Tesla official- Defeat of bill a victory for Missouri consumers

(From Tesla Motors)

An outpouring of support from Missouri consumers and business groups has prevented the passage of a bill that would have hurt consumer choice by creating a monopoly for auto dealers on new vehicle sales in the state. Today’s closure of the 2014 legislative session means the Missouri legislature will not reconvene until next January, halting the progress of a bill that contained anti-Tesla language inserted at the last minute under pressure from the dealer lobby.

“The defeat of this anti-free market proposal is a victory for Missouri consumers and for the state’s economy,” said Diarmuid O’Connell, Tesla Motors’ Vice President of Corporate and Business Development. “We want to thank the Missouri owners, advocates, businesses and Members of the General Assembly whose support for Tesla was key to ensuring that our location in St. Louis can continue to operate and that Tesla can further invest in Missouri. We look forward to working with policymakers in the months to come to secure consumer choice in the Missouri automotive market and to ensure that innovative companies like Tesla can do business in the Show-Me State.”