Automotive News recently published a guest commentary by VADA President and CEO Don Hall on the California New Car Dealers Association’s cease-and-desist letter to American Honda and Sony Honda Mobility of America’s joint venture Afeela. CNCDA demands the manufacturer immediately halt direct sales to consumers.

“Direct sales from a manufacturer’s EV brand isn’t innovation. It’s circumvention,” Don writes. “The trend is clear and troubling. Established automakers are trying to carve out EV brands as legal workarounds to franchise protections. But creating a new nameplate doesn’t erase corporate ownership, nor does it erase decades of public policy that prioritizes consumer protection, price transparency, and local economic and community investment.”

The California New Car Dealers Association’s message was clear: Afeela is Honda, and Honda is not above the law.

Read the full article on Automotive News.