I think the precedent matters more than Rivian itself. If Washington allows this, other EV startups will definitely try the same approach. Could we see a two-tier system where EVs are mostly direct sales and gas vehicles stay with dealers?
The long-term play here is that Rivian controls the entire customer relationship and all the associated data and revenue streams. That’s actually the real threat dealers should be worried about – not just lost sales, but lost recurring revenue from service.
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