While many in the Irish auto industry see dealer closures as an inevitable consequence of the new car sales downturn, the situation is not the same for many in the USA. At a recent National Automobile Dealers Association event, one of the main features was the success that its members were having by writing to their local Congressmen, newspaper editors and media highlighting their plight.

It is a simple strategy that appears to be getting the desired message across. Dealers are pointing out the role their businesses play in the local community; their worth in terms of employment and training, the other local businesses that depend on them and the major contribution they make to government revenue via the tax system.

The campaign appears to have gotten results. Many congressmen have since testified to the Senate about why it is important to protect car dealers and there have been tangible results in terms of a loan guarantee programme for dealers and measures put in place to increase liquidity in the car credit markets.

All of the same factors apply in the Irish market, yet are dealers putting similar pressure on TD's and is their representative body doing the same at Ministerial level?