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I buy that dealerships are paying off state government officials as part of their lobbying efforts. Putting on my cynic hat, my question is, why aren't automake

I buy that dealerships are paying off state government officials as part of their lobbying efforts. Putting on my cynic hat, my question is, why aren't automakers? I mean, other than Tesla, Rivian, and Lucid, who presumably have no dealership footprint to protect. I know Ford also wants to sell direct-to-consumer, and I have no doubt they've got no ethical issue with lobbying politicians. So, why not shell out a few million?

jonhohle 3y ago
They have to also fight against the public opinion of putting “local family businesses” out of work. Meanwhile these families are likely the wealthiest in their locale and have stepped on anyone in town that tried to stop them from keeping their capture.
waselighis 3y ago
One guess, dealerships are local and have a much stronger interest to support local candidates as opposed to auto manufacturers who have a national or global presence. Dealerships are also far greater in number, hundreds if not thousands in every state. It may also not be such a big deal for most automakers like Ford, which have historically always sold through dealerships. It would likely cost more than a few million in lobbying to undermine these laws, and multiply that by 50 states, it may be a battle not worth fighting. Unlike Tesla, which has always sold direct-to-consumer, and has notably never paid for advertising, direct-to-consumer is very much their business model, so they have a much stronger interest in maintaining the status quo.