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NEW ORLEANS (Jan. 24, 2025)—In his final address to the country’s franchised new-car dealers as the 2024 NADA Chairman, Gary Gilchrist called on dealers across the country to join NADA in “playing more offense” against the kind of regulatory overreach and OEM intrusion that has plagued the industry recently and that is so harmful to customers and dealers alike. 

“Dealers have never played a more central role in delivering the best possible customer experience than they do today,” Gilchrist, a third-generation dealer, said at the 2025 NADA Show in New Orleans. “And as of just a few days ago, the federal government is getting out of the business of telling you how to sell cars, and what kinds of cars you have to sell. And I have only one thing to say in response to that: It’s about time.”

Gilchrist channeled the optimism felt throughout the dealer body about a return to a more realistic and achievable regulatory environment under the Trump administration and the 119th Congress, and explained that with the change in leadership in Washington, D.C., NADA and dealer advocates everywhere “can finally stop playing constant defense, and can start playing more offense.”

“We’re going to push for sensible, workable and achievable emissions regulations that finally, finally put the customer at the head of the table,” Gilchrist said. “And you bet we’re going to keep pushing to stop the Federal Trade Commission’s disastrous Vehicle Shopping Rule from taking effect.”

Gilchrist addressed not just advocacy in the federal government, but within the industry, as well. In the last several months, two manufacturers have announced they will attempt a direct sales model. Gilchrist addressed the issue head-on.

“Let me say it plainly, so it is clear to everyone: Any decision by any automaker to try to compete with or cut out its dealer partners is misguided,” he said. “Any direct-sales model would do nothing less than undermine any automaker’s relationship with its franchised dealers, and every single one of those dealers has already made significant investments in their current brands and future products.”

Gilchrist reminded his fellow dealers of the priorities he set at the beginning of his term: to increase NADA engagement with dealer members and to strengthen NADA’s relationship with the state and metro dealer associations across the country. 

“Our industry’s need, our customers’ need and our country’s need for a strong franchise system, to sell and service new vehicles, and to deliver the customer experience that today’s marketplace demands, has never been more apparent than it is right now, today,” he said. 

Dealership satisfaction scores hit an all-time high at the end of 2024, according to Cox Automotive. Gilchrist credits dealerships’ commitments to transparency and fairness, and their dedication to meet each customer’s needs. 

“In all of my years of involvement with NADA, and with my own state association in Washington, I have never seen a dealer body so engaged, and so willing to roll up their sleeves and become such strong dealer advocates,” he said. “And for the first time in almost a decade, you are in charge of your own destiny.”

Gilchrist, president of Gilchrist Chevrolet Buick GMC, Inc. in Tacoma, Wash., previously led the Washington State Auto Dealers Association and the Washington State Auto Dealer Insurance Trust. He has represented Washington on the NADA Board of Directors since 2017.