2017 Tesla Model X on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Tesla working to eliminate side mirrors

Of all the concept car technologies, one of our favorites has been the deletion of side-view mirrors in favor of video cameras. Besides improving the look of the car, it'd lower drag and improve fuel economy. However, cost, available technology, and most importantly, the government, stand in the way of this tech making it onto a production model.
It's that last facet that Tesla is seeking to change. As Automotive News explains, when the Model X debuted in concept form, it was without wing mirrors. But when the production car was revealed, it had the conventional mirrors, largely because the camera'd car violated the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's Federal Motor Vehicle Safety code (Standard 111, to be precise).
Now comes word that Tesla has actively been lobbying the NHTSA to do away with the standard. It's got breathing room at the moment. We reported a few months ago that the federal mandate regarding backup cameras had been pushed back to 2015. That gives Tesla plenty of time to work the safety administration over regarding the mirror replacement, getting the new tech approved in the next mandate.

Elon Musk hints at need for franchised Tesla dealerships

The auto dealers around the US, the ones who are frantically trying to stop Tesla Motors from selling its cars directly to consumers, might just need to wait things out. The latest state to take an aggressive stance against Telsa's dealer-free policy is Michigan, but in an new interview with Autoline Daily, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said that as the company grows, it may need to introduce franchised dealerships into its sales model. Currently, Tesla only sells vehicles directly to customers through a network of Tesla Stores. But that may not be enough once more vehicles – the Model X and the Model 3 – arrive and demand for the electric vehicles grows in all fifty states. According to Autoline Daily host John McElroy, when he asked Musk about future growth, Musk admitted that, "We may need a hybrid system, with a combination of our own stores and some dealer franchises." That's a big turn around from Musk's previous claims that normal dealerships can't properly sell electric vehicles and that, if necessary, Tesla would try to change the laws nationwide to allow direct sales, a strategy that has had its share of successes, including surprising support from the FTC. Still, selling a few thousand vehicles a month is a lot different than selling tens of thousands, and that's the sort of thing that Tesla's legislative director Jim Chen may have been thinking about when, in a closed-door regulatory meeting in the fall of 2013, he reportedly said that Tesla would stop its factory-direct-only policy once sales increased to some unspecified level, according to Hybrid Cars. You can see the AD video below. The Tesla news is first in the line-up. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Dealers in Georgia latest to oppose Tesla showrooms

Tesla has been fighting challenges from dealer groups in several states for years due to the company's decision to sell directly to customers at stores rather than through franchise dealers. The business has won some of these battles like its recent compromise in Pennsylvania, which allows the company to open five stores there. Now, Tesla has another legal struggle ahead of it because the Georgia Automobile Dealers Association is hoping to shut down the brand's boutiques.
The Georgia dealers recently filed a petition to revoke Tesla's dealer license in the state and prevent it from reapplying for another one, according to Automotive News. The company currently operates just one store in Marietta, GA, but it reportedly has two more locations planned around Atlanta in the future. The association claims that Tesla's license limits it to direct sales of a maximum of 150 vehicles a year. It's now selling more than that, but attempting to increase the restriction.
If Tesla wants to keep selling cars in the state, which boasts high incentives and strong popularity around Atlanta for EVs, it needs to switch to franchises, according to the dealers. "No one should be allowed to act as if they are above the law, especially when there is a simple path to compliance that everyone else has agreed to follow," said Bill Morie, president of the association, to Automotive News.