Scout & Honda-Sony Updates

Two legacy related direct sales projects that have been in the news have recently taken very different paths.  Scout has continued to push for licensure in states and is also defending lawsuits that seek to prevent Scout’s direct sales.  The lawsuits in Florida and California are ongoing, and a recent case filed in Colorado by several dealers is also underway. Scout appears to be continuing to press forward to bypass dealers and sell directly.

However, in contrast, it was announced last week that the Afeela electric vehicles from the joint venture between Honda and Sony would be canceled.  While the Honda-Sony threat looks to be gone, it is reasonable to expect other direct sellers (whether new market entrants or legacy related entities) will continue to push for the ability to sell directly.