I'm not sure that Markups seems relevant only, or even chiefly, because of the state of the economy. To me, admittedly as an outsider in the UK, the US car dealership model just feels wrong and monopolistic, regardless of prevailing circumstances - an exemplar of rentier capitalism supported by robust, deep-pocketed lobbying [1].

I suspect that Markups will remain relevant for as long as the situation vis-à-vis car dealerships and how they operate persists in the US. Markups may even prove to be instrumental in successfully rallying and focusing consumer support sufficiently to overcome the status quo, and so eventually have no further reason to exist. But the word "eventually" in the previous sentence is key.

[1] https://www.opensecrets.org/industries/lobbying.php?ind=T230...