It's probably worth pointing out as well that some dealers are predominantly or exclusively "no haggle" even when it's not mandated by the manufacturer.
I'm generally sympathetic to the notion that auto manufacturers should be able to sell direct subject to whatever contractual promises they may have made to existing franchisees. That said I'm unconvinced that, from the consumer perspective, there's going to be a huge difference between a luxury brand car dealership network such as those that exist for BMW and Mercedes and Tesla-owned and operated locations that do things like: service, helping to arrange financing, take trade-ins, showroom, offer test drives, etc. Sounds a lot like a dealer to me. As you note, it's really a false dichotomy between manufacturer-operated network on the one hand and an uncontrolled Wild West of franchises on the other.
I'm generally sympathetic to the notion that auto manufacturers should be able to sell direct subject to whatever contractual promises they may have made to existing franchisees. That said I'm unconvinced that, from the consumer perspective, there's going to be a huge difference between a luxury brand car dealership network such as those that exist for BMW and Mercedes and Tesla-owned and operated locations that do things like: service, helping to arrange financing, take trade-ins, showroom, offer test drives, etc. Sounds a lot like a dealer to me. As you note, it's really a false dichotomy between manufacturer-operated network on the one hand and an uncontrolled Wild West of franchises on the other.