zappasguitar
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So much for Republicans and their support for "FREE MARKET CAPITALISM"
Tesla cars so easy to buy online, Ohio auto dealers want a law to shut them out
The American automaker sells its electric vehicles directly to customers, ensuring each buyer receives the same cost no matter where they buy their Tesla car.
“You can do everything on your computer — it’s so much easier,” Sunjay Kumar told The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer. “You really can’t negotiate anything, so it takes the headache out of that.”
That business model poses a direct threat to dealers who sell other vehicle brands.
They’re backing Senate Bill 260, sponsored by Sen. Tom Patton (R), which would explicitly prohibit the state from issuing dealer licenses to manufacturers – including Tesla.
They argue that Ohio’s Bureau of Motor Vehicles violated a rule requiring dealerships to have a contract with a car manufacturer when it allowed Tesla to sell vehicles in the state.
“We think everybody ought to be held to the same standard,” said Tim Doran, president of the Ohio Automobile Dealers Association. “We thought that was the policy that was agreed to for more than a couple decades and the BMV, frankly, out of the blue, went 180 degrees out of their policy — that’s why we’re here.”
The California-based manufacturer has showrooms in Cincinnati and Columbus, with another in Cleveland placed on hold while the company fights the legislative challenge to its business model.
He argues the Senate bill places the state’s 830 dealers on competitive footing with Tesla and other manufacturers.
Doran said Ohio dealers are heavily invested in their showrooms and employ more than 50,000 workers statewide.
The trade organization contributed more than $100,000 to Ohio state lawmakers last year, according to campaign finance records.
A spokesman for Tesla Motors told The Plain Dealer that the manufacturer sold just 300 of its vehicles – which cost about $70,000 or more – last year in Ohio and makes about 20,000 vehicles a year, compared to 15 million to 17 million gas-powered cars.
Tesla spokesman James Chen said competition among dealers is already protected by Ohio franchise laws, but those exclude companies such as Tesla that don’t offer franchises.
“They want to protect their monopoly,” Chen said. “If there’s one crack in the door — the argument they’ve put forth is other manufacturers could do the same thing.”
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/02/...hio-auto-dealers-want-a-law-to-shut-them-out/
Tesla cars so easy to buy online, Ohio auto dealers want a law to shut them out
The American automaker sells its electric vehicles directly to customers, ensuring each buyer receives the same cost no matter where they buy their Tesla car.
“You can do everything on your computer — it’s so much easier,” Sunjay Kumar told The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer. “You really can’t negotiate anything, so it takes the headache out of that.”
That business model poses a direct threat to dealers who sell other vehicle brands.
They’re backing Senate Bill 260, sponsored by Sen. Tom Patton (R), which would explicitly prohibit the state from issuing dealer licenses to manufacturers – including Tesla.
They argue that Ohio’s Bureau of Motor Vehicles violated a rule requiring dealerships to have a contract with a car manufacturer when it allowed Tesla to sell vehicles in the state.
“We think everybody ought to be held to the same standard,” said Tim Doran, president of the Ohio Automobile Dealers Association. “We thought that was the policy that was agreed to for more than a couple decades and the BMV, frankly, out of the blue, went 180 degrees out of their policy — that’s why we’re here.”
The California-based manufacturer has showrooms in Cincinnati and Columbus, with another in Cleveland placed on hold while the company fights the legislative challenge to its business model.
He argues the Senate bill places the state’s 830 dealers on competitive footing with Tesla and other manufacturers.
Doran said Ohio dealers are heavily invested in their showrooms and employ more than 50,000 workers statewide.
The trade organization contributed more than $100,000 to Ohio state lawmakers last year, according to campaign finance records.
A spokesman for Tesla Motors told The Plain Dealer that the manufacturer sold just 300 of its vehicles – which cost about $70,000 or more – last year in Ohio and makes about 20,000 vehicles a year, compared to 15 million to 17 million gas-powered cars.
Tesla spokesman James Chen said competition among dealers is already protected by Ohio franchise laws, but those exclude companies such as Tesla that don’t offer franchises.
“They want to protect their monopoly,” Chen said. “If there’s one crack in the door — the argument they’ve put forth is other manufacturers could do the same thing.”
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/02/...hio-auto-dealers-want-a-law-to-shut-them-out/
