Tesla Motors has won yet another legal victory in its fight to sell directly to consumers and bypass the outdated auto-dealership sales model — the North Carolina House of Representatives just scrapped a bill put forward by the North Carolina Automobile Dealers Association that would have banned Tesla from selling its universally lauded electric vehicles within the state.
For a bit of background, the North Carolina Automobile Dealers Association (NCADA) had used its political ties within the Senate to push for the passing of a bill which would have banned Tesla from selling its vehicles directly to consumers within North Carolina — the argument for them not being allowed to sell within the state simply being that it was “not fair” for them to sell directly to consumers rather than through them, the car dealerships. That’s a bit rich coming from a business so notorious for cheating people….
The North Carolina House of Representatives seems to agree. As of now, the bill is completely dead. Notably, both Governor Pat McCrory and House Speaker Thom Tillis recently went for test drives in Tesla’s vehicles — no doubt something that was quite effective. 🙂
And with all of the positive publicity that Tesla has been receiving as of late — becoming profitable, paying back its DOE loan 9 years early, etc — why would you want to keep the business that it generates out of your state?
This is a great development, and along with Tesla’s other recent victories, bodes well for the company’s future, particularly with regards to its right to sell its vehicles directly to consumers.
