Since both Mercedes’ parent Daimler, and Japanese powerhouse Toyota, divested themselves of most or all of their stake in Tesla Motors, rumors had arisen that the Palo Alto electric-car maker may partner-up with BMW.
As it turns out, the proposed idea of a Tesla Motors-BMW partnership is news to the Bavarian firm.
As Autoblog writes, Tesla CEO Elon Musk indicated the unconfirmed Tesla Motors-BMW partnership to the German magazine Der Spiegel, saying that the two could collaborate on “battery technology or charging stations,” and might even erect a battery factory somewhere in Germany. But BMW was confused to hear the news, as allegedly, the two automakers had never communicated to each other anything of the sort.
A BMW spokesperson told German magazine Wirtschafts Woche that Musk made these claims purely for PR value, and that BMW has every intention of simply sourcing its batteries for future products from suppliers. This spokesperson made one small concession, however, saying that BMW would be perfectly happy to sell carbon fiber to the electric automaker. Not that other automakers don’t already have the same option.
The questions posed by this false Tesla Motors-BMW partnership rumor are important to the future of the company. Is it possible that Tesla CEO Elon Musk participates in knowingly spreading false rumors, to capture public/investor approval? And has Musk damaged the Tesla Motors-BMW relationship by making this partnership claim?
The answers to those questions could have far-reaching consequences.
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