GNYADA Fires Back at NYC Mayor for Telling New Yorkers Not to Buy Cars

Mayor de Blasio, during a press conference yesterday, told New Yorkers not to buy a car.  The Mayor’s comments are indicative of how out of step he is with the current situation and, quite frankly, completely tone deaf to the needs of his own constituents.

 As the pandemic raged throughout the city, many New Yorkers did not feel safe on subways and buses, where social distancing is all but impossible. For countless New Yorkers, including essential workers who must get to their jobs, a personal vehicle has been a lifeline that ensures they can continue to support their families while staying safe.

As franchise new car dealers, you played an incredibly important role in helping our city, including our heroic first responders and medical professionals, safely commute to their jobs so they could help their fellow New Yorkers get through this trying time. For that, you deserve a collective thanks of a wounded city, not careless statements by the Mayor that could hurt your businesses.

The Mayor also fails to recognize that New York City is not just Manhattan. Residents of Staten Island, Queens, Brooklyn, and the Bronx often do not have the same access to mass transit, even in the best of times. 

 The concept of  the mayor giving advice that makes it more difficult for New Yorkers to safely support themselves and participate in the economy shows how little he understands the reality of how many New Yorkers live; not to mention the importance of the new car industry to the city’s retail sector, which is already being devastated by the COVID-19 crisis. 

Franchise new car dealers employ more than 10,000 people in New York City and generate $2.5 billion in state and local tax revenue throughout the downstate region. At a time when brick-and-mortar retail is suffering, unemployment remains at catastrophic levels, and so many New Yorkers are experiencing severe anxiety about their immediate economic future, it is critical that our city leadership supports one of the most important industries in our local economy.

New York City is also the home of the largest Auto Show in the Country, with over 1 million people attending each year.  Attendees to the show are mostly from the New York City area and are paying entrance fees to help with their decision on what – not if – their next car purchase will be.  The show alone generates $300 million for the local economy.  We suggest the Mayor take a look at the city’s balance sheets before destroying an important business industry and an iconic event like the New York Auto Show.

The Association will call and demand that he rescinds his comments and look more to working with industries such as Automotive Retailers to help solve the problems instead of creating new ones.