come on up to either Washinton, DC with a showroom, or Tysons Corner, Va. At Tysons the sales folks are not allowed to talk, ala NC but can show stuff. there are a number of Tesla owners up here [not me, :( ]
--- On Mon, 5/13/13, Zeke Yewdall <[email protected]> wrote: > From: Zeke Yewdall <[email protected]> > Subject: Re: [EVDL] EVLN: NC Automobile Dealers Association Bill would bar > Tesla sales > To: "Electric Vehicle Discussion List" <[email protected]> > Date: Monday, May 13, 2013, 10:54 AM > 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... > URL: > <http://lists.evdl.org/private.cgi/ev-evdl.org/attachments/20130513/e1bf13ca/attachment.htm> > _______________________________________________ > 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) > > _______________________________________________ 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)
