Christopher James “Chris” Christie, the 55th Governor of New Jersey’s administration, according to the Huffington Post, has banned electric-car maker Tesla from the Garden state. It has been reported that Tesla will stop selling cars in New Jersey on April 1.
Tesla wrote in a blog post that “This is an affront to the very concept of a free market.” The move will prevent selling cars directly to consumers in New Jersey. All sales must now be done through franchised dealerships. According to Forbes, New Jersey dealers did not want Tesla to be able to sell cars directly to customers. Last year and dozens of individual car dealers and dealership groups donated heavily to the governor. According to NJ.com, Christie received more than $60,000 in donations from dealerships.
Kevin Roberts, a Chris Christie spokesman told the Associated Press that officials made clear to Tesla that the company would have to go through the New Jersey legislature to legalize its direct sales model.
CNN Money reports that Tesla had been selling its Model S electric sedan direct to motorists in the state for a year. An attorney for the company reported that Tesla will be forced to close down two locations where it directly sold vehicles to consumers.
According to Roberts, “This administration does not find it appropriate to unilaterally change the way cars are sold in New Jersey without legislation, and Tesla has been aware of this position since the beginning.” Texas and Arizona have already banned the Tesla sales model. Both states are on Tesla’s consideration list for its massive battery factory, according to Forbes. And it has been reported that the state of Ohio is also considering banning the Tesla model. Huffington Post Business reports that New Jersey has a larger luxury car sales market than those other two states.
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