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Texas Lawmakers Want To Stop Tesla From Fixing Its Own Cars (electrek.co)

Posted by EditorDavid on from the messes-in-Texas dept.

In Texas the local car dealer lobby has blocked Tesla from selling its cars directly to customers. They're using old laws meant to prevent car manufacturers from competing with their own local dealers -- but Tesla never had any local dealers!

And according to Electrek, it gets worse... Despite this issue, Texans have bought thousands of Tesla vehicles, which the automaker delivers from other states to comply with the law. Tesla has been able to service those vehicles through its own service centers, which are not subject to those same direct-sale rules, but now dealers are even going after Tesla's right to service its cars.
Quartz offers some additional coverage: At issue is a battle over money. Car dealers derive much of their revenue from selling and (especially) servicing vehicles. Tesla's direct-to-customer sales and service stations are a threat to that business model since they cut dealers out of the transaction.

8 of 255 comments (clear)

  1. Ah yes. Good 'ol Texas by quonset · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The state which prides itself on getting big government out people lives until the people need the power of big government to kill competition.

    1. Re:Ah yes. Good 'ol Texas by TomR+teh+Pirate · · Score: 5, Insightful

      And it's not just that the legislature of big oil is trying to pick the automotive winner, but they are doing it on the backs of Texans' rights to choose for themselves what car they can buy.

    2. Re:Ah yes. Good 'ol Texas by ShanghaiBill · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Texas will turn purple by 2028 at the latest and we'll finally be able to put all of this nonsense behind us once

      This is not a Red vs. Blue issue. Plenty of Blue states have anti-competitive protection for dealers.

      Deep blue Connecticut and New York protect dealers, as do crimson red Utah and Oklahoma.

      Cronyism, corruption, and rent-seeking are nonpartisan.

    3. Re:Ah yes. Good 'ol Texas by Registered+Coward+v2 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      The state which prides itself on getting big government out people lives until the people need the power of big government to kill competition.

      Let me explain: Big government doing something I don’t like or stopping me from doing something: Big government bad; doing something that benefits me or stops someone else from doing something I disapprove of: Big government good

      --
      I'm a consultant - I convert gibberish into cash-flow.
    4. Re: Ah yes. Good 'ol Texas by kenh · · Score: 4, Insightful

      The issue is not that the GM, Ford, or Chrysler dealers want to fix Teslas, it's that they want to make life miserable for anyone that buys a car from someone like Tesla.

      Tesla has showrooms in Texas, and they deliver and service cars in Texas, but they can't sell you a car in-person in Texas.

      The big three automakers want to make buying/owning a Tesla difficult, to make their products more appealing.

      --
      Ken
  2. Re:Right to repair? by Gavagai80 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Right to repair works both ways. Every mechanic should have a right to work on Teslas if they so choose, but Tesla should also have a right to service their own cars if they choose.

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    This space intentionally left blank
  3. Re:Texas us right in this... by EnsilZah · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Ah-bullshit.
    https://service.teslamotors.co...

  4. Not sure if you think you're being cute by Uberbah · · Score: 4, Insightful

    The same type of laws are present in all 50 states.

    And how many states are enforcing those laws against Tesla? That's the only thing relevant here, and Texas is the only state making noises about blocking not just sales, but repairs.