§1231 — Title 15 Commerce and Trade | U.S. Code

Summary

Defines key words used in this chapter. Manufacturer: a person or company that makes or assembles new cars, imports new cars to sell, or acts under the control of such a maker for distributing new cars. Person: an individual or a business group, like a partnership, corporation, or trust. Automobile: a passenger car or station wagon. New automobile: a car whose legal or equitable title has never been transferred by a maker, distributor, or dealer to the first buyer. Dealer: someone in the United States (or its Territories or D.C.) who sells or distributes new cars to the final buyer. Final assembly point: for U.S.-made cars, the plant or place where the car is produced and sent to a dealer with all parts needed for it to run; for imported cars, the port where it is brought into the U.S. Ultimate purchaser: the first buyer who is not a dealer and who buys the car to use, not to resell. Commerce: trade among U.S. States, with foreign nations, or in U.S. Territories and the District of Columbia; cars delivered to buyers in the United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, Virgin Islands, American Samoa, the Trust Territories of the Pacific, the Canal Zone, Wake Island, Midway Island, Kingman Reef, Johnson Island, or any other place under U.S. jurisdiction count as distributed in commerce.

Title 15, §1231

Commerce and Trade — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

For purposes of this chapter—

(a)The term “manufacturer” shall mean any person engaged in the manufacturing or assembling of new automobiles, including any person importing new automobiles for resale and any person who acts for and is under the control of such manufacturer, assembler, or importer in connection with the distribution of new automobiles.

(b)The term “person” means an individual, partnership, corporation, business trust, or any organized group of persons.

(c)The term “automobile” includes any passenger car or station wagon.

(d)The term “new automobile” means an automobile the equitable or legal title to which has never been transferred by a manufacturer, distributor, or dealer to an ultimate purchaser.

(e)The term “dealer” shall mean any person resident or located in the United States or any Territory thereof or in the District of Columbia engaged in the sale or the distribution of new automobiles to the ultimate purchaser.

(f)The term “final assembly point” means—

(1)in the case of a new automobile manufactured or assembled in the United States, or in any Territory of the United States, the plant, factory, or other place at which a new automobile is produced or assembled by a manufacturer and from which such automobile is delivered to a dealer in such a condition that all component parts necessary to the mechanical operation of such automobile are included with such automobile, whether or not such component parts are permanently installed in or on such automobile; and

(2)in the case of a new automobile imported into the United States, the port of importation.

(g)The term “ultimate purchaser” means, with respect to any new automobile, the first person, other than a dealer purchasing in his capacity as a dealer, who in good faith purchases such new automobile for purposes other than resale.

(h)The term “commerce” shall mean commerce among the several States of the United States or with foreign nations, or in any Territory of the United States or in the District of Columbia, or among the Territories or between any Territory and any State or foreign nation, or between the District of Columbia and any State or Territory or foreign nation. New automobiles delivered to, or for further delivery to, ultimate purchasers within the United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, Virgin Islands, American Samoa, the Trust Territories of the Pacific, the Canal Zone, Wake Island, Midway Island, Kingman Reef, Johnson Island, or within any other place under the jurisdiction of the United States shall be deemed to have been distributed in commerce.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

For definition of Canal Zone, referred to in subsec. (h), see section 3602(b) of Title 22, Foreign Relations and Intercourse.

Amendments

1972—Subsec. (h). Pub. L. 92–359 inserted provision that new automobiles delivered to ultimate purchasers within the United States and other enumerated areas shall be deemed to have been distributed in commerce.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

Pub. L. 85–506, § 5,

July 7, 1958, 72 Stat. 327, provided that: “This Act [enacting this chapter] shall take effect on the first day of October 1958 or on the first day of the introduction of any new model of automobile in any line of automobile beginning after the date of enactment of this Act [

July 7, 1958], whichever date shall last occur.”

Short Title

Pub. L. 85–506, § 1, July 7, 1958, 72 Stat. 325, provided: “This Act [enacting this chapter] may be cited as the ‘Automobile Information Disclosure Act’.”

Executive Documents

Termination of Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands For termination of Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, see note set out preceding section 1681 of Title 48, Territories and Insular Possessions.

§1231 Definitions