Texas Tesla Store Favored by Residents: Poll Shows
Residents in Austin, Texas are overwhelmingly in favor of electric vehicle maker Tesla being allowed to sell its Model S sedan according to a web poll by the Austin Business Journal.
“We hope that legislators will consider the overwhelming support shown in this poll…” Tesla CEO Elon Musk said of the bill, which would allow EV makers to sell straight from factory to consumer.
In the poll, which isn’t a scientific sampling and is still open, 86 percent are in favor of Tesla being allowed to bypass Texas dealership regulations while 12 percent are against while two percent are are undecided. At the time of writing, 1,718 votes had been cast.
SEE ALSO: Tesla CEO Visits Texas, Talks About Electric Truck
Tesla’s direct-to-customer business model raises problems where laws block manufacturers from selling directly to customers. It’s a problem Tesla successfully defeated in other parts of the country including a Boston suburb where the brand found similar opposition from the local dealer association. Musk travelled to Austin two weeks ago and lobbied to bypass Texas dealership regulations.
SEE ALSO: Tesla Wins License to Sell Cars in Boston Suburb
“For the Auto Dealer Association to claim that restricting competition is in the best interests of the public is wrong and defies obvious common sense,” Musk said. Job creation, and the allusion of an electric pickup truck were among the items he discussed at the time.
Opening a store in Austin could mena big business for Tesla. Musk said he thought Texas could prove to be the brand’s second-largest market behind California.
Luke is an energetic automotive journalist who spends his time covering industry news and crawling the internet for the latest breaking story. When he isn't in the office, Luke can be found obsessively browsing used car listings, drinking scotch at his favorite bar and dreaming of what to drive next, though the list grows a lot faster than his bank account. He's always on <A title="@lukevandezande on Twitter" href="http://twitter.com/lukevandezande">Twitter</A> looking for a good car conversation. Find Luke on <A title="@lukevandezande on Twitter" href="http://twitter.com/lukevandezande">Twitter</A> and <A title="Luke on Google+" href="http://plus.google.com/112531385961538774338?rel=author">Google+</A>.
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