General Motors and Volvo are eyeing changes to their distribution models as they move into the electric vehicle era that would give them a larger role in managing dealerships' inventory.
The plans would help dealers avoid paying to carry a big selection of EVs before demand for them takes off, but some fear the long-term consequences of an automaker-controlled inventory pool.
They're a sign that the industry's rapid push into electrification may have implications that go beyond fuel consumption and emissions, by altering some of the long-accepted fundamentals of how franchised dealerships operate.