dealers
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Never let it be said that AutoNation CEO Mike Jackson doesn't speak his mind. His latest stunner came last week, when he deemed auto-dealer efforts to ban all direct sales by Tesla Motors state by state "unnecessary protectionism." In doing so, Jackson broke ranks with the vast array of auto-dealer organizations and lobbyists who have spent five years working to change state laws to require Tesla to sell its electric cars through independent third-party businesses, i.e. car dealerships. DON'T MISS: Michigan Gov Snyder Signs Anti-Tesla Bill Called 'Corrupt Politics At Its Worst' Jackson's...
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Four Ford Dealers To Test Solar & Wind Clean-Energy Systems
Ford will install Windy System wind-and-solar energy systems at four of its dealerships.
Stephen Edelstein -
As Gas Gets Cheaper, Ford Ups Incentives On Smaller, More Efficient Cars
Ford is offering dealers a bonus if they increase sales of certain models.
Stephen Edelstein -
Car Dealers Fire Back: Why Negotiating Is Good For Car Buyers (Video)
The National Auto Dealers Association releases a new video on the "benefits of price competition."
Stephen Edelstein -
A Third Of This Dealer's Sales Are Chevy Volt Electric Cars: How'd They Do It?
Can any other franchised dealer in the world make the claim that full one-third of its sales are a single model of plug-in electric car? Bourgeois Chevrolet of Rawdon, Quebec, achieved that remarkable level in its sales this year of the Chevrolet Volt range-extended electric car. Now the dealership...
Matthew Klippenstein -
Minnesota Tesla Owners Show Banned Model S To Iowa Electric-Car Shoppers
Suppose auto dealers in a neighboring state pressured their DoT to make Tesla Motors stop giving test drives of its Model S electric car--the same kind it now offers in more than a dozen other states. What would you do? If you were you a group of Tesla owners in Minnesota, you might just take...
John Voelcker -
Car dealers often come in for criticism, especially among electric-car advocates and Tesla Motors supporters who have watched state dealership lobbying groups make Tesla's direct-sales model illegal in a number of states. Since 2010, those lobbyists have been altering state laws originally designed to protect franchised dealers from direct retail sales outlets owned by carmakers, who dealers believe could undercut them and drive them out of business. The arrival of Tesla Motors on the scene--with its Tesla Store showrooms to display the Model S electric luxury sedan and educate potential...
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Michigan Gov Snyder Signs Anti-Tesla Bill Called 'Corrupt Politics At Its Worst'
As expected, Michigan Governor Rick Snyder yesterday signed a bill that bans Tesla Motors from selling its electric cars directly to buyers online in the state. The bill removes one word--"its"--from existing state franchise law, which had originally been enacted to prevent franchised dealers from...
John Voelcker -
Tesla CEO Elon Musk Says Franchised Dealers Might Come, Sometime, One Day
Elon Musk says the carmaker may switch to a "hybrid system" of Tesla Stores and franchised dealers in the future.
Stephen Edelstein -
Do Dealer Efforts To Ban Tesla Sales Backfire When Public Notices?
Are car dealers winning battles against Tesla Motors, and its direct-sales model, that will set them up to lose the bigger war? For almost five years, state dealer associations have lobbied legislators to change laws to make Tesla's direct-sales model illegal, requiring that all new cars be sold...
John Voelcker -
Electric Car Buyers Slam Dealer Experience; Dealers Don't Like 'Em Either
A new study finds electric-car buyers are unsatisfied with the dealership experience.
Stephen Edelstein -
Michigan Car Dealers Slip One Over On Tesla, Ban Direct Sales: UPDATED
A bill banning Tesla's direct-sales model is passed by the Michigan state legislature.
Stephen Edelstein -
Sometimes you almost have to feel sorry for car dealers--or, more specifically, their ineptness at the public-relations end of their fight against electric-car maker Tesla Motors and its direct Internet sales to car buyers. Consider Bruce Anderson, president of the Iowa Automobile Dealers Association--which successfully shut down the last of three days of Tesla offering Model S test drives in Des Moines earlier this month. Anderson cited the state's regulation of car dealers as a method of protecting car buyers. That's reasonable, as far as it goes. ALSO SEE: Tesla 'Will Prevail In All...
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Tesla 'Will Prevail In All States' Against Dealer Lawsuits: Dealership Commentator
Have we just seen the first crack in the facade of auto-dealer opposition to Tesla Motors selling cars directly to retail buyers? An opinion piece in auto-industry trade journal Ward's Auto concludes with the following remarkable sentences: We can keep Tesla busy defending what are basically...
John Voelcker -
Tesla Wins Dealer Battle In MA: Direct Sales, Stores Are Legal
Massachusetts' highest court affirms the legality of Tesla's company-owned stores.
Stephen Edelstein -
The Challenge For Electric-Car Sales Is Car Dealers, Again
Car dealers maximize their profits by selling the highest number of cars at the highest possible prices in the least possible time. Plug-in electric cars are unfamiliar to most buyers, and require more explanation--sometimes a great deal more--along with specific types of support during and after...
John Voelcker -
White House Responds To Tesla Direct-Sales Petition: Sorry, Talk To Congress
Fully a year ago, a Tesla supporter started a petition on WhiteHouse.gov asking president Barack Obama to let Tesla Motors sell its electric cars directly to consumers in all 50 states. While it got the necessary 100,000 signatures, it has taken the White House a year to respond--and its answer is...
John Voelcker -
Auto Dealers Try Charm: Why Tesla Direct Sales Hurt Buyers, They Say (Video)
The battle between Tesla Motors, which sells its electric cars directly to buyers over the Internet, and the nation's auto dealers--who want to make that practice illegal--is now in its fifth year. And for the very first time, the dealers' national trade organization has embarked on a charm...
John Voelcker -
Every time I visit a conventional car dealership to test-drive an electric car, I'm struck by the salesman's lack of savvy about plug-in cars. The first time I drove a Chevy Volt three years ago, the salesman barely knew how to turn the car on, and had no clue about electric cars in general. The Nissan salesman showing me a Leaf wasn't much better. A couple of months later, at another dealer, the guy who sold me my Volt was at least aware of such exotic concepts as regenerative braking and maximum torque at 0 rpm. But it was clear that I was still far better informed about the Volt than he...
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Rewarding Dealers Who Sell Electric Cars: Connecticut Takes The Lead
The Connecticut "Revolutionary Dealer Award" is meant to encourage the sale of electric cars.
Stephen Edelstein -
FTC Comes Out In Favor Of Tesla Direct Sales, Against Dealer-Backed Bans
The ongoing fight between Tesla Motors and car dealers across the country has spilled from the headlines into the legal system, but so far, the outcome is far from certain. Will Tesla be allowed to sell its cars directly to consumers? Or is there some state interest in forcing Tesla into the dealer...
Nelson Ireson -
Nissan Tweets, Then Deletes, Electric-Car Sales Slap At Tesla
Oh, Nissan, you just shouldn't have gone there. As captured by Autoblog Green writer Domenick Yoney last Friday, the @NissanLeaf Twitter account posted the following message: It's okay #NewJersey, you can still #GoElectric with the #NissanLEAF #EV Sloppy punctuation aside, the tweet was a clear dig...
John Voelcker -
NJ Hearing Today Could Ban Tesla Stores In State; Electric-Car Maker Cries Foul
New Jersey may become the latest state to ban Tesla's company-owned stores.
Stephen Edelstein -
Advice To Dealers On Green-Car Sales: Focus On Cost Savings First
When it comes to selling green cars, showing buyers that they're saving money can more important than showing them that they're saving the planet.
Stephen Edelstein