Ohio Auto Dealers Want Laws to Keep Tesla from Selling Cars Online

[unokitty]

Tesla sells its electric vehicles directly to customers, ensuring each buyer receives the same cost no matter where they buy their Tesla car.

Auto dealers push legislation to keep Tesla Motors out of Ohio

Sunjay Kumar bought his new car without running his fingers over the wheel or taking it out for a spin.

He picked the colors for his Tesla Motors Model S electric car while browsing a showroom in New Jersey, while visiting family, then ordered the car online direct from Tesla. The first time he felt his foot on the pedal was when he picked up the car in Columbus to drive home to Avon.

"The fact you can do everything on your computer -- it's so much easier," Kumar said. "You really can't negotiate anything, so it takes the headache out of that."...

Tesla's direct sales model means the price is the same for every buyer and customers don't need to shop around for the best deal. Kumar said the experience can't even compare to buying a car from a dealership lot and he'll never buy another car that way.

That's what Ohio auto dealers are afraid of...

Doran said Ohio dealers have made great investments in brick-and-mortar showrooms and employ more than 50,000 people. Doran said dealers are strong advocates for consumers and the current system ensures competitive pricing and vehicle servicing for consumers.
...
The organization contributed more than $100,000 to Ohio state lawmakers in 2013, according to state campaign finance records.

Online auto sales?

What's your opinion?

My opinion, if online auto sales obey the same economic principles as online computer sales, then you should be able to buy a better car for less online.

And unlike what the dealer spokesman said in the above article, I've never felt that any car dealer that I've ever dealt with was "an advocate for consumers." My experience is that the only thing that the car dealer ever advocated for was their own profit. Then again, I've only bought a handful of cars. Perhaps you have had a different experience?

Or, do you think that a car dealer offers a unique service that can't be done online?

Do you see online auto sales in the future? Or do you see car dealerships being a stable industry?

Uno

 

[Genx87]

Oh look the govt will be creating a protected market for established business.

 

[cyclohexane]

these republican "business owners" claim to be all against regulation - unless they can rig it to their benefit. Smh

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

Oh look the govt will be creating a protected market for established business.

They should have done that a long time ago.

 

[Jimzz]

Oh look the govt will be creating a protected market for established business.

This...

these republican "business owners" claim to be all against regulation - unless they can rig it to their benefit. Smh

and this.


Regulation bad... unless it helps us, then please can we have more.

They sound like ice sellers when refrigerators came out. Either adapt or die.

 

[TerryMathews]

these republican "business owners" claim to be all against regulation - unless they can rig it to their benefit. Smh

TIL all dealership owners are Republicans.

FWIW, I'm republican and I dont feel that dealerships deserve this level of protection. I also wouldve let the US auto industry go through bankruptcy however.

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

This...




and this.


Regulation bad... unless it helps us, then please can we have more.

They sound like ice sellers when refrigerators came out. Either adapt or die.

So when you can't get a job where are you going? I mean the Darwinian social theory is nice and all, but you are low on the food chain and don't ever kid yourself. You are lunch.

You die.

 

[Newell Steamer]

Government intervention; mind your own business,... unless it's gays having sex and electric cars being sold. Oh, and with your oversight, I'd like some subsidies as well - be sure to take it from welfare or something.

Thanks.

 

[smackababy]

I thought Tesla was already fighting legislation against manufacturers directly selling cars to the people.

I don't have a problem with Tesla's business model, but I'd personally never buy a car I didn't test drive first. Dealerships, at the very least, offer that "service". I know Tesla has some less traditional retail stores (with vehicles stored nearby) to offer that experience.

 

[Thebobo]

Online auto sales?

What's your opinion?

Free market Baby! There should be no question here, with their logic Best Buys could sue Amazon lol or a billion other stores

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

Government intervention; mind your own business,... unless it's gays having sex and electric cars being sold. Oh, and with your oversight, I'd like some subsidies as well - be sure to take it from welfare or something.

Thanks.

There is in my opinion a proper synergism between business, government, and the people. It is also my opinion that despite what many say most of those put either business or government first. Abuses are permissible, by one side of course.

If there were some intelligence (which I find a scarcer commodity over time) people would realize that they are a resource to be used, the sheep to shear.

Government is not the solution. Business is not the solution. The intelligent control over both entities is the best option. I don't want to be ward of the state. I don't want to be told what I can and cannot think, believe or do because we must conform to the sensibilities of another. On the other hand a return to the company store is not my idea of a good time. Business is an amoral entity which uses to make a profit. It's not good and kind and it will eat you as soon as it sees more black on the ledgers. I'm sure someone will point out to an old hold out, but as a rule workers are a liability not an asset.

We have got to start using both resources to our general advantage and not the reverse. How? I'm not sure it's possible, with the mindset of the respective Faithfuls of the market or government, but I do not believe it make it any the less true.

 

[Genx87]

They should have done that a long time ago.

Why?

 

[Engineer]

Oh look the govt will be creating a protected market for established business.

They already have in most (if not all) states when it comes to auto dealers. I was shocked to see some of the stuff brought up to keep Tesla out.

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

Why?

I'm talking specifically acting to preserve jobs. No, not in some way were people don't do something useful, but consider NAFTA. We should have been working on ways to improve situations, but nope.

 

[WHAMPOM]

Tesla sells its electric vehicles directly to customers, ensuring each buyer receives the same cost no matter where they buy their Tesla car.

Auto dealers push legislation to keep Tesla Motors out of Ohio

Online auto sales?

What's your opinion?

My opinion, if online auto sales obey the same economic principles as online computer sales, then you should be able to buy a better car for less online.

And unlike what the dealer spokesman said in the above article, I've never felt that any car dealer that I've ever dealt with was "an advocate for consumers." My experience is that the only thing that the car dealer ever advocated for was their own profit. Then again, I've only bought a handful of cars. Perhaps you have had a different experience?

Or, do you think that a car dealer offers a unique service that can't be done online?

Do you see online auto sales in the future? Or do you see car dealerships being a stable industry?

Uno

Back in my twenties you could take a bus ride to Detroit, hand over a check and drive your new truck right off the assembly line. Before I could save up enough to do this, the state outlawed the practice. I think it was by requiring a prohibitively expensive dealers license to do so.

 

[WHAMPOM]

I'm talking specifically acting to preserve jobs. No, not in some way were people don't do something useful, but consider NAFTA. We should have been working on ways to improve situations, but nope.

Politicians
Ad men
Sales men
Lawyers

Do I have to mention the "Good start" punch line?

 

[Mr.IncrediblyBored]

I'm talking specifically acting to preserve jobs. No, not in some way were people don't do something useful, but consider NAFTA. We should have been working on ways to improve situations, but nope.

Nobody is losing their job. This may come as a surprise, but Tesla already has showrooms and service centers that act like a dealership. The only difference is the ownership group.

The dealer model does not work for a startup. Existing dealerships don't have the sales staff or expertise for electrics, and are more likely to sell you a BMW or Merc once you get in the store. The volume isn't worth the initial investment.

 

[brycejones]

Auto manufacturers should be able to sell their cars using any model they see fit. Period.

 

[BoberFett]

Seems like a lot of you want to cause higher unemployment by moving to web based sales. Think of all those dealership jobs you'll be ending. Why do you hate hard working Americans?

 

[TerryMathews]

Seems like a lot of you want to cause higher unemployment by moving to web based sales. Think of all those dealership jobs you'll be ending. Why do you hate hard working Americans?

Did you just call sales drones "hard working Americans"?

 

[waggy]

these republican "business owners" claim to be all against regulation - unless they can rig it to their benefit. Smh

what the fuck. LOL

fuck. sometimes this place fucking amazes me.



As for the manufacturers being able to sale online i think it would be great. I don't think it would put dealers out of business. Most are still going to go to a dealer to be "hands on".

 

[smackababy]

Seems like a lot of you want to cause higher unemployment by moving to web based sales. Think of all those dealership jobs you'll be ending. Why do you hate hard working Americans?

Even though I know you're not serious, I'll respond anyway.

Tesla's aren't sold in any dealership. Allowing them to continue their business model doesn't take jobs away from dealerships already operating. I suppose you could try and make the argument that forcing Tesla to have dealerships creates jobs, but it also raises prices and forces them to go from a JIT production model to a inventory based (I am only guessing they are a JIT model).

The current dealership model is a bad model anyway, at least for new cars. Car manufactures produce hundreds of thousands of cars that just sit there. Having a Chevy (or whatever brand) showroom with one of each current model to test drive and then you "order" your car makes a lot more sense. They can keep some inventory on hand for those that require a sign and drive "deal", but for the rest of us, finding that perfect car and getting it sent to us in a few weeks is fine. Also, that entirely eliminates natural disaster damage. How many dealerships "lost" inventory due to Katrina, or more realistically, how many people bought flood cars without knowing?

 

[Fern]

these republican "business owners" claim to be all against regulation - unless they can rig it to their benefit. Smh

How do you know that they're republican?

Do you really believe that all people who own a business are republican?

That's absurd.

Fern

 

[Fern]

Auto manufacturers should be able to sell their cars using any model they see fit. Period.

Do the people of a state have a right to regulate business done in their own state?

Fern

 

[cubby1223]

these republican "business owners" claim to be all against regulation - unless they can rig it to their benefit. Smh

All the deeply republican car dealership owners were forced out of their business when the government pushed to close many of them while they had part ownership of them.