Legendary NASCAR crew chief and racer Smokey Yunick was famous for his hilarious “cheats” though he claimed he only ever took advantage of the gray areas in the sport’s rules. And it looks like Tesla is using similar methods to race ahead of Connecticut’s lawmakers.
Tesla doesn’t sell through conventional dealerships as other brands do, which might be fine in some states, but not in Connecticut, which is one of a dozen states whose laws prohibit direct-to-consumer sales. The EV firm’s genius new workaround is to open its own showroom at the Mohegan Sun Casino, located on tribal land, per the CT Mirror.
The new retail outlet opens this fall across from Todd English’s Tuscany restaurant and is sited in a space previously occupied by a Victoria’s Secret lingerie store. Potential buyers will have the opportunity to test drive some Tesla models around the resort before making a purchase.
Related: Tesla Sidesteps New Mexico Direct Sales Ban By Establishing Showroom On Tribal Land
Tesla’s sole existing CT showroom is in Milford and only allows customers to lease, not buy its vehicles, which has meant that people determined to put their own name on a Tesla’s registration document have had to drive out of state. But the Mohegan Sun deal will change that.
EV fans and clean-air advocates have been lobbying CT lawmakers for amendments to the ban on direct selling to allow Tesla and other EV firms, including Rivian and Lucid, to sell their vehicles in the state. But while they will be thrilled at the latest Tesla news, dealers are less enthusiastic at the sneaky challenge to their business model.
“It is essential to strike a balance between respecting tribal sovereignty and maintaining a level playing field for all car dealerships in Connecticut,” said Hayden Reynolds, chairman of the Connecticut Automotive Retail Association. “Connecticut’s dealer franchise laws benefit consumers and provide a competitive marketplace.”
