MENU
SEARCH
WASHINGTON - Dealer advocates are questioning whether a federal audit that challenged dealership cuts by General Motors and Chrysler was delayed until after arbitration hearings were completed, Automotive News reported.
The report by the inspector general for the Troubled Asset Relief Program was released Sunday, after the last of more than 100 dealer arbitration hearings was completed Wednesday, July 14. The federal audit began a year ago.
Two dealer advocates said they had had extensive contacts with audit staff, which suggested that the report was on the verge of being released at least six months ago. A third advocate said an auditor told him in May that a draft was being circulated within the administration.
The U.S. Treasury Department's brief response to the draft was sent Friday, July 16.
“This seems like too much of a coincidence to be a coincidence,” said Tammy Darvish, a co-leader of the Committee to Restore Dealer Rights, a rejected-dealer group.
Dealer lawyers said the 33-page report would have provided ammunition for them to use in seeking reinstatement for rejected dealerships.
The inspector general's office said today that the timing of its report was a coincidence and that no decision was made to withhold the report until after arbitrations were completed.
“It's impossible for a deadline to have been breached on this because we didn't set a deadline for it,” Kris Belisle, a spokeswoman for the inspector general, said in an e-mail. “We will sometimes predict a rough time frame, but always with the understanding that nothing is firm. We did not release this report earlier for the simple reason that it was not yet ready.”
Belisle declined to comment on dealer contacts with audit staff.
A recent price spike due to several larger market forces, though it hasn’t dulled demand, is pushing more consumers to efficient models to squeeze in buys.
Read More →
A group out West picked up the major D.C.-area collection, putting it in the upper tiers of private automotive groups in the U.S.
Read More →
Lenders loosened access for subprime borrowers, and consumers with negative equity reached a record high, Cox Automotive reported.
Read More →
U.S. consumer interest in electric vehicles lags behind other countries despite the rising gas prices caused by the ongoing war in the Middle East.
Read More →
Research reveals the brands and models most likely to have higher recall rates over their lifetimes. While some brands rank high, addressing safety issues can be a selling point.
Read More →
Cox Automotive data shows Americans doubled down on big-is-better despite price increases. Slightly higher incentives helped fuel the demand.
Read More →
Cox Automotive research shows both the opportunities and the challenges in turning consumers’ growing affordability needs into increased fixed-operations revenue.
Read More →
The partner you choose for growth and expansion is key, because better is the ultimate goal instead of growth for growth’s sake.
Read More →
The dealership profit center plays an important role in customer retention, and generation Z customers are showing the highest loyalty rates, based on recent CDK Global data.
Read More →
The Point Predictive study traced a pattern across more than 100 websites it believes are being developed by an international theft ring.
Read More →