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Primary Sponsor

Last Action

Ch. SL 2025-412025-07-01

Vote Breakdown

Plain Language Summary

This bill strengthens protections for motor vehicle dealers in North Carolina by restricting manufacturers' ability to reject dealership ownership transfers, terminating franchises, or imposing unreasonable conditions. It also requires manufacturers to compensate dealers for over-the-air product sales, warranty work, loaner vehicles, and unsold inventory during franchise terminations, and clarifies definitions related to vehicle sales and dealer succession.

Arguments in Favor

• •Supporters argue this bill protects small business owners and family dealerships from unfair treatment by large manufacturers.
• •It ensures dealers receive fair compensation for warranty work and loaner vehicles, prevents manufacturers from using termination threats to force costly facility upgrades, allows qualified family members to inherit dealerships, and guarantees dealers get paid commissions for over-the-air vehicle features sold to their customers.
• •The bill also gives dealers more time to cure performance issues and requires manufacturers to provide adequate vehicle inventory before terminating franchises.

Arguments Against

• •Opponents contend the bill restricts manufacturers' legitimate business interests and management flexibility.
• •They argue it limits manufacturers' ability to maintain brand standards through facility requirements, makes it harder to remove underperforming dealers or unqualified successors, increases litigation costs through required attorney fee reimbursements, and creates administrative burdens with new compensation requirements for loaner vehicles and over-the-air services.
• •Some also worry the bill's broad definitions of 'selling' could unintentionally classify service-related activities as retail sales requiring dealer licensing.