Business View Magazine | Volume 9, Issue 2

53 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 9, ISSUE 2 Economic Picture Representing, informing, and educating independent automobile dealers is TIADA’s guiding purpose. The industry contributes significantly to the Texas economy. The Texas used automobile industry represents a market size of $14.7 billion (up from $10.4 billion in 2011). Texas represents 9.6% of the total used car market in the United States, which is not surprising since Texas ranks second in the nation in automobile registrations annually. There are over 14,000 used car dealerships in Texas, and they employ tens of thousands of Texans. In addition to direct employment, used automobile dealers hire a variety of workers in delivery, transportation, parts, and services, among many other professionals. “The industry is an essential part of the Texas economy. Our members provide transportation that allows people to get to school, the grocery store, the hospital, and work,” said TIADA Executive Director Jeff Martin. There are nearly 17 million licensed drivers in Texas, and most of them drive to work. TIADA’s membership includes the big dealers like CarMax, DriveTime, and Vroom, as well as the smaller dealers who sell five to ten vehicles per month and employ between one and fifteen staff members. These dealers rely on the association for its efforts in advocacy, compliance, and education, among other things. 2021 was a difficult year for independent car dealers in Texas and across the country. Dealerships everywhere are facing an unprecedented inventory shortage. With new car production falling far behind demand, franchise dealerships are hanging on to units they would otherwise have put up for auction in previous years. For independent dealers, this means traveling further than ever before to find automobiles that are more expensive and not always in the best condition. To compound the problem, dealers are spending TEXAS INDEPENDENT AUTOMOB I LE DEALERS ASSOC I AT ION Executive Director, Jeff Martin