Georgia Dealers Association: Tesla Sold Too Many Cars

Tesla Motors, the electric car company founded by Elon Musk, is under fire from dealers in the Peach State.  The Georgia Automobile Dealers Association filed a petition on August 28th with the State Department of Revenue against Tesla Motors. They are seeking to revoke the license that allows Tesla to sell cars in in their state. Their allegation is that the California-based company has sold too many cars. The group claims that their license allows them to sell 150 vehicles per year and they have sold 174. They find this to be grounds for the revocation of Tesla’s license.

In response to the petition, a statement attributed to Tesla said that, “The petition filed by the Georgia Automobile Dealers Association is nothing more than a thinly veiled attempt to stifle new innovation and eliminate consumer choice by trying to establish a monopoly that restricts the way consumers can buy new vehicles.” Derrick Dickey, spokesman for the Georgia Automobile Dealers Association doesn’t seem to agree with Tesla’s assertion. He said that, “Georgia must maintain the integrity of the proven current system which is supported by dealers and manufacturers. Local franchises ensure important consumer protections and provide the competition that drives down prices.”

Tesla Motors sales are specifically banned in 5 states: Arizona, New Jersey, Texas, Maryland and Virginia. Most states don’t have legislation concerning sales of Tesla vehicles, making this clash with the dealers in Georgia really stand out. We will continue to update you on the latest updates on this story in the coming days and weeks.