Dealers signed an Anti-EV Letter in Nevada
Some Nevada dealers didn’t know their organization signed an anti-electric vehicle letter in March.
Associations and big auto are bullying dealers into anti-EV positions in Nevada. In March, Nevada auto dealers “signed” a letter called the “EV Voice of the Customer” and their message was that “customers do not want EVs” with no credible reasoning for the letter. The signed letter included over 60 dealerships — see list at the bottom — in Nevada.
Why it matters: The campaign looks to be part of a misinformation campaign by state actors or traditional auto interests — see Mary Barra & GM blocks Tesla. The Nevada Electric Vehicle Association (NEVA), an group made up of electric vehicle owners, followed up on its LinkedIn post in late March and said, “we’ve traded emails with over a dozen dealerships in Nevada. So far, three have stated they either didn’t know about the letter, didn’t know their business was listed as a signor, or “didn’t have a say” in it. More to come.”
Why Negativity Sells (instead of dealers): State groups and heavyweights like the National Automobile Dealer Association (NADA) are releasing negative public relations campaigns against electric vehicle ownership. Why? Simply, to distract. Surveys show that once an owner drives a modern EV – 250+ miles and priced at $40,000 – owners are less inclined to buy a gas car. See below:
The Triple AAA survey from 2020:
The majority (96%) say they would buy or lease another electric vehicle the next time they were in the market for a new car.
Two in five (43%) say they drive more now than when they owned a gas-powered car. On average, electric vehicle owners drive 39 miles per day.
Three quarters (78%) also have a gas-powered car in the household, yet they report doing most of their driving (87%) in their electric vehicle.
Deeper Dive
For more information on anti-EV-selling examples, read this Washington Post article (free link) on how dealers are blocking EV sales. 1st person accounts.
Hyundai Automotive Group, including Kia, is trying to navigate past anti-EV forces in the dealer segment.
Dealerships that signed the Anti-EV letter in Nevada (source):
- Audi Henderson
- Audi Las Vegas
- Audi Reno Tahoe
- AutoNation Buick GMC Henderson
- AutoNation Buick GMC West Sahara
- AutoNation Honda East Las Vegas
- AutoNation Nissan Las Vegas
- AutoNation Toyota Las Vegas
- AutoNation Volkswagen Las Vegas
- BMW of Henderson
- BMW of Las Vegas
- Cadillac of Las Vegas
- Capital Ford
- Carson City Toyota
- Centennial Hyundai of Las Vegas
- Centennial Subaru
- Centennial Toyota
- Corwin Ford Reno
- Corwin GMC Buick Cadillac Reno
- David Wilson's Toyota & Scion of Las Vegas
- Desert 215 Superstore CJDR
- Findlay Acura
- Findlay Cadillac
- Findlay Chevrolet
- Findlay Honda
- Findlay Honda Henderson
- Findlay Kia
- Findlay Lincoln
- Findlay Mazda
- Findlay Nissan Henderson
- Findlay Toyota
- Findlay Volkswagen
- Findlay Volvo Cars Las Vegas
- Fletcher Jones Imports
- Henderson Hyundai Superstore
- Honda West
- Jaguar Land Rover Las Vegas
- Jerry Seiner Buick GMC Las Vegas
- Jerry Seiner Mazda
- Ken Garff Mesquite Ford RV
- Key Acura of Reno
- Lamborghini Las Vegas
- Land Rover Henderson
- Land Rover Reno
- Lexus of Henderson
- Lexus of Las Vegas
- Lithia Chrysler Jeep of Reno
- Lithia Volkswagen of Reno
- Mercedes-Benz of Henderson
- Mercedes-Benz of Reno
- MINI of Las Vegas
- Reno Mitsubishi
- Subaru of Las Vegas