In February of this year, Mercedes-Benz and Sonic Automotive, a publicly traded corporation that owns more than 100 new-car dealerships, settled a four-year-old lawsuit. It was a very public airing of a typical disagreement between an automobile maker and its dealers. As manufacturers produce the wares dealers sell and dealers distribute the manufacturers’ products, a cooperative, familial relationship between them might seem natural. But these ostensible allies frequently clash over various aspects of their lucrative business, and their interactions are often more like that of combatants in a boxing ring. It’s a relationship that can affect nearly every aspect of your new-car buying experience, from the style of chair you sit on to whether your local dealer even has the model you want in stock to how aggressively the dealer will nag you to fill out a customer survey after the sale. READ MORE ››
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