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Tesla Motors appeals sales ban in New Jersey

Resistance to the way Tesla Motors sells its cars - directly to the consumer, with no negotiating and no dealer middleman - comes mostly from dealership organizations around the country. It's also illegal in some states, thanks to laws ushered into place with help from dealers. The reaction to Tesla's new style of business is led by what Steve Blank calls, "rent seekers" or "landlords of the status-quo." Tesla itself isn't into that sort of name-calling, but it will take to the courts when necessary. Case in point, New Jersey, where the legislature voted in mid-March to stop Tesla stores from selling cars starting April 1. This week, the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission (MVC) extended a deadline until April 15, a move that could save the EV automaker's future in the state. Tesla has now filed with the state Superior Court asking that the ruling be appealed. Tesla says that the MVC is taking its orders from the state dealers association, the New Jersey Coalition of Automotive Retailers. Tesla also made an argument against the traditional gasoline vehicle dealers that we've heard before. Here is some of the text of the appeal: Franchise dealers have an inherent conflict of interest in selling electric vehicles. In order to do so effectively, they would need to enthusiastically tout the reasons why electric vehicles are superior to gasoline vehicles. This is not something that they are going to do since gasoline vehicles represent virtually all of their revenue. Dealers also depend on quick, high volume sales - incentivized by substantial sales commissions - in large, out-of-the-way facilities that contain large inventories of new and used cars. By contrast, Tesla sells its cars in relatively small showrooms, often located in shopping malls (like the two stores in New Jersey) that invite people unfamiliar with electric cars to drop in. You can read the full appeal in the PDF below. The TSLA stock price rose after the appeal was filed, but has since leveled out. Tesla vs. New Jersey Auto Dealers Superior Court Appeal by AutoblogGreen This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Michigan Gov. signs 'anti-Tesla' bill, but says rules could change *UPDATE

*UPDATE: GM has issued a statement in support of the governor's actions. We've added it below. Don't look for a Tesla store in Detroit anytime soon. Even though the company says a Motor City service center is "Coming Soon," another hurdle was placed in the company's way today when Governor Rick Snyder signed House Bill 5606 into law. The law was introduced by State Representative Aric Nesbitt, who said it is not "anti-Tesla at all." Still, 5606 does clarify and strengthen the state's laws against an automaker selling vehicles directly to consumers, which is why Tesla called on its supporters last week to ask Snyder not to sign the bill into law. That didn't work. The bill passed the Michigan legislative chambers with overwhelming support last week (106-1 in the House, 38-0 in the Senate) and Snyder said that his team's research found it "doesn't change current law at all." He nonetheless thought it was worth signing, and you can watch him explain why in the video below. He also mentions a letter he attached to the bill saying he's open to future discussions regarding direct vehicle sales. He does not mention his campaign support from numerous auto dealers. We have asked Tesla for a comment on this latest development and will let you know when we hear back. Last week, the California automaker called the legislation "harmful to consumers." This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Gov. Rick Snyder signs bipartisan bill clarifying existing direct auto sales law Calls for healthy, open discussion on potential changes to business model; also signs one other bill into law Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2014 LANSING, Mich. – Gov. Rick Snyder today signed bipartisan legislation that clarifies and strengthens an existing law about direct auto sales in Michigan. House Bill 5606, sponsored by state Rep. Aric Nesbitt, also prohibits auto manufacturers from dictating fees franchised dealers can charge customers. The legislation allows individual auto dealers to make the business decision whether to charge the transaction fee. The bill was approved by 38-0 in the state Senate, and 106-1 in the state House of Representatives. Snyder said Tuesday there has been a misunderstanding about the legislation.

Sunday Drive: Performance comes in many shapes and sizes

The Chevrolet Corvette has always stood out as a bastion of reasonably priced performance, and the latest 'Vette has that in spades. And while its expected starting price of around $120,000 certainly isn't cheap, it's an undeniable deal in the supercar world – remember, this thing'll do 210 miles per hour thanks to its 755-horsepower supercharged V8 engine. And did you get a load of that massive rear wing? Team Corvette's longtime foe, the Porsche 911, is similarly hellbent on ultimate performance. And as a reminder of how long the Corvette/911 rivalry has been melting tires we present the 1990 Porsche 911 as reimagined by Singer you see below. It's beautiful, it's green, and it's packing 500 air-cooled horsepower. You don't have to burn gasoline to go fast, as proven by the second-generation Tesla Roadster, which was revealed as a surprise late last week. Elon Musk says it'll be the quickest car in the world with a 0-60 time of just 1.9 seconds. And while you may not think of a semi truck when you think speed, the Tesla Semi can do 0-60 in 5 seconds flat unloaded, or in 20 seconds with a load of 80,000 pounds. Compared to today's crop of diesel semis, that's amazing. Continuing the truck theme, we present an artists rendering of what the next-generation Ram 1500 pickup may look like. Spoiler alert: Ram's mini-semi look is giving way to something much more modern. There may even be a first-of-its-kind split tailgate at the rear. And if you don't think the Ram 1500 has anything to do with performance, we should remind you that it's one of the cheapest ways to get a tire-shredding Hemi V8 engine in America. 2019 Chevy Corvette ZR1: All hail the 755-horsepower C7 king This is the first Porsche 911 to get Singer and Williams' 500-horsepower engine Tesla Roadster surprise reveal | 'Quickest car in the world' Tesla Semi Truck revealed: Here are the key details This could be the next-generation 2019 Ram 1500 2019 Ram 1500 spotted with split tailgate