Daimler Wants More Love from its Tesla Partnership
Since 2009 Daimler and Tesla have been in an electric vehicle partnership; Daimler owns 4.3 percent of Tesla, but there is little evidence of an alliance between the two companies.
Daimler wants that to change. The company’s CFO, Bodo Uebber recently said at a press conference, “I told my guys, go back to Tesla and look for other opportunities [for more collaboration].” E-Class AMG Electric Drive Coupe, anyone?
The types of electric vehicles we’d see in the Mercedes-Benz product pipeline are yet to be discussed, but Elon Musk is sure to oblige to Daimler’s desires. Musk has been quoted by Autoblog as saying, “The credit for saving Tesla should go to Daimler. It was the Daimler investment that saved Tesla in early 2009.” The parent company of Mercedes-Benz invested in Tesla at a time when Daimler itself was low on cash. “When someone is hungry themselves and they give you a bit of food, you’ve got to be grateful for that,” Musk said.