Tesla (TSLA) - Get Report CEO Elon Musk gained a new ally in his company's crusade to overcome the control that franchised dealers exercise over automobile retailing in some parts of the U.S.

Lynk & Co., a startup and an affiliate of the Sino-Swedish Volvo, disclosed that it plans to open company stores in the U.S. starting in 2018 in an effort to drive down distribution costs and to reduce the price of its vehicles, which will be designed in Sweden and manufactured in China. Sales will begin this year in China, the company said.

Tesla has encountered significant legal hurdles in states such as Michigan, Texas, Virginia and Missouri,where dealer associations have helped write laws that effectively bar company-owned stores. The maker of battery-powered cars is suing Michigan, which denied the required license for selling vehicles. In the meantime, Tesla has opened a gallery to display its cars inside a Nordstrom department store in Troy, Mich.

While Internet-based ventures have upset retailing patterns for a broad variety of merchandise from clothing to appliances, the Internet's biggest disruption has been on the way shoppers find information about vehicles, such as pricing. So far, most buyers still shop at dealerships and close purchases in face-to-face transactions with sales personnel.

In an interview with trade publication Automotive News, Lynk & Co.'s marketing chief, Alain Visser, said "the current car distribution model is broken. Automakers design, engineer and build cars but then outsource their sales to dealers, losing their grip on a part of the process that is crucial for brand-building and margins."

When owners of Lynk & Co. vehicles need service, Visser said, they will be able to bring them to Volvo dealerships, since the two brands will be mechanically similar.

Franchise dealers argue that they are uniquely qualified to retail vehicles by virtue of their substantial investment in showrooms and service bays, experience handling clients and deep roots in the community. Automakers have attempted from time to time to circumvent or supplant the dealer franchise system, with little or no success.

Lynk & Co., beyond its retailing plans, represents a significant next step for Zhejiang Geely Holding Group of China, which is controlled by industrialist Li Shufu. Geely has invested $11 billion so far to develop new Volvo models, which undoubtedly will provide the engineering and design basis for its new brand.

Ford sold Volvo to Geely in 2010 for $1.8 billion. Since then, Volvo has introduced two new models -- the XC90 SUV and the S90 sedan -- which have won strong reviews.

Doron Levin is the host of "In the Driver Seat," broadcast on SiriusXM Insight 121, Saturday at noon, encore Sunday at 9 a.m.

This article is commentary by an independent contributor. At the time of publication, the author held no positions in the stocks mentioned.