Insights on Automotive

Welcome to “Beyond the Lot,” a podcast series hosted by Kevin Timson that invites industry experts to weigh in on trends and auto retail business topics.

ArentFox Schiff represented Grupo Inlosa, a Mexico-based automotive retail group expanding its US operations, in acquiring Toyota of Pharr in February. The store was purchased from Penske Automotive Group Inc., a publicly traded US automotive retailer. Grupo Inlosa anticipates that the new store will complement its nearby Buick GMC dealership.

ArentFox Schiff advised Knight Automotive Group, a Canada-based automotive retail group, in its sale of Elk Grove Subaru to Lithia Motors, Inc., the nation’s largest automotive dealership group (ranked by total units sold).

ArentFox Schiff represented Trophy Automotive Dealer Group in acquiring Kia of Cerritos, the nation’s second highest-volume Kia dealership, from Lou Sobh Automotive.

As car buyers rush to get in front of tariffs — which are widely expected to boost sticker prices — the flood of demand has been pushing new vehicle prices ever higher, with the trend unlikely to stop any time soon, experts said.

A Michigan economics group, calculating tariff impact after President Donald Trump’s latest executive orders, has estimated that the least-impacted vehicles will still face a $2,000 tariff and the most impacted will see a tariff of $15,000.

AFS Automotive’s Franjo M. Dolenac appeared on a panel with alumnus, Rob Cohen of Vitu, at the New Motor Vehicle Board’s Roundtable held in Sacramento, California on April 27, 2025 to talk about late title transfers for used vehicles.

Cox Automotive predicts 700,000 fewer vehicles will be sold in the United States this year due to tariff volatility.

AFS Automotive’s Kevin Timson and Charles Gallaer chatted with the Eastern New York Coalition of Automotive Retailers on their latest stop of the “2025 Buy-Sell Hot Topics” tour.

Final order requires company to pay over $630,000 in fines and change its business practices.

Automotive Group Leader and Los Angeles Managing Partner Aaron Jacoby shared his insight on autonomous vehicles in a special ride-along with Waymo robotaxi.

AFS Automotive’s Kevin Timson and Charles Gallaer tell us about top trends that impact negotiations in dealership acquisitions.  Have a listen to their first stop on the “2025 Buy-Sell Hot Topics” tour!

In this episode, Aaron H. Jacoby, who leads AFS Automotive, and Franjo M. Dolenac explore challenges dealerships face with the onslaught of DMV investigations into late title and registration transfers and resulting administrative, civil, and criminal actions.

ArentFox Schiff’s Forced Labor Enforcement Task Force published its first annual report last year to help multinational companies navigate the complexities of forced labor laws in the United States and in countries around the world. Since our last report, forced labor enforcement has developed rapidly, with many of our predictions materializing in 2024.

Proposed settlement requires Leader and its Canadian parent company, AutoCanada, to turn over $20 million, include full offering price in ads, and get consent for all charges.

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.