Daimler-Renault Deal: Birth of an 800-Pound Green Car Gorilla?
As Tesla noted in its most recent filing with the SEC (an amendment to its IPO registration), it’s now negotiating agreements for Daimler to provide “access to various parts, automotive support and engineering for the Model S,” and is in talks with Daimler “regarding various other areas of strategic cooperation.” However, it’s clear at this point that the startup is hardly a shoe-in to expand its supply deal beyond the 1,400-pack trial.
A big reason for the Tesla deal, Daimler’s Thomas Weber (who is responsible for group research and Mercedes cars development) said last spring, was to get an electric car on the market as soon as possible, faster than it could with internal development. As Daimler racks up more and larger partners in EV development and manufacturing, from Evonik to BYD and now Renault-Nissan — which is ready to start selling the Nissan LEAF this year — smaller startups like Tesla may have a tougher time getting in on the action.