"Frankly, Ford doesn't need its dealer network any more than Tesla does now, or they shouldn't. "
So you are suggesting that Ford is interested in replacing the franchised model and operating and owning the establishments themselves?
Car dealerships in many areas are basically small businesses.
They are a model that work in the same way that many bakeries have route drivers that are one step away from being employees in a sense (Fedex also uses this in some areas).
I don't buy the idea that it's a given that a large existing car manufacturer would rather just build out and operate car dealerships and that there is no value to an entrepreneur owning that dealership. Or that that even adds to significant extra costs for the consumer. By "significant" I mean the extra cost per car because there is a dealer. (Which by the way you do need a place to get service (even with electric) and you do need a showroom and a local point of contact).
How much profit per car do you think the dealer makes exactly that the consumer will save?
That seems to be a benefit for consumers though. Imagine if google had dealers and they weren't able to so easily kill off a service that wasn't profitable because there was more of a unified voice against the action.
(This is not a pro or con for dealers just something that came to my mind based on your comment).
So you are suggesting that Ford is interested in replacing the franchised model and operating and owning the establishments themselves?
Car dealerships in many areas are basically small businesses.
They are a model that work in the same way that many bakeries have route drivers that are one step away from being employees in a sense (Fedex also uses this in some areas).
I don't buy the idea that it's a given that a large existing car manufacturer would rather just build out and operate car dealerships and that there is no value to an entrepreneur owning that dealership. Or that that even adds to significant extra costs for the consumer. By "significant" I mean the extra cost per car because there is a dealer. (Which by the way you do need a place to get service (even with electric) and you do need a showroom and a local point of contact).
How much profit per car do you think the dealer makes exactly that the consumer will save?