A coterie of Florida car dealers filed a lawsuit this week against Scout Motors over its direct-to-consumer sales model. The complaint alleges that Scout, which operates under the Volkswagen Group, is in violation of Florida law which blocks automakers from trying to bypass dealers by selling directly to consumers.

The Scout, which gets its name from the legendary International Harvester Scout, differentiates itself from other electric runabouts that sell themselves as "tough," like Tesla's Cybertruck, by giving them an "old-school" feel,

A group of Florida Volkswagen and Audi dealerships filed a lawsuit against Scout Motors over its direct-to-consumer retail model.

Under Florida law, even a deposit is considered a sale. Audi and VW dealers in the state aren't having it. S cout’s plan to sell its cars directly to consumers is already facing