In a joint press conference from Stuttgart, Daimler announced that it will take a 10% stake in Tesla Motors in return for help with development of the electric Smart car. Tesla will receive product development help with its upcoming Model S sedan.
With Daimler on board, development of the Model S should accelerate although there are still many questions as to how far the collaboration will go. Elon Musk reiterated the goal of building the Model S out of aluminum, but Daimler's expertise in that area is somewhat limited.
And of course, Tesla shouldn't forget that Chrysler once collaborated with Daimler and we all know how that worked out.
estreka says:
09:32 PM, 05/19/09
That's a good investment for Daimler.