The Missouri Automobile Dealers Association sued the Missouri Revenue Department and now a judge has ruled in their favor on part of their claims in Missouri.
Cole County Judge Daniel Green ruled that the Missouri Revenue Department violated state law when it gave the California-based manufacturer a license for a University City dealership in 2013 and a franchise dealer license for a Kansas City dealership in 2014. That allowed the automaker to sell cars directly to customers instead of through a dealership serving as a middleman.
[...] Tesla has faced similar roadblocks to selling its cars in several states with dealership laws similar to Missouri's. In some of those states, legislators have been looking at ways to tweak laws and let the company operate.
Previously: Tesla Direct Sales Blocked in New Jersey
(Score: 3, Insightful) by davester666 on Friday September 02 2016, @07:08PM
Way back, when cars were first coming out, laws like these requiring dealerships independent from the manufacturer, made sense to fix problems with manufacturers either preventing or abusing dealers, which is why these laws were passed (I'm talking about laws passed 30+ years ago, not recent ones that basically target Tesla specifically). Similar to most cities laws w.r.t. taxicabs.
But now, the rules are being gamed for the benefit of the existing players.
Like every other industry.