'Auto Trends' First State Of The Minority Car Dealer: Trump's 25% Tariffs, DEI, EVs And More (Two Shows)

Ethnic minority new cars dealers own 1,574 of today's 16,957 dealerships in the United States, according to the latest stats provided by National Automobile Dealer Association (NADA) and the National Association of Minority Automobile Dealers (NAMAD). Thus, this number equates to 9 percent of today's new car dealerships being owned by ethnic minority dealers. 

Ironically, ethnic minority consumers drive 33 percent of today's new car sales, according to S&P Global Mobility's Marc Bland, a specialist in multicultural car sales. Out of the approximately 16 million new vehicles sold in the United States in 2024 through new car dealers, ethnic minority car buyers accounted for 5.3 million of those new vehicle sales.

While ethnic minority consumers play a substantial role in driving industry sales and keeping the auto assembly plants humming, when it comes to having ownership in new-car franchises, its not reflective of the group's buying power. With the average new-vehicle transaction price hovering around $49,000, ethnic car buyers contributed over $259 billion in new-vehicle sales in 2024.

Both Black and Asian car buyers each accounted for 8 percent of new car sales. Based on pure numbers, each of the groups individually should have access to owning 1,356 new car franchises. Yet, as a group, ethnic dealers only own less than a combined total of 1,600 of today's new-car franchises. In a world based on equality, ethnic dealers should own 5,652 new-car dealerships.

This same imbalance of franchise ownership  exists with major professional sports teams, too. For instance, upon examining the 32 NFL teams, only 2 are owned by ethnic minorities. Thus, this equates to only 6 percent of NFL teams being owed by this group. However, according to d2football.com, a website that has been covering Division II football since 2000, 23 percent of the NFL's fanbase is made up of Hispanic and Black consumers. 

With that said on Auto Trends with JeffCars.com, the only syndicated multicultural automotive program in North America, we're holding our first state of the minority dealer talk. As any franchise owner will tell you, specifically those who own dealerships and sports teams, its a means of creating generational wealth. As a note of reference, throughout the years a number of current and retired NFL owners, coaches and players have had an invested interest in new-vehicle franchises.  

In an insightful and revealing two-part conversation, the dealers will discuss the headwinds they face individually and collectively under the current economic climate, where they are encountering stubbornly high interest rates, anti-DEI sentiments, Trump's 25 percent new-car tariffs and shifting electric vehicle commitments from the federal government. Since the price of entry into this exclusive franchise ownership club for both dealerships and sports teams aren't cheap, we will discuss the current financial state of the minority dealers, too. 

Ray Fregia Jr., the newly elected chairman of NAMAD and the owner of the Illinois-based Courtesy Auto Group, joins us for the first time. Fregia's portfolio of dealerships include Jeep, Dodge, Ram, Chrysler, Ford and Nissan.

And Jim Colon, who is the president of Toyota Lexus Minority Owners Dealers Association (TLMODA), last appeared on our program in 2018, after transitioning from a high-ranking executive position at Toyota to a new car dealer. Colon, who was both Lexus and Toyota's first Black vice president of sales in the U.S., is the co-owner of the Washington State-based Marysville Toyota.

How To Tune In On SiriusXM And Radio Outlets

To Tune In To Part One Of The Conversation

To hear the conversation, tune in to Auto Trends with JeffCars.com, on Saturday, May 17 thru Thursday, May 22. The program will air on SiriusXM 141 and on several FM radio and online outlets. To get an updated schedule, visit Jeffcars.com or tune in here.

To Tune In To Part Two Of The Conversation

To hear the conversation, tune in to Auto Trends with JeffCars.com, on Saturday, May 24 thru Thursday, May 29. The program will air on SiriusXM 141 and on several FM radio and online outlets. To access an updated schedule, visit Jeffcars.com or tune in here.

Podcast Availability - Extended Conversation

The program will be available with the extended conversation via podcast on Friday, May 30.

Rebroadcast On SiriusXM And Radio Outlets

The two-part program will reair on SiriusXM and radio affiliates Saturday, August 23. thru Thursday, September 4 to coincide with NAMAD's 45th annual convention in Los Vegas.