So are other new automakers:

> The change confirms newer manufacturers like Tesla, Rivian and Lucid are authorized to hold a franchise dealer license for direct sales of EVs if they are not otherwise prohibited under federal law. That carve-out apparently does not extend to traditional manufacturers such as GM, Ford, Honda and Toyota, all of which now make battery-powered cars.

It's basically a protection racket for existing dealerships for traditional automakers, to ensure they don't get any bright ideas to avoid ~~middleman~~ dealership markups by directly selling the vehicles.