Maybe I’m naive or missing the point, but couldn’t Tesla set up dealerships, so that the customer orders the car from the franchise, which then sends the order on to the factory? In other words, could you have an auto franchise which is just a storefront, or an online presence, not a huge car lot with numerous cars for sale??? Then the legal requirements would be met???
The article implies that laws and rules are now stacked in favor of the franchise owners but there’s no way to get around having a franchisee sell your cars.
“In other words, could you have an auto franchise which is just a storefront, or an online presence, not a huge car lot with numerous cars for sale???”
That’s what most dealerships were outside of major cities a few decades ago, before they consolidated into fewer and fewer bigger and bigger lots. Every now and then, out in the country, you’ll still find a dealership with maybe a couple dozen pickups on the lot, which does most of its business in custom orders. I would imagine that small dealerships are more common out west, where the distances to the nearest major city can be much, much greater.