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Tesla can sell EVs in Missouri again after court win
Auto dealerships in Missouri really don't want Tesla on their turf, and last year got a judge to ban the automaker from getting a license in the state. However, the Missouri Court of Appeals has overturned that verdict, allowing Musk & Co to resume selling cars directly to consumers. "We have been serving customers in Missouri for almost five years and have contributed to the state economy and jobs for Missourians -- something that will now continue," Tesla said in a statement.
Tesla dealerships aim to play Michigan at its own game
You can't buy a Tesla in Michigan because, like in many states, local laws prohibit manufacturers selling to their customers directly. To do so would cut out dealerships, which just happen to have bankrolled plenty of local politicians into protecting their interests. Tesla, however, isn't going to sulk off into the night, and has decided to play Michigan's vested interests at their own game by applying for a dealership license. According to the Wall Street Journal, the firm delivered the paperwork in November and is expecting to hear the decision by the start of March.
New York law lets Tesla continue direct car sales
Tesla has just dodged another bullet -- well, sort of. Just days after New Jersey overturned a ban on direct car sales, New York has enacted a law that lets Tesla continue selling cars through its stores in the states. As with similar laws in other regions, though, there are strings attached. In keeping with an agreement forged back in March, the EV maker can only pursue direct sales through its existing five stores; beyond that, it has to go through dealerships.
NVIDIA starts selling own-brand GPUs at Best Buy, AIB partners left befuddled
It would seem NVIDIA is ready to take the plunge into selling its graphics cards directly to consumers. Only problem with this plan, however, is that the company has opted to partner up with Best Buy, who's started stocking its shelves with NVIDIA-branded GPUs a wee bit ahead of the official announcement. As most of us already know, NVIDIA and AMD traditionally rely on add-in-board partners to build and support the actual graphics boards, but now the (original) Green Team seems set to take those reins into its own hands. HardOCP has discovered Foxconn will be responsible for building these perfectly generic GeForces and NVIDIA is promising a pretty generous three-year warranty to go with their luxurious packaging. The company's official response to these revelations has been to say that Best Buy will be the only place the own-brand cards can be purchased and that the effort is intended as a "complement" to products from its partners. Yes, we're positive they'll see it that way too.
Gateway ditches direct sales model, goes purely indirect
Gateway, long known for its (once) very active direct sales model, is continuing to morph as it attempts to revitalize itself. The most recent strategic change is pretty remarkable -- the outfit is completely and thoroughly ditching the aforesaid direct sales model. From here on out, prospective customers will only be able to snag a Gateway PC from retailers, e-tailers and other channel partners. According to the official verbiage, the change will deliver "significant cost savings, ultimately resulting in an improved value proposition for consumers." This all seems to have quite a bit to do with the recent Acer acquisition, with Mark Hill, Acer Group US General Manager, stating that Gateway is "shifting its distribution method to better align with Acer's successful global strategy, which was built upon an indirect model." At this point, we suppose it can't hurt to give it a whirl.[Via Electronista, image courtesy of The New York Times]
