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(Courtesy: Tesla Motors)

A new rule that effectively bans direct to consumer car sales was the result of a back room deal between the auto dealers' lobby and Gov. Chris Christie in order to preserve the dealers' monopoly on automobile sales, Tesla Motors' chairman said in a post to the company website today.

What's more, Tesla chairman Elon Musk said in the post, if you believe that the laws on the books protecting dealers are there for the good of the consumer, "Gov. Christie has a bridge closure he wants to sell you."

In his post, Musk said Christie had promised that allowing for direct sales to customers, which is Tesla's sales model, would be put to a vote by the legislature. However, the dealers were afraid of the outcome and so took their concerns to the administration.

"Governor Christie had promised that this would be put to a vote of the elected state legislature, which is the appropriate way to change the law," Musk said. "When it became apparent to the auto dealer lobby that this approach would not succeed, they cut a backroom deal with the Governor to circumvent the legislative process and pass a regulation that is fundamentally contrary to the intent of the law."

On Tuesday, the state Motor Vehicle Commission passed new rules essentially outlawing the direct sales model, effectively banning Tesla, at least under its current sales model, from the state. Earlier in the week, company officials said the new rules were added to the MVC agenda at the last minute and were to be "stealthily" passed.

Earlier in the week Tesla accused the new rules of being "anti-Tesla" designed solely to squeeze the company out of state sales.

An administration spokesman responded that the point had always been made clear to Tesla that the rules needed to be changed by the legislature. What's more, the rule in question was first proposed in October and Tesla representatives provided public comment for it back then. It was not a sneak attack as the company claims.

"Since Tesla first began operating in New Jersey one year ago, it was made clear that the company would need to engage the Legislature on a bill to establish their new direct-sales operations under New Jersey law," said spokesman Kevin Roberts. "This administration does not find it appropriate to unilaterally change the way cars are sold in New Jersey without legislation and Tesla has been aware of this position since the beginning."

Jim Appleton, president of the New Jersey Coalition of Automobile Retailers denied the allgeation of a back room deal and said the point of the regulations passed Tuesday was simply to bring the Motor Vehicle Commission's rules in line with existing law.

"Mr. Musk better take a breath because he is making accusations and destroying any credibility he might have had in this debate," Appleton said.

Appleton said in the initial criticism of MVC and Christie posted to the company's site, Tesla admitted to having struck a deal with the administration that the rule change would be held off until the legislature could vote on a new law.

"It's shocking to me that they would accuse us of back room dealings when they themselves hadve admitted to back room dealings," he said. "This rule is not about Elon Musk or NJCAR. It's the MVC's constitutional obligation to adopt regulations that give full faith and credit to the statutes that are on the books."

In his post, Musk said the intent of laws supporting the dealer system was never to squeeze out smaller, direct to customer manufacturers. The intent, he said, was to protect dealers, who had entered into franchise agreements with manufacturers, from pressure later applied by those manufacturers to convince the dealers to sell back at a deflated cost.

"The intent was simply to prevent a fair and longstanding deal between an existing auto company and its dealers from being broken, not to prevent a new company that has no franchisees from selling directly to consumers," he said.

Musk said the reason Tesla has not entered into dealer agreements is because virually all delaers will have a conflict of interest between selling Tesla's small volume of electric cars, versus selling gas powered cars, which make up the bulk of all car sales.

"Moreover, it is much harder to sell a new technology car from a new company when people are so used to the old. Inevitably, they revert to selling what's easy and it is game over for the new company," he said.

Musk also took aim at the claim that dealers ensure consumer protection by creating competition for cars and by ensuring warranty service is performed at no cost to the consumer.

"If you believe this, Gov. Christie has a bridge closure he wants to sell you! Unless they are referring to the mafia version of "protection", this is obviously untrue," Musk said. "As anyone who has been through the conventional auto dealer purchase process knows, consumer protection is pretty much the furthest thing from the typical car dealer's mind."

Going forward, Musk said, his company's two showrooms - in Short Hills and Paramus - will convert to galleries, where a consumer can look at a car, but not discuss price or complete a sale.

Customers may still buy a car through the company's Manhattan location as well as two in Pennsylvania. Musk said the company is evaluating its "judicial remedies" as well.

This week, two Democratic lawmakers said they plan to introduce legislation that would allow for direct sales for electric carmakers such as Tesla.