In order to buy a Ford Energi plug-in hybrid, you have to hunt down a specially certified dealership - all other dealerships are not allowed to sell them. Ford knows which side its bread is buttered on.
Frankly, I think that kind of technology, and the hassles that go with it are beyond a typical small-town dealer who may sell one in a year. Numbers and purchases are what drives the transition from “special case” to “normal everyday.” So I think it makes good sense to limit sales to dealerships to those equipped to handle the technology. At least they didn’t try direct-sales.