Does The Other Side Of The Tesla–New Jersey Controversy Have A Point (or Three)?
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I presented the Tesla side of the New Jersey sales ban yesterday. Jeff Cobb of GM-Volt.com has since gone and done a great job digging up and presenting the other side of the story — the only one I’ve seen to do that. I think it’s worth a read.
Notably, there are also a lot of good comments on that article worth a read (which are primarily on the Tesla side), including a link to a strong argument for direct manufacturer sales to customers. Check them out if you have the time.
I’m tempted to throw in my take again here, but will try to keep that short using bullet points:
- Selling electric vehicles through the typical dealership model is a horrible option that surely results in drastically fewer EV sales. It is holding up societal progress.
- The typical dealership model is generally broken anyway, resulting in higher costs for consumers and a rather poor customer experience.
- Whether the laws on the books allow for Tesla’s sales model or not, I think it’s clear that Tesla should be able to sell its vehicles through a different system, perhaps with some form of additional regulation. We live in the 21st century. Direct sales without the interference of middlemen should be a possibility today, especially when there genuinely isn’t another decent sales channel available for the product. Again, regulations that help to instill more consumer protection into the system (rather than simply relying on the goodwill of Tesla and any companies that copy it) can come with that.
- If New Jersey granted Tesla licenses to sell its cars through its own stores, backtracking on that sets a horrible precedence for business in the state, and seems absurd. Work through the Legislature to create a better system, but don’t go back on what you’ve already approved and kick a high-growth company out of your state.
- And, to Tesla: move more quickly on a legislative solution that makes your sales model completely legal and legitimate (assuming it isn’t currently, based on the commentary by Jim Appleton, president of the New Jersey Coalition of Automotive Retailers, and statements by Tesla itself that it had agreed with the Christie administration to work on the matter in the NJ Legislature).
- To auto dealerships: shape up fast if you want to survive. An electric vehicle transition is underway, as is a more customer-friendly-service transition. Don’t suck so bad at selling EVs, and find a way to change your business structure such that you can come closer to the top-notch customer service that Tesla provides its customers. Otherwise, stop blocking progress to a better technology and better sales system.
Anyway, enough of my rambling, read Jeff’s article.
Image Credit: Tesla
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A New Jersey petition has begun:
https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/inform-new-jersey-markets-should-be-free-tesla-motors-and-everyone/ptHTHYMP
“Does The Other Side Of The Tesla–New Jersey Controversy Have A Point (or Three)?”
Legally, I think so. I’m not a lawyer.
Morally, absolutely not.
Frankly, requiring middlemen to get cars to consumers is a bunch of antiquated cronyism that does NOTHING to help consumers. The original reason they were required is to keep car companies from moving into a city or a region and just taking over the market. This is NOT an issue anymore. Jim Appleton, president of the New Jersey Coalition of Automotive Retailers (NJ CAR), then switches to the nonsense argument of:
“When an automaker sees a warranty or safety recall claim, they see expense. When an automotive retailer, an independent automotive retailer sees there is a warranty or safety recall claim, they see opportunity and revenue.”
From GM-Volt article
Seriously? When GM, Toyota or what have you is facing a recall, they won’t make the decision that’s in the best interests of their company, which is to recall vehicles and minimize the negative publicity as much as possible? Does Appleton even understand how things work nowadays?
If I as a auto manufacture went the dealer route. Then not being able to sell those cars direct to comsumer IMHO is fair. I asked the dealer to invest lots of their money to set up the dealership. Now I’m going to cut them out?
But if my company never sold local dealership, then where is the conflict?
Does this put old school Auto companies at a disadvantage with TESLA? Some would say yes, but that does that means that the old school kids should fix their broken system.
The arguments against the direct sales of Tesla cars come done to: “a
free market for cars doesn’t give the best results for costumers, that
is why the government should intervene and make sales via franchise
dealers obligatory “. This is funny because it comes from the right-way
-free-markets-solve-all-problems type of people. This illustrates that
these people not really believe the free market ideology that they
preach. They just use it opportunistically to defend the vested
interests that pay into their campaign fund.
Correct! You hit the bulls eye. ” Do as I say, not as I do ” is the self serving motto preached by that crowd since day one
“Do as I say, not as I do” — Perfect.
Exactly.