicle shopping rule
- Blocking the California Air Resources Board waiver
- Securing favorable tax provisions for dealers in the administration’s tax legislation, with several provisions made permanent
- Gaining a transition period following the expiration of the federal EV tax credit, allowing dealers time to adjust
"It was a team effort from the start and when we work together as an industry with a common goal, we get stuff done."
Stanton said the collective effort across the industry was critical to those outcomes, noting that alignment between NADA, state associations, and dealer members helped deliver results in Washington.
Heading into the new year, Stanton says NADA will continue to support legal challenges from EV makers such as Scout, Rivian, Lucid, and Tesla. He argues that bypassing the franchise system undermines both dealers and consumers, adding that comparisons between buying a vehicle and purchasing consumer goods online ignore the complexity of auto retail, including financing, trade-ins, and regulatory requirements.
On fuel-economy policy, Stanton highlights NADA Chairman Tom Castriota’s involvement in discussions to reform Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards, calling the proposed changes a more practical approach for the industry.
2026 NADA Show
The upcoming NADA show, slated to run Tuesday through Friday, February 3-6, is seeing strong registration momentum after weather disruptions affected last year’s event in New Orleans, Stanton notes. With more than 600 exhibitors confirmed, hotel availability is tightening, and the education program will focus on AI and its real-world applications for dealerships.
As the industry enters 2026, Stanton said NADA’s priorities remain focused on advocacy, education, and strengthening the franchise dealer model.
