Direct Hit: How Tesla Went Straight to Consumers and Smashed the Car Dealers' Monopoly

By Daniel A. Crane

Since 2013, Elon Musk has been at war with car dealers in the United States. Battles have played out in legislative backrooms, courtrooms, governors' offices, and news media outlets across the country. As of now, Musk has won the war. Telsa has established a foothold across the country, sold over 2 million cars without using a dealer, established a loyal customer base, and overcome most states' franchise dealer laws. Direct Hit tells the story of this fight, taking readers into courtrooms and legislative halls where the dealers tried in vain to derail Tesla's advances. The book shares key insights on the strategic choices made by dealers, legacy car companies, and electric-vehicle startups. With a combination of historical narrative, blow-by-blow accounts of the Tesla wars, and a consideration of America's longstanding romance with the personal automobile, Direct Hit shares a uniquely American drama over cars and the people who sell them.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 100968793X
• ISBN13: 9781009687935
• Release Date: December 2025
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Length: 220 Pages