That was my point in the comparison. That Harley has more control over it's dealerships in general. Yes, they have local owners, but they, like authorized car dealerships, have to play by Harley's rules, be trained by HD, and get certified by them. Most car dealerships are the same way, they have to go through the manufacturer to be an "authorized" dealer for that make. If you read what Elio is saying, they are setting up the same thing. Stand alone retail centers where people trained by Elio will sell their products, including parts from their suppliers for personalizing the vehicle. This is NOT direct sales the way Tesla is doing things.
Ok, I understand where you are coming from now. It is a known fact that Elio Motors will be running their own sales centers just like Tesla. Last year they even released a document with all their expected expenses laid out. The document was released as part of the process to acquire their factory space in Shreveport, La. One way they are controlling costs to consumers is by controlling the sales process.
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B6pgWLAKqAbLSkNUUURwNlNHMTQ/edit
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