Photo: BMW
This week, automotive giant Daimler decided it was time to sell its Tesla shares, pocketing a cool $780 million. Considering that the German group bought the stake in 2009 for a lot less, the decision was rather profitable but what lies in the background of this deal? Could there be other hidden purposes involved here?
Apparently, there are, as BMW prepares to make a move and join in the EV business even more as a stakeholder in Elon Musk’s business. The four percent stake Mercedes-Benz sold these days migh actually end up in Munich if we’re to believe Forbes.
According to the aforementioned news outlet, the move came as rather surprising, especially since the group’s CEO, Dieter Zetsche said that the two companies could further expand their partnership in the future.
Of course, these come as the tip of the iceberg, with the pure profit Daimler turned on the stock market being reason enough for such a move to take place.
However, the companies announced that the cooperation between them would not stop. Furthermore, it would rather be impossible for such a thing to happen since Tesla decided to offer access to their patents to anyone who was interested in them.
The thing is, while BMW could use the batteries and motors Tesla makes, the Americans could use the carbon fiber the Germans developed. That’s because the Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastic in which the Bavarians invested €2 billion is cheap to make compared to other options. Furthermore, the blue and white roundel people make it at the Moses Lake facility in the US, relatively close to Tesla.
Using this kind of technology might be paramount for Musk’s future creations and there are plenty of them in the works, apparently. BMW would also benefit but no official move was made yet. Could this be just another rumor?
According to the aforementioned news outlet, the move came as rather surprising, especially since the group’s CEO, Dieter Zetsche said that the two companies could further expand their partnership in the future.
What did Daimler get out of the 4 percent stake?
Mercedes currently has a limited offering of electric vehicles. However, all of them use Tesla technology. The Mercedes-Benz B-Class and the smart ForTwo Electric Drive both use motors made by the American manufacturer as well as the adjacent Panasonic batteries.Of course, these come as the tip of the iceberg, with the pure profit Daimler turned on the stock market being reason enough for such a move to take place.
However, the companies announced that the cooperation between them would not stop. Furthermore, it would rather be impossible for such a thing to happen since Tesla decided to offer access to their patents to anyone who was interested in them.
In the meantime, BMW officials are visiting Tesla headquarters
Back in June, just after Elon Musk said that his company is willing to share its findings on EVs with everyone, BMW officials were seen visiting their Palo Alto, California HQ. After the meeting, no official statement was made but rumors said that the discussions were about various projects the two companies could do together.The thing is, while BMW could use the batteries and motors Tesla makes, the Americans could use the carbon fiber the Germans developed. That’s because the Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastic in which the Bavarians invested €2 billion is cheap to make compared to other options. Furthermore, the blue and white roundel people make it at the Moses Lake facility in the US, relatively close to Tesla.
Using this kind of technology might be paramount for Musk’s future creations and there are plenty of them in the works, apparently. BMW would also benefit but no official move was made yet. Could this be just another rumor?
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