nice! i'd read somewhere that the dealership model was actually a key aspect to universal car ownership in the US (wish i could find the link). manufacturers apparently had to lobby state legislatures to allow them to set up auto franchises and had to entice franchisees to set up dealerships (this is where all the complicated kickbacks apparently came into play).

now the franchisees are understandably lobbying for the opposite to keep manufacturers out. i'm sympathetic to dealers as small business owners but i'm no fan of (most) car salesmen. will be interesting to see if this means dealerships become more competitive (better customer service?) or get pushed out. i've also heard that most dealerships make their money on service, but at least with teslas, that's not a big business (and it's more IT than auto mechanic).