Tesla reaches accord with commonwealth of Virginia and dealers on retailing cars here
EV automaker Tesla Motors may soon be able to list Virginia in its column of state jurisdictions where it is licensed to retail its vehicles directly to consumers. Per an agreement Tesla reached with the commonwealth of Virginia and VADA recently, the automaker withdrew its appeal to the courts of DMVs rejection of its application earlier this year to retail vehicles, in return for being able to open a single factory store in the Tysons Corner or greater Northern Virginia area. This single point store would offer direct sales to consumers with a service facility nearby.
The agreement further provided that Tesla must apply to the Virginia Motor Vehicle Dealer Board where approval for a license normally takes about two weeks, according to MVDB director Bruce Gould. The upshot is that Tesla will be required to meet Virginias license requirements to retail motor vehicles, just as any dealer would.
The accord between Tesla and Virginia is responsive to Teslas contention that its niche market position is such that its projected sales volume isnt large enough to warrant a dealer network right now. A dealer network, here and elsewhere, could come later, Tesla says, if the volume of new vehicle sales increases for them. The agreement also gives Tesla a chance to demonstrate that they are ready, willing and able to fully comply with vehicle retail licensing laws in Virginia.
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