Tesla Motors considers Alpharetta for new Atlanta area store – Atlanta Business Chronicle

After a year of battling dealer-friendly laws in several states, Tesla Motors Inc. appears to be turning a corner.

In Georgia, meanwhile, Tesla (Nasdaq: TSLA) and the Georgia Automotive Dealers Association have reached a compromise that will allow the automaker to operate five stores in the Peach State and sell an unlimited number of its pricey vehicles.

Current law caps the number of Teslas that may be sold in Georgia to 150. However, Tesla sells way more than that by requiring customers to buy the vehicle from California and then having them register it in Georgia. The Model S is manufactured in Fremont, Calif.

Being in the second largest EV market is “hugely important” for Tesla, James Chen, vice president of regulatory affairs told Atlanta Business Chronicle ahead of the Georgia Technology Summit on March 25, where Chen will be speaking.

It is also about “signaling” that Tesla ought to be able to sell its cars as it wishes in any market.

via Tesla Motors considers Alpharetta for new Atlanta area store – Atlanta Business Chronicle.