Perspectives on Automotive

Welcome to the December 2024 issue of “As the (Customs and Trade) World Turns,” our monthly newsletter where we compile essential updates from the customs and trade world over the past month. We bring you the most recent and significant insights in an accessible format, concluding with our main takeaways — aka “And the Fox Says…” — on what you need to know.

ArentFox Schiff is pleased to announce the election of 15 new partners, effective January 1, 2025.

Partner Marylee Jenkins will attend the Brand Strategy Summit USA on October 8, where she will lead an interview titled “Advancing the Trademark System: A Behind-the-Scenes Look.”

The consent order includes a $1.5 million fine and other non-monetary penalties.

ArentFox Schiff represented Keeler in its sale to Open Road Capital of a majority stake in Keeler’s business, which operates Mercedes-Benz, Honda, BMW, and Mini dealerships in Albany, NY and Ridgefield, CT.

The nation’s car dealerships experienced total losses of more than $1 billion as the result of a nationwide hacking and ransomware attack on their software and systems last month.

Hyundai said it does not ‘condone any intentional falsification of sales reporting data and [has] launched an immediate investigation.’

A group of Hyundai Motor dealers has sued the South Korean automobile giant in Chicago federal court for allegedly inflating sales numbers for electric vehicles.

ArentFox Schiff is pleased to announce that 70 attorneys were recognized as leaders in their field and 23 practices spanning the firm’s litigation, regulatory, and transactional capabilities were ranked among the best in the country in the 2024 edition of Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business.

Connected vehicles, and concerns about the data they collect, are making headlines.

The Automotive Group sponsored and attended the National Association of Dealer Counsel conference in Napa Valley.

ArentFox Schiff represented Group 1 Automotive in its acquisition of Mercedes-Benz, Sprinter and Honda dealerships located in Hilton Head, South Carolina in March.

ArentFox Schiff represented Group 1 Automotive in its acquisition of Newport Lexus and Tustin Lexus in February.

ArentFox Schiff is pleased to announce the expansion of its nationally recognized Automotive practice with the addition of Partners Paul Marshall Harris, Sara Decatur Judge, Gregory S. Paonessa, and Kelly Kirby Ballentine in the firm’s Boston office.

With 2024 underway, we highlight some of the most pressing legal issues facing the automotive industry this year, including a surprise Federal Trade Commission (FTC) rule, changes to manufacturer direct-to-consumer sales, and federal pressure on the electric vehicle (EV) industry.

Toyota, the world’s largest automaker, has been criticized for selling few electric vehicles, but its decision to focus on hybrids is paying off financially.

The German luxury carmaker is one of only a few established automakers that has been able to compete with top EV brands.

The Corporate Transparency Act will now require certain entities to register with FinCEN.

National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) annual conference takeaways.

The Automotive Group co-sponsor the “Dealer Thought Leader Dinner” during the NADA Conference in Las Vegas, bringing together industry leaders for an enlightening conversation.

On January 24, the Speeding and Fatality Emergency Reduction on California Streets (SAFER California Streets) Package was introduced in an effort to increase safety on California roads.

Waymo has filed a request to the California Public Utilities Commission to expand robotaxi service in the Los Angeles and San Francisco Bay Area regions.

Automotive Group Leader Aaron Jacoby and Counsel Gordon Sung authored an article in the Daily Journal providing their insights on the Dec. 1, 2023 California Public Utilities Commission Order to Show Cause that was issued to a well-known robotaxi operator in San Francisco, the first step in levying unprecedented sanctions against the company for alleged reporting omissions related to an Oct. 2, 2023 driverless operations incident involving a pedestrian.

Sales of battery-electric vehicles (EVs) in the U.S. may have climbed above the one million unit mark this year but there’s evidence they’re stalled at base camp rather than sprinting to new sales summits.

On November 8, 2023, nearly thirty (30) labor groups including the International Brotherhood of Teamsters and the United Auto Workers (“Labor Groups”) sent a letter to the Secretary of Transportation and the Acting Administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (“NHTSA”)