# How does slashing dealerships cut automakers costs?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-slashing-dealerships-cut-automakers-costs/496522>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [May 15, 2009, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-slashing-dealerships-cut-automakers-costs/496522 "2009-05-15T14:01:58Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 3

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**Author:** ![Nobody](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/94ad74/32.png) [@Nobody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nobody)\
**Post date:** [May 15, 2009, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-slashing-dealerships-cut-automakers-costs/496522/41 "2009-05-15T19:36:49Z")

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Unfortunately here in the US laws will have to be changed before car dealerships can sell directly to the public. There are laws in place to protect dealerships from being undercut from the manufacturer.

From this [NPR story](http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=98467648):

> [@Robert Atkinson](#):
>
> “Every single state prohibits any automobile producer from selling a car directly themselves, including selling it directly online,” Atkinson says.

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