Are north carolina residents restricted from buying a Tesla out of state and bringing it in? I can't imagine that most of the people who have the means to buy a Tesla would not have the means to go a little ways to get one -- heck, I've gone out of state to buy vehicles just to save a few thousand $, not because they were illegal to buy in state.
Z On Mon, May 13, 2013 at 6:50 AM, brucedp5 <[email protected]> wrote: > > 'It’s insane, I hate that the government wants to block this' > > > http://www.journalnow.com/business/business_news/national_international/article_7321bd96-b9dd-11e2-af23-001a4bcf6878.html > [image] Bill would bar Tesla sales in N.C. > May 11 2013 source McClatchy-Tribune > > [image / AP Photo > > http://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/journalnow.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/b/b6/bb665660-b9de-11e2-9070-001a4bcf6878/518da731c3b0c.preview-300.jpg > Tesla workers cheer on the first Tesla Model S cars sold during a rally at > the Tesla factory in Fremont, Calif. The Tesla Motors Inc. Model S electric > car has tied an older Lexus for the highest score ever recorded in Consumer > Reports magazine's automotive testing on Thursday, May 9, 2013. > ] > > To date, 80 North Carolina residents have squeezed their savings for the > bragging right of owning the Tesla Model S electric car, some paying more > than $100,000 for their g-force ride, but they may be among the last. > > A legislative proposal, backed by the N.C. Automobile Dealers Association, > would make it illegal for Tesla, or any other car maker, to bypass > dealerships and sell directly in the state. The proposal cuts at the heart > of Tesla’s business model: selling luxury cars over the phone or Internet > and then delivering them to the front door of high-net-worth customers. > > Still, the proposal was unanimously approved by the state Senate’s Commerce > Committee on Thursday, despite concerns about the state dictating who > should > be allowed to sell an automobile. North Carolina is the latest forum for > the > clash as auto dealers around the country have mobilized, mostly without > success, in legislatures and in the courts to block Tesla’s direct car > sales. > > “They’re trying to insulate the dealer franchise model from any > competition,” said Diarmuid O’Connell, Tesla’s vice president for corporate > and business development, who traveled to Raleigh to make a presentation to > the committee. “It’s a protectionist move to lock down the market so we > have > to go through the middleman – the dealer – to sell our cars.” > > The 10-year-old California company is seeking to upend stodgy electric car > design by creating the antithesis of the practical plug-in and an > alternative to the complex hybrid. Tesla’s 416-horsepower Model S can > cruise > 265 miles on a single charge. Just this week Consumer Reports awarded the > car a near-perfect score of 99 out of a possible 100 points, gushing about > the S’s “world-class performance.” The cars start around $69,900. > > In the process Tesla has run up against a decades-old gentlemen’s agreement > between car-makers who don’t want the hassle of managing car inventories > all > over tarnation, and local dealers, whose prime directive is to move metal > in > high volumes. > > The whole misunderstanding would go away, the dealers say, if Tesla sold > its > cars through licensed dealerships. O’Connell countered, in essence, that > displaying a Tesla in a showroom of subcompacts and SUVs would be akin to > selling Dom Perignon in the food court at the local mall. > > Nor would it necessarily make economic sense for Tesla to open its own > dealership; the company on Wednesday just announced its first quarterly > profit. > > But it’s not Tesla per se, that worries the dealers. It’s the precedent. > The > prospect threatens the livelihood of North Carolina’s 7,000 licensed > dealers, who invest millions in building big lots and showrooms to > efficiently move product, say supporters of the bill. > > “We care about the franchise system,” said Robert Glaser, president of the > N.C. Automobile Dealers Association. “The whole point of the retail system > is to protect the consumer.” > > The local dealer is the customer’s point of contact on malfunctions, > defects > and recalls, Glaser said. Automakers are designers, manufacturers and > wholesalers that remain largely invisible to the car buyers, he said. > > “You tell me they’re gonna support the little leagues and the YMCA?” Glaser > asked, directing his glance at the Tesla contingent milling about a few > feet > away in the legislative building. > > Boone resident Ronald Dhing got his Tesla three months ago, two years after > placing his $5,000 down payment through PayPal. His $109,000 machine is > stuffed with every option available except the rear jump seat. > > Dhing, owner of the Makotos Japanese Steak House and Sushi Bar, drove about > 200 miles to Raleigh on a single charge for the opportunity to make a few > minutes of public comments before the Senate committee, an opportunity he > was not afforded. > > “I hate it that the federal and state governments work so much to promote > alternative fuels and now at the doorstep of it they want to block this,” > he > said. “It’s insane.” > > The sponsor of the legislation, Sen. Tom Apodaca, a Republican from > Henderson, agreed to tone down the bill that originally would have deemed > anyone who provides a computer or equipment used to order a Tesla to be > operating as a dealer. Apodaca said his bill is about preventing unfair > competition between manufacturers and dealers. > > Some senators who sided with the dealers said they were troubled by the > bill. Sen. Josh Stein of Wake County said he voted for it because Apodaca > gave assurances the proposal would be fine-tuned to addresse concerns. > Stein > considers Tesla a startup that should be exempted from the state’s > dealership provisions until it becomes big enough to be considered a > competitor. > > Apodaca’s bill was introduced two months ago and just now received its > first > vote. It still needs to pass the full Senate and then the full House. If it > were to become law, O’Connell said, Tesla would have to stop selling S cars > to North Carolina residents. > > Texas is another state that prohibits direct car sales to the public, but > is > not as restrictive as North Carolina’s proposal, O’Connell said. In that > state, Tesla has set up galleries to showcase the cars but Tesla reps are > forbidden from discussing price and offering test drives, he said. However, > Texas customers can special-order the cars online. > [© 2013 Winston-Salem Journal] > > > > > For all EVLN posts use: > > http://electric-vehicle-discussion-list.413529.n4.nabble.com/template/NamlServlet.jtp?macro=search_page&node=413529&query=evln&sort=date > > > Here are today's archive-only EV posts: > > EVLN: Microbatteries combine li-ion & supercapacitor advantages > EVLN: Mission-Motors' Tesla-Roadster of Electric-motorcycles coming > 6/3/2013 > EVLN: £1.75 cost per 80 mile Leaf EV journey > EVLN: Plugins strengthen and boost Washington-State's tourism (video) > + > EVLN: 2013 Honda Fit EV Review > > > {brucedp.150m.com} > > > > -- > View this message in context: > http://electric-vehicle-discussion-list.413529.n4.nabble.com/EVLN-NC-Automobile-Dealers-Association-Bill-would-bar-Tesla-sales-tp4662989.html > Sent from the Electric Vehicle Discussion List mailing list archive at > Nabble.com. > _______________________________________________ > UNSUBSCRIBE: http://www.evdl.org/help/index.html#usub > http://lists.evdl.org/listinfo.cgi/ev-evdl.org > For EV drag racing discussion, please use NEDRA ( > http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NEDRA) > > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... 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