#teslaannouncement

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Whoa! Is Tesla moving to a dealership model?

Nearly two years ago to the day I was thrilled to be going to the opening of Tesla’s ($TSLA) new retail store in the high-end Roosevelt Field Mall in Garden City, Long Island. I even posted this short video clip from the grand opening weekend. So you could imagine my surprise when I received a comment on my YouTube video feed that the store has closed down. Closed down? What happened? 

I see no official news or mentions of the store closing in Tesla’s press releases. I checked Tesla’s store finder on the company’s website and could no longer find the Garden City location on the map. I tracked down Tesla IR contact Jeff Evanson who seemed to have no knowledge of the closure. I then called Simon Properties, the owner of Roosevelt Field Mall and was transferred to the Roosevelt Field Management Office where it was confirmed to me the Tesla retail store did in fact close in the past few days. Just like that the Garden City store is no more. Weird considering SolarCity ($SCTY), which Elon Musk is the Chairman, is expanding on Long Island and building a huge manufacturing plant in Buffalo, New York. 

New York has allowed Tesla to operate its existing direct auto stores but it’s no secret the New York Automobile Dealers Association has battled the automaker and insisted any new stores would be allowed through dealerships model only. So is the “quiet” closing of its Garden City store indicative that Tesla is raising the white flag and abandoning the direct to consumer sales model it believes is necessary to help consumers better understand the benefits of electric cars? Could it be consumers are much more educated about Tesla and electric cars than they were just a few years ago so it’s ok for Tesla to cry uncle on its sales approach?

Let’s face it folks, Tesla is one of the hottest brands on the planet. You can argue about the company’s market cap, but the innovation is there big time. With that said, what’s eye-brow raising to me is the fact the news of the demise of the Garden City store didn’t come from Tesla themselves. Can Tesla explain to its shareholders why one of its first retail stores on the East Coast suddenly shut its doors? 

I love what Tesla is building for the long-term and I’m extremely anxious to hear what the new “D” prototype is on October 9th, but Mr. Musk, can you please let us know why the Garden City store is no more? 

Photo Courtesy: Flickr/Nick Papakyriazis