Everything old is new again: That might be your first impression upon scanning the list at right of the key themes of each NADA annual convention since the end of World War II.
Government regulation. Factory-dealer tensions. Profitability concerns. Warranties. War jitters. Economic good times and slumps.
Pick a decade, and one of these topics probably dominated hallway talk at one of the conventions.
But some burning issues of the past are nonissues now. "Territory security" was a hot-button topic in 1954, 1955, 1958 and 1960. Today, not so much, largely because of a major theme in 1998: "Coming to grips with the Internet."
One of 1980's big issues was "Concern over rising import tide." Unless President-elect Donald Trump turns his protectionist talk into action, that issue seems unlikely to recur.
But government regulation, profitability concerns and warranty payments? It's a safe bet that these themes will reappear in coming decades.
