nicholas fleury via flickr"
src="http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/tesla-courtesy-nicholas-fleury-via-flickr.jpg"
/> One week after we mused that electric
carmaker Tesla
would never be able to defeat current state laws
prohibiting factory direct automobile sales and thus must join the
franchised dealer model, the company proved us wrong thanks to the
Commonwealth of Virginia.
nbsp; According to Automotive
News, the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles and,
amazingly, the Virginia Automobile Dealer Association have come to
an agreement to allow Tesla to open one dealership in the state.
Tesla currently operates a order-taking outlet in a mall in Tysons
Corner, a suburb of Washington, D.C., while their nearest service
center is in Rockville, Maryland. Although details of the agreement
are sealed, it is likely that Tesla will be allowed to build a full
service store in the Tysons Corner area. Tesla has been wrangling
with the state for some time. Their request to open a dealership
had previously been denied by the state's DMV and the company was
appealing the ruling in a county court. The next step is for the
Virginia Motor Dealer Vehicle board to grant Tesla a business
license. Tesla had previously won approval to sell its vehicles in
the state of New Hampshire but having a point near the nation's
capital is huge for the company's exposure. Besides having
near-perfect client demographics for the product, it affords CEO
Elon Musk the opportunity to showcase his dealership to members of
Congress, whom he is considering lobbying to pass a federal law
allowing factory direct car sales to customers. As this agreement
has been in the works for some time, we cannot say if our editorial
had any influence on the Virginia entities, but we cannot help but
wonder if TTAC commenter and dealer apologist Ruggles, who posted
an insane 174 comments on our story last week, might have been in
Richmond this week and simply wore the lawmakers down until they
caved.
from The Truth About Cars http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com
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