UPDATE: Sorry, I replied to the wrong link...I guess that didn't make much sense. This is the one I meant to refer to (the trigger).
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OK. So here's the way I see this and this is just my opinion, others may come to different conclusions.
More than likely most of us in the forum know about the South Carolina outdated car dealership franchise laws that aim to prohibit direct sales from Scout Motors in South Carolina. If you aren't aware, I recommend that you understand what it is about and if there are similar laws in your state. Most of all, write your state legislators.
Now, I don't know Maryland Governor Wes Moore, but I was aware that he visited the Blythewood plant and obviously to see how he could build a sweet Scout deal for Maryland. I mean if I were a governor outside of SC, I sure would be jealous of the Scout plant and would be doing just that. So, good for Gov. Moore.
SC Governor McMaster is obviously "all in" for Scout as well. However, earlier this year, the primary franchise law proposal in South Carolina was the "Consumer Freedom Act" (H.3777), which aimed to allow certain automotive manufacturers to sell vehicles directly to consumers, bypassing the traditional dealer franchise model. The bill did not advance during the 2025 legislative session and could be considered dead for the current two-year session unless revived. Seeing the video for the hearing was pathetic. But I have posted my thoughts on that elsewhere in the forums.
My point is, that if the SC legislators can't see beyond their dealer funded campaign dollars, other states will eventually take away opportunities that are readily available for SC, right now. You can Google "which states allow direct to consumer auto sales" and guess what? YES...Maryland is included. Apparently, Gov. Moore is no dummy. I may be picking up my Scout in Maryland...thanks to SC.
I do hate to go into these rants about state politics, but @J Alynn triggered me...
_________________________________________________________________________
OK. So here's the way I see this and this is just my opinion, others may come to different conclusions.
More than likely most of us in the forum know about the South Carolina outdated car dealership franchise laws that aim to prohibit direct sales from Scout Motors in South Carolina. If you aren't aware, I recommend that you understand what it is about and if there are similar laws in your state. Most of all, write your state legislators.
Now, I don't know Maryland Governor Wes Moore, but I was aware that he visited the Blythewood plant and obviously to see how he could build a sweet Scout deal for Maryland. I mean if I were a governor outside of SC, I sure would be jealous of the Scout plant and would be doing just that. So, good for Gov. Moore.
SC Governor McMaster is obviously "all in" for Scout as well. However, earlier this year, the primary franchise law proposal in South Carolina was the "Consumer Freedom Act" (H.3777), which aimed to allow certain automotive manufacturers to sell vehicles directly to consumers, bypassing the traditional dealer franchise model. The bill did not advance during the 2025 legislative session and could be considered dead for the current two-year session unless revived. Seeing the video for the hearing was pathetic. But I have posted my thoughts on that elsewhere in the forums.
My point is, that if the SC legislators can't see beyond their dealer funded campaign dollars, other states will eventually take away opportunities that are readily available for SC, right now. You can Google "which states allow direct to consumer auto sales" and guess what? YES...Maryland is included. Apparently, Gov. Moore is no dummy. I may be picking up my Scout in Maryland...thanks to SC.
I do hate to go into these rants about state politics, but @J Alynn triggered me...
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