AB 1178, as amended, Achadjian. Vehicles: manufacturers and distributors.
Existing law generally requires abegin delete manufacturererend deletebegin insert manufacturerend insert, distributor, transporter, or dealer of vehicles to be licensed by the Department of Motor Vehicles. Under existing law, it is unlawful for a manufacturer, manufacturer branch, distributor, or distributor branch to engage in specified practices, includingbegin delete unfairly discriminating in favor of a dealership owned or controlled by a manufacturer or distributor, as specified.end deletebegin insert taking or threatening to take any adverse action against a dealer pursuant to an export or
sale-for-resale prohibition because the dealer sold or leased a vehicle to a customer who either exported the vehicle to a foreign country or resold the vehicle in violation of the prohibition, unless the export or sale-for-resale prohibition policy was provided to the dealer in writing prior to the sale or lease, and the dealer knew or reasonably should have known of the customer’s intent to export or resell the vehicle in violation of the prohibition at the time of sale or lease. Existing law further provides that if the dealer causes the vehicle to be registered in this or any other state, and collects or causes to be collected any applicable sales or use tax due to this state, a rebuttable presumption is established that the dealer did not have reason to know of the customer’s intent to export or resell the vehicle. A violation of these provisions is a crime.end insert
This bill wouldbegin insert
recast the provisions relating to export and sale-for-resale prohibitions described above to provide that it would be unlawful to take or threaten to take any adverse action against a dealer pursuant to an export or sale-for-resale prohibition because the dealer sold or leased a vehicle to a customer who either exported the vehicle to a foreign country or resold the vehicle in violation of the prohibition if the dealer causes the vehicle to be registered in this or any other state, and collects or causes to be collected any applicable sales or use tax due to this state. By expanding the scope of these provisions, the violation of which is a crime, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program.end insertbegin insert This bill wouldend insert makebegin insert additionalend insert technical, nonsubstantive changes tobegin delete that provisionend deletebegin insert
those provisionsend insert.
The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.
end insertbegin insertThis bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.
end insertVote: majority.
Appropriation: no.
Fiscal committee: begin deleteno end deletebegin insertyesend insert.
State-mandated local program: begin deleteno end deletebegin insertyesend insert.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
Section 11713.3 of the Vehicle Code is amended
2to read:
It is unlawful and a violation of this code for a
4manufacturer, manufacturer branch, distributor, or distributor
5branch licensed pursuant to this code to do, directly or indirectly
6through an affiliate, any of the following:
7(a) To refuse or fail to deliver in reasonable quantities and within
8a reasonable time after receipt of an order from a dealer having a
9franchise for the retail sale of a new vehicle sold or distributed by
10the manufacturer or distributor, a new vehicle or parts or
11accessories to new vehicles as are covered by the franchise, if the
12vehicle, parts, or accessories are publicly advertised as being
13available for delivery or actually being delivered. This subdivision
14is not violated,
however, if the failure is caused by acts or causes
P3 1beyond the control of the manufacturer, manufacturer branch,
2distributor, or distributor branch.
3(b) To prevent or require, or attempt to prevent or require, by
4contract or otherwise, a change in the capital structure of a
5dealership or the means by or through which the dealer finances
6the operation of the dealership, if the dealer at all times meets
7reasonable capital standards agreed to by the dealer and the
8manufacturer or distributor, and if a change in capital structure
9does not cause a change in the principal management or have the
10effect of a sale of the franchise without the consent of the
11manufacturer or distributor.
12(c) To prevent or require, or attempt to prevent or require, a
13dealer to change the executive
management of a dealership, other
14than the principal dealership operator or operators, if the franchise
15was granted to the dealer in reliance upon the personal
16qualifications of that person.
17(d) (1) Except as provided in subdivision (t), to prevent or
18require, or attempt to prevent or require, by contract or otherwise,
19a dealer, or an officer, partner, or stockholder of a dealership, the
20sale or transfer of a part of the interest of any of them to another
21person. A dealer, officer, partner, or stockholder shall not, however,
22have the right to sell, transfer, or assign the franchise, or a right
23thereunder, without the consent of the manufacturer or distributor
24except that the consent shall not be unreasonably withheld.
25(2) (A) For the
transferring franchisee to fail, prior to the sale,
26transfer, or assignment of a franchisee or the sale, assignment, or
27transfer of all, or substantially all, of the assets of the franchised
28business or a controlling interest in the franchised business to
29another person, to notify the manufacturer or distributor of the
30franchisee’s decision to sell, transfer, or assign the franchise. The
31notice shall be in writing and shall include all of the following:
32(i) The proposed transferee’s name and address.
33(ii) A copy of all of the agreements relating to the sale,
34assignment, or transfer of the franchised business or its assets.
35(iii) The proposed transferee’s application for approval to
36become the successor franchisee. The application
shall include
37forms and related information generally utilized by the
38manufacturer or distributor in reviewing prospective franchisees,
39if those forms are readily made available to existing franchisees.
40As soon as practicable after receipt of the proposed transferee’s
P4 1application, the manufacturer or distributor shall notify the
2franchisee and the proposed transferee of information needed to
3make the application complete.
4(B) For the manufacturer or distributor, to fail, on or before 60
5days after the receipt of all of the information required pursuant
6to subparagraph (A), or as extended by a written agreement
7between the manufacturer or distributor and the franchisee, to
8notify the franchisee of the approval or the disapproval of the sale,
9transfer, or assignment of the franchise. The notice shall be in
10writing and shall be personally
served or sent by certified mail,
11return receipt requested, or by guaranteed overnight delivery
12service that provides verification of delivery and shall be directed
13to the franchisee. A proposed sale, assignment, or transfer shall
14be deemed approved, unless disapproved by the franchisor in the
15manner provided by this subdivision. If the proposed sale,
16assignment, or transfer is disapproved, the franchisor shall include
17in the notice of disapproval a statement setting forth the reasons
18for the disapproval.
19(3) In an action in which the manufacturer’s or distributor’s
20withholding of consent under this subdivision or subdivision (e)
21is an issue, whether the withholding of consent was unreasonable
22is a question of fact requiring consideration of all the existing
23circumstances.
24(e) To prevent, or attempt to prevent, a dealer from receiving
25fair and reasonable compensation for the value of the franchised
26business. There shall not be a transfer or assignment of the dealer’s
27franchise without the consent of the manufacturer or distributor.
28The manufacturer or distributor shall not unreasonably withhold
29consent or condition consent upon the release, assignment,
30novation, waiver, estoppel, or modification of a claim or defense
31by the dealer.
32(f) To obtain money, goods, services, or another benefit from
33a person with whom the dealer does business, on account of, or in
34relation to, the transaction between the dealer and that other person,
35other than for compensation for services rendered, unless the
36benefit is promptly accounted for, and transmitted to, the dealer.
37(g) (1) Except as provided in paragraph (3), to obtain from a
38dealer or enforce against a dealer an agreement, provision, release,
39assignment, novation, waiver, or estoppel that does any of the
40following:
P5 1(A) Modifies or disclaims a duty or obligation of a manufacturer,
2manufacturer branch, distributor, distributor branch, or
3representative, or a right or privilege of a dealer, pursuant to
4Chapter 4 (commencing with Section 11700) of Division 5 or
5Chapter 6 (commencing with Section 3000) of Division 2.
6(B) Limits or constrains the right of a dealer to file, pursue, or
7submit evidence in connection with a protest before the board.
8(C) Requires a dealer to terminate a franchise.
9(D) Requires a controversy between a manufacturer,
10manufacturer branch, distributor, distributor branch, or
11representative and a dealer to be referred to a person for a binding
12determination. However, this subparagraph does not prohibit
13arbitration before an independent arbitrator, provided that whenever
14a motor vehicle franchise contract provides for the use of arbitration
15to resolve a controversy arising out of, or relating to, that contract,
16arbitration may be used to settle the controversy only if, after the
17controversy arises, all parties to the controversy consent in writing
18to use arbitration to settle the controversy. For the purpose of this
19subparagraph, the terms “motor vehicle” and “motor vehicle
20franchise contract” shall have the same meaning as defined in
21Section 1226 of Title 15 of the United States Code. If arbitration
22is
elected to settle a dispute under a motor vehicle franchise
23contract, the arbitrator shall provide the parties to the arbitration
24with a written explanation of the factual and legal basis for the
25award.
26(2) An agreement, provision, release, assignment, novation,
27waiver, or estoppel prohibited by this subdivision shall be
28unenforceable and void.
29(3) This subdivision does not do any of the following:
30(A) Limit or restrict the terms upon which parties to a protest
31before the board, civil action, or other proceeding can settle or
32resolve, or stipulate to evidentiary or procedural matters during
33the course of, a protest, civil action, or other proceeding.
34(B) Affect the enforceability of any stipulated order or other
35order entered by the board.
36(C) Affect the enforceability of any provision in a contract if
37the provision is not prohibited under this subdivision or any other
38law.
39(D) Affect the enforceability of a provision in any contract
40entered into on or before December 31, 2011.
P6 1(E) Prohibit a dealer from waiving its right to file a protest
2pursuant to Section 3065.1 if the waiver agreement is entered into
3after a franchisor incentive program claim has been disapproved
4by the franchisor and the waiver is voluntarily given as part of an
5agreement to settle that claim.
6(F) Prohibit a voluntary
agreement supported by valuable
7consideration, other than granting or renewing a franchise, that
8does both of the following:
9(i) Provides that a dealer establish or maintain exclusive
10facilities, personnel, or display space or provides that a dealer
11make a material alteration, expansion, or addition to a dealership
12facility.
13(ii) Contains no waiver or other provision prohibited by
14subparagraph (A), (B), (C), or (D) of paragraph (1).
15(G) Prohibit an agreement separate from the franchise agreement
16that implements a dealer’s election to terminate the franchise if
17the agreement is conditioned only on a specified time for
18termination or payment of consideration to the dealer.
19(H) (i) Prohibit a voluntary waiver agreement, supported by
20valuable consideration, other than the consideration of renewing
21a franchise, to waive the right of a dealer to file a protest under
22Section 3062 for the proposed establishment or relocation of a
23specific proposed dealership, if the waiver agreement provides all
24of the following:
25(I) The approximate address at which the proposed dealership
26will be located.
27(II) The planning potential used to establish the proposed
28dealership’s facility, personnel, and capital requirements.
29(III) An approximation of projected vehicle and parts sales, and
30number of vehicles to be serviced at the proposed dealership.
31(IV) Whether the franchisor or affiliate will hold an ownership
32interest in the proposed dealership or real property of the proposed
33dealership, and the approximate percentage of any franchisor or
34affiliate ownership interest in the proposed dealership.
35(V) The line-makes to be operated at the proposed dealership.
36(VI) If known at the time the waiver agreement is executed, the
37identity of the dealer who will operate the proposed dealership.
38(VII) The date the waiver agreement is to expire, which may
39not be more than 30 months after the date of execution of the
40waiver agreement.
P7 1(ii) Notwithstanding the provisions
of a waiver agreement
2entered into pursuant to the provisions of this subparagraph, a
3dealer may file a protest under Section 3062 if any of the
4information provided pursuant to clause (i) has become materially
5inaccurate since the waiver agreement was executed. Any
6determination of the enforceability of a waiver agreement shall be
7determined by the board and the franchisor shall have the burden
8of proof.
9(h) To increase prices of motor vehicles that the dealer had
10ordered for private retail consumers prior to the dealer’s receipt
11of the written official price increase notification. A sales contract
12signed by a private retail consumer is evidence of the order. In the
13event of manufacturer price reductions, the amount of the reduction
14received by a dealer shall be passed on to the private retail
15consumer by the dealer if the retail
price was negotiated on the
16basis of the previous higher price to the dealer. Price reductions
17apply to all vehicles in the dealer’s inventory that were subject to
18the price reduction. Price differences applicable to new model or
19series motor vehicles at the time of the introduction of new models
20or series shall not be considered a price increase or price decrease.
21This subdivision does not apply to price changes caused by either
22of the following:
23(1) The addition to a motor vehicle of required or optional
24equipment pursuant to state or federal law.
25(2) Revaluation of the United States dollar in the case of a
26foreign-make vehicle.
27(i) To fail to pay to a dealer, within a reasonable time following
28receipt of a valid
claim by a dealer thereof, a payment agreed to
29be made by the manufacturer or distributor to the dealer by reason
30of the fact that a new vehicle of a prior year model is in the dealer’s
31inventory at the time of introduction of new model vehicles.
32(j) To deny the widow, widower, or heirs designated by a
33deceased owner of a dealership the opportunity to participate in
34the ownership of the dealership or successor dealership under a
35valid franchise for a reasonable time after the death of the owner.
36(k) To offer refunds or other types of inducements to a person
37for the purchase of new motor vehicles of a certain line-make to
38be sold to the state or a political subdivision of the state without
39making the same offer to all other dealers in the same line-make
40within the relevant market area.
P8 1(l) To modify, replace, enter into, relocate, terminate, or refuse
2to renew a franchise in violation of Article 4 (commencing with
3Section 3060) of Chapter 6 of Division 2.
4(m) To employ a person as a representative who has not been
5licensed pursuant to Article 3 (commencing with Section 11900)
6of Chapter 4 of Division 5.
7(n) To deny a dealer the right of free association with another
8dealer for a lawful purpose.
9(o) (1) To compete with a dealer in the same line-make
10operating under an agreement or franchise from a manufacturer
11or distributor in the relevant market area.
12(2) A
manufacturer, branch, or distributor or an entity that
13controls or is controlled by, a manufacturer, branch, or distributor,
14shall not, however, be deemed to be competing in the following
15limited circumstances:
16(A) Owning or operating a dealership for a temporary period,
17not to exceed one year at the location of a former dealership of the
18same line-make that has been out of operation for less than six
19months. However, after a showing of good cause by a
20manufacturer, branch, or distributor that it needs additional time
21to operate a dealership in preparation for sale to a successor
22independent franchisee, the board may extend the time period.
23(B) Owning an interest in a dealer as part of a bona fide dealer
24development program that satisfies all of the following
25requirements:
26(i) The sole purpose of the program is to make franchises
27available to persons lacking capital, training, business experience,
28or other qualities ordinarily required of prospective franchisees
29and the dealer development candidate is an individual who is
30unable to acquire the franchise without assistance of the program.
31(ii) The dealer development candidate has made a significant
32investment subject to loss in the franchised business of the dealer.
33(iii) The program requires the dealer development candidate to
34manage the day-to-day operations and business affairs of the dealer
35and to acquire, within a reasonable time and on reasonable terms
36and conditions, beneficial ownership and control of a majority
37interest in the dealer and
disassociation of any direct or indirect
38ownership or control by the manufacturer, branch, or distributor.
39(C) Owning a wholly owned subsidiary corporation of a
40distributor that sells motor vehicles at retail, if, for at least three
P9 1years prior to January 1, 1973, the subsidiary corporation has been
2a wholly owned subsidiary of the distributor and engaged in the
3sale of vehicles at retail.
4(3) (A) A manufacturer, branch, and distributor that owns or
5operates a dealership in the manner described in subparagraph (A)
6of paragraph (2) shall give written notice to the board, within 10
7days, each time it commences or terminates operation of a
8dealership and each time it acquires, changes, or divests itself of
9an ownership interest.
10(B) A manufacturer, branch, and distributor that owns an interest
11in a dealer in the manner described in subparagraph (B) of
12paragraph (2) shall give written notice to the board, annually, of
13the name and location of each dealer in which it has an ownership
14interest, the name of the bona fide dealer development owner or
15owners, and the ownership interests of each owner expressed as a
16percentage.
17(p) To unfairly discriminate among its franchisees with respect
18to warranty reimbursement or authority granted to its franchisees
19to make warranty adjustments with retail customers.
20(q) To sell vehicles to a person not licensed pursuant to this
21chapter for resale.
22(r) To fail to affix an identification number to a park trailer, as
23described in Section 18009.3 of the Health and Safety Code, that
24is manufactured on or after January 1, 1987, and that does not
25clearly identify the unit as a park trailer to the department. The
26configuration of the identification number shall be approved by
27the department.
28(s) To dishonor a warranty, rebate, or other incentive offered
29to the public or a dealer in connection with the retail sale of a new
30motor vehicle, based solely upon the fact that an autobroker
31arranged or negotiated the sale. This subdivision shall not prohibit
32the disallowance of that rebate or incentive if the purchaser or
33dealer is ineligible to receive the rebate or incentive pursuant to
34any other term or condition of a rebate or incentive program.
35(t) To exercise a right of first refusal or other right requiring a
36franchisee or an owner of the franchise to sell, transfer, or assign
37to the franchisor, or to a nominee of the franchisor, all or a material
38part of the franchised business or of the assets of the franchised
39business unless all of the following requirements are met:
P10 1(1) The franchise authorizes the franchisor to exercise a right
2of first refusal to acquire the franchised business or assets of the
3franchised business in the event of a proposed sale, transfer, or
4assignment.
5(2) The franchisor gives written notice of its exercise of the
6right of first refusal no later than 45 days after the franchisor
7receives all of the information required pursuant to subparagraph
8(A) of paragraph (2) of subdivision (d).
9(3) The sale, transfer, or assignment being proposed relates to
10not less than all or substantially all of the assets of the franchised
11business or to a controlling interest in the franchised business.
12(4) The proposed transferee is neither a family member of an
13owner of the franchised business, nor a managerial employee of
14the franchisee owning 15 percent or more of the franchised
15business, nor a corporation, partnership, or other legal entity owned
16by the existing owners of the franchised business. For purposes of
17this paragraph, a “family member” means the spouse of an owner
18of the franchised business, the child, grandchild, brother, sister,
19or parent of an owner, or a spouse of one of those family members.
20This paragraph does not limit the rights of the franchisor to
21disapprove
a proposed transferee as provided in subdivision (d).
22(5) Upon the franchisor’s exercise of the right of first refusal,
23the consideration paid by the franchisor to the franchisee and
24owners of the franchised business shall equal or exceed all
25consideration that each of them were to have received under the
26terms of, or in connection with, the proposed sale, assignment, or
27transfer, and the franchisor shall comply with all the terms and
28conditions of the agreement or agreements to sell, transfer, or
29assign the franchised business.
30(6) The franchisor shall reimburse the proposed transferee for
31expenses paid or incurred by the proposed transferee in evaluating,
32investigating, and negotiating the proposed transfer to the extent
33those expenses do not exceed the usual, customary, and
reasonable
34fees charged for similar work done in the area in which the
35franchised business is located. These expenses include, but are not
36limited to, legal and accounting expenses, and expenses incurred
37for title reports and environmental or other investigations of real
38property on which the franchisee’s operations are conducted. The
39proposed transferee shall provide the franchisor a written
40itemization of those expenses, and a copy of all nonprivileged
P11 1reports and studies for which expenses were incurred, if any, within
230 days of the proposed transferee’s receipt of a written request
3from the franchisor for that accounting. The franchisor shall make
4payment within 30 days of exercising the right of first refusal.
5(u) (1) To unfairly discriminate in favor of a dealership owned
6or controlled, in whole or in part, by a
manufacturer or distributor
7or an entity that controls or is controlled by the manufacturer or
8distributor. Unfair discrimination includes, but is not limited to,
9the following:
10(A) The furnishing to a franchisee or dealer that is owned or
11controlled, in whole or in part, by a manufacturer, branch, or
12distributor of any of the following:
13(i) A vehicle that is not made available to each franchisee
14pursuant to a reasonable allocation formula that is applied
15uniformly, and a part or accessory that is not made available to all
16franchisees on an equal basis when there is no reasonable allocation
17formula that is applied uniformly.
18(ii) A vehicle, part, or accessory that is not made available to
19each franchisee on
comparable delivery terms, including the time
20of delivery after the placement of an order. Differences in delivery
21terms due to geographic distances or other factors beyond the
22control of the manufacturer, branch, or distributor shall not
23constitute unfair competition.
24(iii) Information obtained from a franchisee by the manufacturer,
25branch, or distributor concerning the business affairs or operations
26of a franchisee in which the manufacturer, branch, or distributor
27does not have an ownership interest. The information includes,
28but is not limited to, information contained in financial statements
29and operating reports, the name, address, or other personal
30information or buying, leasing, or service behavior of a dealer
31customer, and other information that, if provided to a franchisee
32or dealer owned or controlled by a manufacturer or
distributor,
33would give that franchisee or dealer a competitive advantage. This
34clause does not apply if the information is provided pursuant to a
35subpoena or court order, or to aggregated information made
36available to all franchisees.
37(iv) Sales or service incentives, discounts, or promotional
38programs that are not made available to all California franchises
39of the same line-make on an equal basis.
P12 1(B) Referring a prospective purchaser or lessee to a dealer in
2which a manufacturer, branch, or distributor has an ownership
3interest, unless the prospective purchaser or lessee resides in the
4area of responsibility assigned to that dealer or the prospective
5purchaser or lessee requests to be referred to that dealer. For
6purposes of this subparagraph, the term “area of responsibility”
7means
a geographic area specified in a franchise that is used by
8the franchisor for the purpose of evaluating the franchisee’s
9performance of its sales and service obligations.
10(2) This subdivision does not prohibit a franchisor from granting
11a franchise to prospective franchisees or assisting those franchisees
12during the course of the franchise relationship as part of a program
13or programs to make franchises available to persons lacking capital,
14training, business experience, or other qualifications ordinarily
15required of prospective franchisees.
16(v) (1) To access, modify, or extract information from a
17confidential dealer computer record, as defined in Section
1811713.25, without obtaining the prior written consent of the dealer
19and without maintaining administrative,
technical, and physical
20safeguards to protect the security, confidentiality, and integrity of
21the information.
22(2) Paragraph (1) does not limit a duty that a dealer may have
23to safeguard the security and privacy of records maintained by the
24dealer.
25(w) (1) To use electronic, contractual, or other means to prevent
26or interfere with any of the following:
27(A) The lawful efforts of a dealer to comply with federal and
28state data security and privacy laws.
29(B) The ability of a dealer to do either of the following:
30(i) Ensure that specific data accessed from the dealer’s computer
31system
is within the scope of consent specified in subdivision (v).
32(ii) Monitor specific data accessed from or written to the dealer’s
33computer system.
34(2) Paragraph (1) does not limit a duty that a dealer may have
35to safeguard the security and privacy of records maintained by the
36dealer.
37(x) (1) To unfairly discriminate against a franchisee selling a
38service contract, debt cancellation agreement, maintenance
39agreement, or similar product not approved, endorsed, sponsored,
40or offered by the manufacturer, manufacturer branch, distributor,
P13 1or distributor branch or affiliate. For purposes of this subdivision,
2unfair discrimination includes, but is not limited to, any of the
3following:
4(A) Express or implied statements that the dealer is under an
5obligation to exclusively sell or offer to sell service contracts, debt
6cancellation agreements, or similar products approved, endorsed,
7sponsored, or offered by the manufacturer, manufacturer branch,
8distributor, or distributor branch or affiliate.
9(B) Express or implied statements that selling or offering to sell
10service contracts, debt cancellation agreements, maintenance
11agreements, or similar products not approved, endorsed, sponsored,
12or offered by the manufacturer, manufacturer branch, distributor,
13or distributor branch or affiliate, or the failure to sell or offer to
14sell service contracts, debt cancellation agreements, maintenance
15agreements, or similar products approved, endorsed, sponsored,
16or offered by the
manufacturer, manufacturer branch, distributor,
17or distributor branch or affiliate will have any negative
18consequences for the dealer.
19(C) Measuring a dealer’s performance under a franchise
20agreement based upon the sale of service contracts, debt
21cancellation agreements, or similar products approved, endorsed,
22sponsored, or offered by the manufacturer, manufacturer branch,
23distributor, or distributor branch or affiliate.
24(D) Requiring a dealer to actively promote the sale of service
25contracts, debt cancellation agreements, or similar products
26approved, endorsed, sponsored, or offered by the manufacturer,
27manufacturer branch, distributor, or distributor branch or affiliate.
28(E) Conditioning access to vehicles or
parts, or vehicle sales or
29service incentives upon the sale of service contracts, debt
30cancellation agreements, or similar products approved, endorsed,
31sponsored, or offered by the manufacturer, manufacturer branch,
32distributor, or distributor branch or affiliate.
33(2) Unfair discrimination does not include, and nothing shall
34prohibit a manufacturer from, offering an incentive program to
35vehicle dealers who voluntarily sell or offer to sell service
36contracts, debt cancellation agreements, or similar products
37approved, endorsed, sponsored, or offered by the manufacturer,
38manufacturer branch, distributor, or distributor branch or affiliate,
39if the program does not provide vehicle sales or service incentives.
P14 1(3) This subdivision does not prohibit a manufacturer,
2manufacturer branch,
distributor, or distributor branch from
3requiring a franchisee that sells a used vehicle as “certified” under
4a certified used vehicle program established by the manufacturer,
5manufacturer branch, distributor, or distributor branch to provide
6a service contract approved, endorsed, sponsored, or offered by
7the manufacturer, manufacturer branch, distributor, or distributor
8branch.
9(4) Unfair discrimination does not include, and nothing shall
10prohibit a franchisor from requiring a franchisee to provide, the
11following notice prior to the sale of the service contract if the
12service contract is not provided or backed by the franchisor and
13the vehicle is of the franchised line-make:
14
15“Service Contract Disclosure
16The service contract you are purchasing is not provided or backed
17by the manufacturer of the vehicle you are
purchasing. The
18manufacturer of the vehicle is not responsible for claims or repairs
19under this service contract.
20_____________________
21Signature of Purchaser”
23(y) To take or threaten to take any adverse action against a dealer
24pursuant to an export or sale-for-resale prohibition because the
25dealer sold or leased a vehicle to a customer who either exported
26the vehicle to a foreign country or resold the vehicle in violation
27of the prohibition,begin delete unless the export or sale-for-resale prohibition begin insert
ifend insert the dealer causes
28policy was provided to the dealer in writing prior to the sale or
29lease, and the dealer knew or reasonably should have known of
30the customer’s intent to export or resell the vehicle in violation of
31the prohibition at the time of sale or lease. Ifend delete
32the vehicle to be registered in this or any other state, and collects
33or causes to be collected any applicable sales or use tax due to thisbegin delete34 state, a rebuttable presumption is established that the dealer did
35not have reason to know of the customer’s
intent to export or resell
36the vehicle.end delete
No reimbursement is required by this act pursuant to
38Section 6 of Article XIII B of the California Constitution because
39the only costs that may be incurred by a local agency or school
40district will be incurred because this act creates a new crime or
P15 1infraction, eliminates a crime or infraction, or changes the penalty
2for a crime or infraction, within the meaning of Section 17556 of
3the Government Code, or changes the definition of a crime within
4the meaning of Section 6 of Article XIII B of the California
5Constitution.
O
98