????本文是與《創業者》雜志的合作內容，原載于Entrepreneur.com。

????從喬治亞州到新澤西州，美國的不少州都打擊了特斯拉（Tesla）的直銷模式，有些州甚至完全禁止特斯拉電動汽車的銷售。但盡管如此，特斯拉的創始人埃隆?穆斯克仍然堅持認為，開放特許經營將損害特斯拉的業務模式。

????但是這種情況可能很快就會發生變化。

????穆斯克上個月在接受《汽車日報》（Autoline Daily）采訪時暗示，特斯拉或許會放松其一貫反對特許經營的政策。該刊物引述穆斯克的話稱，隨著公司的發展，“我們可能需要一個混合型體系，其中既有我們自己的門店，也有一些特許經營的經銷商。”

????這番話出自于一位視直銷為“命根子”的CEO之口，可謂是一件大事。之前全美各地的汽車經銷商協會都指責特斯拉的直銷模式違反了各州法律。由于美國各州有關汽車業特許經營權的法律稍有不同，每次有新的州參與進來，問題都會變得更復雜一些。

????今年10月，密歇根成為第5個禁止特斯拉電動汽車直銷的州，理由是該州所有的新車經銷商都要遞交特許經營協議。喬治亞州、紐約州、賓西法尼亞州、俄亥俄州和密蘇里州等地的汽車經銷商也紛紛指責特斯拉的直銷模式對特許經營模式造成了損害。隨著特斯拉要應對的州越來越多，穆斯克似乎也只得稍稍放松他對直銷的執著。

????位于芝加哥的Dykema律師事務所的律師盧?克魯諾瓦斯基曾經接手過一些汽車業和特許經營行業的案例，他表示：“我認為最終他們必須走（特許經營）這條路。我覺得經銷商的力量和經銷商網絡是很強大的，他們可以一時令他們沒有辦法，但最終他們還是需要特許經營經銷商的。”

????克魯諾瓦斯基表示，廣大經銷商們擔心，特斯拉和其他可能殺入汽車行業的“黑馬”，會憑借直銷模式造成極為激烈的競爭，因為直銷模式下的汽車售價能夠顯著低于競品。此外，有些經銷商自己也樂于擁有一家特斯拉的經銷門店。

????克魯諾瓦斯基說：“我認為這就是個時間問題。我認為特斯拉以往的做法是因為他們不得不這樣做，因為它一直處于創業模式。所以他們不可能一開始就通過建立一個經銷商網絡來賣車，因為他們沒有足夠的資金。”

????特斯拉公司的一位發言人堅決否認了任何有關特許經營的傳聞（“目前沒有任何特許經營計劃”），不過同時他也表示，特斯拉可能會推行一種所謂的“混合型”模式。

????This post is in partnership with Entrepreneur. The article below was originally published at Entrepreneur.com.

????From Georgia to New Jersey, states have attacked Tesla’s direct sales model, in some cases banning sales of the company’s electric vehicles entirely. Through it all, founder Elon Musk has stayed committed to the dogma that franchising would destroy its business model.

????Soon, that may change.

????In an interview with Autoline Daily last month, Musk implied that the company might be easing up on the anti-franchising policy. The industry publication quotes him saying, as the company grows, “we may need a hybrid system, with a combination of our own stores and some dealer franchises.”

????Coming from the CEO of the company that has referred to the direct sales model as “vital,” this is a big deal. Tesla has faced off against auto dealers associations across the country who have argued that the company’s direct sales model violates state laws. Since every state has slightly different laws to deal with auto franchises, every time a new state takes up the cause, the issue can seem more convoluted.

????In October, Michigan became the fifth sate to ban direct sales of Tesla vehicles, as all new-car dealers are required to provide a franchise agreement. Auto dealers in states including Georgia, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Missouri have argued that Tesla’s direct sales model undercuts the franchise model and threatens consumers’ ability to utilize dealers as advocates separate from manufacturers. As Tesla is forced to tangle with more and more state, it looks like Musk may have to temper his dedication to direct sales.

????“I think eventually they will have to [franchise],” says Lou Chronowski, a Chicago-based attorney with Dykema who has worked on automotive and franchise industry cases. “I think that the powers of the dealers and the dealer bodies are so strong, they can keep them at bay for a while, but eventually, they will need to have franchise dealers.”

????Chronowski says that dealers are worried that Tesla and other potential entrants in the auto industry using a direct sales model could provide major competition, with the ability to sell cars at lower prices than the competition. Plus, some dealers would like the opportunity to own a Tesla franchise themselves.

????“I think that this has always been just a timing issue. I think the reality is that Tesla did it the way they had to do it, being in the startup mode,” he says. “They really couldn’t start a dealer network and then start selling cars. There just isn’t enough money in the world to do that.”

????A Tesla spokesperson emphatically denies any franchising rumors (“There are no plans to franchise in any capacity”), but says the car maker may be open to a different, “hybrid” model.