Ep. 252: Sony Honda's Afeela Is STILL In Hot Water with California New Car Dealers, Here's Why

Dealer franchise law is front and center in today's episode with Brian Maas, President of the California New Car Dealers Association (CNCDA) where we talked about the latest lawsuits involving Sony Honda's Afeela and VW's Scout Motors, how California’s franchise statutes really work, and why every OEM and dealer should be paying close attention. For example, what’s really at stake if automakers start cherry‑picking which cars go through dealers and which go direct? We also take a slight detour into the wild world of hiring a car‑buying “negotiator” with services like Delivrd. Is it innovation, or just old‑school brokering with better branding and a TikTok following? Brian breaks down where California law draws the line, why disclosure matters, and how dealers can stay on the right side of the rules while still serving their customers. Don't miss Brian's straight talk on the franchise system amid EV shifts and direct-sales experiments. If you're in autos, EVs, or just hate bad car deals, this one's a must-listen.__________________________Connect with Brian on LinkedIn__________________________Bear wants you to support his snack addiction, I mean, this show.Shop all merch here!https://evs4everyone-shop.fourthwall.com__________________________Connect with Elena:https://evs4everyone.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/elenaciccotelli/Let's talk on X:https://twitter.com/EVs_forEveryoneAre you connected with the show on LinkedIn? https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-evs-for-everyone-podcast/________________________