A Message from VADA President and CEO Don Hall
December 2025
Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and Happy Holidays to all our members and friends of Virginia’s franchised dealers. I hope you take time to be with your families and friends — and be sure to tell those on your sales floors, operations teams, and parts and service departments just how much they matter.
As we close 2025 strong, we look back at a year of major wins and offer a preview of what’s ahead.
See you in 2026.
— Don Hall, VADA
Legislative wins: Warranty reimbursement reformed
VADA led a landmark overhaul of Virginia’s warranty and recall reimbursement laws, correcting years of imbalance between dealerships and manufacturers. The new statute, effective July 1, 2025, ensures dealerships are fairly compensated for OEM-mandated work and reduces administrative friction:
- No more "reasonableness" loophole: OEMs can no longer deny a dealer’s retail rate based on comparisons to other stores.
- Pay for diagnostic technician time: Reimbursement is now required for time spent waiting on OEM approvals or communicating during warranty and recall repairs.
- Recall parts pricing protection: The reimbursed amount for recall parts must be the highest retail price from the past 12 months.
- Rental reimbursement clarity: Dealers can be reimbursed for rentals within 30 days of payment, regardless of vehicle type.
- Return of unused recall parts: Dealers may now return unused parts from recall repairs, reducing waste and inventory strain.
Dealer Day 2025
More than 100 representatives from Virginia’s franchised car and truck dealerships came to Richmond to support our legislative agenda and stand up for Virginia’s technicians and franchise system. We’ll be back even stronger on Dealer Day 2026: January 28. Register for it here.
Virginia dealer experts on tariffs
2025 brought market uncertainty not seen since the pandemic — and VADA was ready. As new tariffs on foreign auto imports took effect, Virginia dealers Geoffrey Pohanka, Cameron Johnson, and Dan Banister joined a CBT News roundtable to discuss the short- and long-term consequences of the Trump Administration’s tariff policies. Watch/listen to the interview.
Regulatory updates: New Buyer's Orders for Sales and Leases
For the first time in years, Virginia completed a full overhaul of the Buyer's Order, including the introduction of a Lease Buyer’s Order. These updates provide greater consumer clarity, help dealers meet modern compliance standards, and reduce legal ambiguity. Get them here from our partners at Reynolds & Reynolds.
Myers joins Virginia Motor Vehicle Dealer Board
In March, longtime Harrisonburg dealer and former VADA chair Dick Myers was sworn in as a member of the Virginia Motor Vehicle Dealer Board, which is tasked with overseeing dealer regulation. Myers joins a group of franchised and independent dealers, along with consumer representatives, appointed by the Governor.
Congrats to Virginia dealer Dick Myers, recently sworn in as a member of the Virginia Motor Vehicle Dealer Board. Led by Virginia DMV Commissioner Gerald Lackey, the Board is made up of franchised and independent dealers and a consumer representative and is charged with administering the laws and regulations of retail dealers. Pictured: Myers (with wife Susanne), son Andy (the third gen to operate the CJDR dealership) and Dick's daughter Tracey May.
Convention highlights
VADA’s 2025 Annual Convention brought together dealers, policymakers, and industry partners to strategize around the future of the franchise system. We thank our sponsors, speakers, and attendees for making this event a success.
See photos from VADA '25 | Register for 2026
Roger Keller named VADA Chair
Roger Keller, vice president and platform director at Sheehy Auto Stores, was named Chairman of VADA for 2025–26. With nearly four decades in the auto industry and oversight of seven Virginia dealerships, Keller is believed to be the only person to have chaired two different state dealer associations — previously leading the Automobile Dealers Association of Indiana before joining VADA’s board in 2019. Known for his servant-leadership style and people-first approach, Keller brings wisdom, humility, and strategic vision to the role. Here's our profile of Roger.
NADA representation: Chris Lindsay elected
Virginia elected a new NADA director in 2025: Chris Lindsay of Lindsay Automotive. Chris is a past VADA chair and PAC leader, and now represents Virginia’s dealers on the national stage. We thank Mike Suttle of Suttle Motors for his two terms of dedicated service.
New NADA Director for Virginia Chris Lindsay (left) with VADA's Don Hall in April.
Emily Beck named TIME Dealer of the Year for Virginia
Emily Marlow Beck, president of Marlow Automotive Group and past VADA chair, was named Virginia’s 2025 TIME Dealer of the Year. She is the first woman to represent the Commonwealth in this national competition since 1998. The national winner will be announced at the 2026 NADA Show in Las Vegas. See our exclusive interview with Emily on VADA Live.
California pushes back on Afeela
Following move by the California New Car Dealers Association to issue a cease-and-desist against Honda/Sony’s direct-to-consumer Afeela venture, VADA’s Hall wrote a guest column in Automotive News arguing that legacy automakers seeking to bypass dealers are eroding trust and violating franchise principles.
VADA responds to U.S. automakers' Justice Department franchise examination request
The U.S. Department of Justice.
In July, VADA came out against the Alliance for Automotive Innovation and a letter it sent to the Department of Justice asking the federal government to examine state franchise laws. And Don's media tour continued as he defended the merits of the franchise system in several media interviews.
- Get the basics on the issue in Automotive News
- Read the Alliance's May 27 letter to the Justice Department
- See NADA's May 27 letter to the Justice Department's Anticompetitive Regulations Task Force
- Watch Don's interview on CBT News' Inside Automotive
Fixed ops: Still the king
In media appearances and his monthly columns, Don Hall emphasized the importance of fixed operations to dealer profitability and customer retention. As he often says, service is the heartbeat of your dealership. The National Automobile Dealers Association published an op-ed by Don on its website.
VADA Live on AI
In 2025, VADA Live, our podcast platform, explored how artificial intelligence is reshaping the dealership model — from marketing to service scheduling to F&I compliance. We’ll continue these conversations in 2026.
Looking ahead to 2026: Political change and policy challenges
Virginia begins 2026 with a new Democratic Governor, Abigail Spanberger, and a 64–36 Democratic majority in the House of Delegates.
- Committee leadership will shift, with a projected 15–7 partisan split on key House committees.
- 17 freshmen Delegates and 49 members with four years or less of experience will require sustained education and outreach from VADA and its members.
Much of our work in the 2026 General Assembly will be focused on education to get new lawmakers up to speed on the franchise system. But there are policy shifts on our radar.
Policy fights to watch
- Sales & Use Tax (SUT): A statewide transit funding study has identified an SUT increase as a potential revenue source.
- Service taxes: Lawmakers are exploring a sales tax on vehicle repair services — VADA strongly opposes any policy that raises consumer costs or targets dealers unfairly.
VADA will introduce legislation to shift lease taxation from upfront SUT on the full lease value to a tax on lease payments. It will also propose eliminating the exemption on lease-end purchases. The bills will be carried by Sen. Lamont Bagby and Del. Kathy Tran.
…and we’ll have much more to share in the new year.