Daimler busted ruining a Tesla Model X?

[Adm]

According to German magazine Der Spiegel Daimler rented a Model X to do extensive testing. The car was also taken apart and rebuild again before returning the car to the owner.

If this is true, these idiots are the worst criminals ever! Why not buy the car, take it apart and scrap the car afterwards to hide any evidence you are looking at competition products? Are they just too cheap?

Mietwagen zweckentfremdet: Daimler ramponiert Tesla bei heimlichen Tests - SPIEGEL ONLINE - Auto

 

[bonaire]

Wonder more about what China is doing. They copy everything.

 

[trayloader]

It´s the reply by Daimler that speaks volumes. "we always do it like that". F***ers

 

[CL600]

Der Spiegel comments that the story could be an indication of how far German carmakers actually feel behind of ‘aggressive Tesla’

 

[CL600]

The husband and wife filed a claim of €99.392,37 including breach of contract. Sixt payed somewhere up to €20.000 for damage and depreciation. The couple feels uncomfortable to cross swords with Daimler-Benz about the difference...

 

[SMAlset]

Here's the story in English: Mercedes benchmarked and dismantled a Tesla Model X in the weirdest way ahead of launching its own electric SUV

I think this is unconscionable on their part. I can't imagine renting our vehicle out and having someone disassemble it in any way. Don't know what kind of agreement they had for the car with them but I'm sure they didn't rent/lease it for that purpose.

 

[SMAlset]

You know the more I think about this the more in disbelief I get over what they did to someone's personal property. I could see Tesla not warrantying their vehicle. Before Teslas were available I thought we might end up with a Benz at some point. This really changed my mind about them as a company. Just wrong. Hope it costs them sales.

As for Sixt, if the vehicle won't be warrantied any longer, I hope the couple didn't settle (sign off) for that amount. Their contract would be with Sixt and Sixt should have to go after Daimler/Benz for damages, but Sixt should be on the hook for paying the couple the full amount. What a mess for this couple, and just a lesson to be learned by anyone letting their vehicle be used. Imagine if it was rented to a drug dealer.

 

[trayloader]

More to unfold. Its much worse. Daimler showed their true face on this one. Full report will be published here.

 

[AnxietyRanger]

Terrible! What a stupid thing. Volkswagen/Audi was widely known for buying a Tesla and dismantling it, which of course is normal, but certainly in this scenario Daimler is in the wrong. An idiotic self-inflicted wound.

So much for the protectionist idea that German media only attacks Tesla, though?

 

[CL600]

It goes back and forth the last months.

In the previous copy of DER SPIEGEL (2017/11/23) they reported on the unveiling of the new Roadster and Elon Musk under the headline ‘artist of illusions'.

It reads that Musk personally hired a few dozen engineers from the respected German automotive supplier Grohmann, who secretly wrote back home that they found the Model 3 assembly line 'a total mess'.

 

[AustinPowers]

Imho Daimler is THE one of the traditional automakers which is furthest behind in terms of BEVs.

VW already has great BEVs on the market, as does BMW. Ford, Opel, Porsche, Audi, Volvo etc. have adequate offers as well or at least on the horizon.

Daimler has demonstrated for years - even more than Audi - an almost catastrophic lack of interest in BEVs. Sure, they offer the electric Smart and B-class, but
a) their BEV tech is basically Tesla's anyway and
b) try getting one!

I was seriously interested in testing out and eventually getting a B-class EV (or even a Smart), but even though I tried several times to get a vehicle for a test drive, I never managed to, because the dealerships never got back to me even after I tried several times and even specifically asked why they never answered even though they had promised to do so - every time. They gave several different answers, none of which seemed to imply that they were interested in selling such a vehicle.
In the months/years during which I tried to get one of these test vehicles, I got to test the BEV offerings from Renault, Tesla, VW, BMW and Hyundai, all of which were happy to oblige and all seemed very proud of and keen to show off their offerings. Not so with the Daimler folk, to them their BEV offerings seemed to be the ugly child that no one wants to admit belings to the family.

 

[AnxietyRanger]

The B Class was nice for its time, but unfortunately totally a compliance EV, given its third-party (Tesla) history. The Tesla background is what made it nice, but that had no link to any of Daimler's own progress or interest in the field.

Even the i3 is a much more serious effort, and that is saying something...

 

[smac]

The B Class was nice for its time, but unfortunately totally a compliance EV, given its third-party (Tesla) history. The Tesla background is what made it nice..

We really don't know the conditions of the Daimler/Tesla deal, but I do wonder if the the lack of any form of rapid charging on the B Class was down to the supply agreement. Without any DC charging the B Class was DOA.


As for Daimler renting the car not buying, I don't really see the big issue. If it had been one of Sixt's own vehicles no-one would be caring. The only reason this is a story is because Sixt sub-contracted it out to some individuals. (Oh and of course typical Tesla click baiting)

Tesla have been well known to have done the same thing with BMW 3 series, do we know they actually bought it or was it from Avis?

 

[AnxietyRanger]

@smac Well, I agree the fact the car happened to be a private one certainly added to the issue.

That said, I think if you are going to take a rental apart, you better be within the rental agreement. I don't know if they were, but as reported, it does sound unethical to me.

 

[SMAlset]

We really don't know the conditions of the Daimler/Tesla deal, but I do wonder if the the lack of any form of rapid charging on the B Class was down to the supply agreement. Without any DC charging the B Class was DOA.

As for Daimler renting the car not buying, I don't really see the big issue. If it had been one of Sixt's own vehicles no-one would be caring. The only reason this is a story is because Sixt sub-contracted it out to some individuals. (Oh and of course typical Tesla click baiting)

Tesla have been well known to have done the same thing with BMW 3 series, do we know they actually bought it or was it from Avis?

As to the bolded type in your post. I seriously doubt Tesla honors their warranties if someone disassembles the car. Heck owners who have taken their car to non-Tesla body shops for accident repairs have found this out the hard way. Why would any rental company with their own Tesla cars be willing to give up that manufacturer benefit?

As for your last statement why alude to that happening with a rental car if you don't know?

 

[ItsNotAboutTheMoney]

We really don't know the conditions of the Daimler/Tesla deal, but I do wonder if the the lack of any form of rapid charging on the B Class was down to the supply agreement. Without any DC charging the B Class was DOA.

Well, Tesla's not to blame for the new Smart ED not having DCFC. Not such a problem for Europe, but a killer in the USA.

 

[SMAlset]

This account of the dismanteling from Jalopnik is even more eye opening. https://jalopnik.com/mercedes-parent-company-daimler-dismantled-a-rented-tes-1820961392

Returned damaged with a note from MB saying they parked incorrectly?! Also sounds like Sixt maybe more culpable than I originally thought when I read the first account, unless they were just relaying questions their "rental customer" was asking them. Still feel Sixt is on the whole hook for this and let them go after MB. Scummy behavior for supposedly a top notch car company.

 

[AnxietyRanger]

Yep, terrible stuff. Very unethical.

 

[lolachampcar]

That's hilarious. If true, how cheap can you be???????
MB, "It's a pinched penny or nothing at all"

 

[AnxietyRanger]

That's hilarious. If true, how cheap can you be???????
MB, "It's a pinched penny or nothing at all"

In other news, Daimler reps are reserving pool loungers with towels that say "to be dismantled" at the nearest Airbnb.