LOS ANGELES, Mar 15 (Reuters): Tesla Motors Inc escalated its war of words with New Jersey on Friday, lambasting a regulatory change approved by the state earlier this week that bars the "green car" company from selling vehicles directly to the public.
The electric car maker is now studying "judicial remedies" to fight the ruling, Chief Executive Elon Musk said in a sharply worded blog post. The ruling, which requires sales of all new cars to go through dealer franchises, was approved by New Jersey Governor Chris Christie's administration on Tuesday.
"The rationale given for the regulation change that requires auto companies to sell through dealers is that it ensures 'consumer protection," Musk wrote. "If you believe this, Gov. Christie has a bridge closure he wants to sell you!"
He added: "Unless they are referring to the mafia version of 'protection,' this is obviously untrue."
A spokesman in Christie's office referred to a statement from earlier this week that said Tesla had known for a year it would need approval from the state legislature to establish its direct-sales model.
Musk has long argued that the dealer franchise system is a bad fit for 11-year-old Tesla because he says traditional car dealers make more money from gasoline-powered cars and as a result they have less incentive to advocate for electric cars, like the Model S sedan.
Tesla chief slams New Jersey for barring direct car sales
FE Team | Published: March 16, 2014 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2026 06:01:00
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