I hope we didn't hear it here....

[Drew57]

I'm a vaccination volunteer & today a receivee engaged me in conversation after his jab. He has always worked in the Motor trade, knows little about Tesla but the clinic is quite close to the Bentley factory and he seemed knowledgeable about their EV development. He was adamant that Musk is in the process of selling Tesla to VAG - probably speculation but he did make some compelling arguments.

The conversation didn't include this but made me think about Musks' meeting in Germany last September with rival CEO Herbert Diess, driving the iD3, previewing the iD4 & talk of collaboration plus unrelated rumours about other marques maybe getting access to the Supercharger network at some point.

I would have expected and hoped that Tesla would remain independent for the foreseeable future.

 

[CYBER_Y]

Didn’t they fire Deiss for liking Tesla too much. Something tells me Volkswagen would like to buy tesla perhaps but most of the board seemed anti EV except for one other guy but I could be wrong.

 

[HenryT]

I'm a vaccination volunteer & today a receivee engaged me in conversation after his jab. He has always worked in the Motor trade, knows little about Tesla but the clinic is quite close to the Bentley factory and he seemed knowledgeable about their EV development. He was adamant that Musk is in the process of selling Tesla to VAG - probably speculation but he did make some compelling arguments.

The conversation didn't include this but made me think about Musks' meeting in Germany last September with rival CEO Herbert Diess, driving the iD3, previewing the iD4 & talk of collaboration plus unrelated rumours about other marques maybe getting access to the Supercharger network at some point.

I would have expected and hoped that Tesla would remain independent for the foreseeable future.

Given the relative sizes of the businesses, I don't see VAG having a hope of 'buying' Tesla ($324b v $80b)*. Maybe some sort of tie up but still hard to see how Tesla would benefit?

*(as at July 2020. Tesla at $758b at Jan 2021)

 

[Durzel]

I can’t see how Musk/Tesla’s vision aligns with VAG, to be honest. VAG don’t strike me as being particularly “all in” on electric, moreover like the other old war horses are slowly adding new EV models according to demand, rather than because of a fundamental belief in it.

 

[browellm]

700 bil buys you a lot of rockets.

 

[pdk42]

More likely that Tesla would buy VW!

 

[Envchem]

At the moment with Tesla being publicly traded I cant see how VAG can actually afford to buy Tesla. I know that Tesla is massively inflated share price wise so unless it falls to 2019 levels it will be impossible.

 

[pow216]

Sounds very much like pub chat entertaining, but nothing more. As has been pointed out who has the cash here!?

 

[UrbanSplash]

If anyone is buying Tesla ever, it’s Apple.

 

[exlatccatsa]

Good on you @Drew57 for volunteering.

 

[ParHunter]

VAG don’t strike me as being particularly “all in” on electric, moreover like the other old war horses are slowly adding new EV models according to demand, rather than because of a fundamental belief in it.

From all the traditional (big) manufacturers, VAG is the one most committed to EVs.

 

[ParHunter]

More likely that Tesla would buy VW!

That would never happen, a) Tesla might have a high stock value but no cash to speak of (still theoretically possible see AOL buying Warner Brothers) and b) the Government of Lower Saxony (the Federal State VW is based in) has a controlling share in VW. Toyota once tried to by VW but the Government blocked that right from the start.

 

[GeorgeSymonds]

Stranger things have happened but I think the Tesla share price is based 90% on Musk and 10% the rest of the company so you lose the market value through the acquisition. Whether there's some strategic alliance (renault/nissan/mistubishi springs to mind) then that might be possible. Tesla provide the hidden bits, Audi the touchy feely bits, build quality, supercharger network etc..

 

[Kandiru]

A gaslit employee caught under the dinosaur's death throes.

 

[nxsynjs]

If tesla wanted to get out of the car manufacturing business (no sign that is true, but well Elon..) I doubt they would sell themselves off as an entity. More likely they would sell (or probably license) parts of the business. E.g Battery.. Drivetrain.. Super charger network etc. It would be then possible for VW to maybe grab something BUT VW spent over 30bn developing the ID3 and it's ev platform and will probably not want to dilute that investment by buying other makers tech.

 

[Yev000]

lol... So many odd gossip gathered here, thanks for the chukle.

More likely that Tesla would buy VW!

Company ethos is too different for them to buy anyone. There is just no point

If anyone is buying Tesla ever, it’s Apple.

Apple could not afford Tesla anymore. Share price would have to fall ~ 70% from here. Appla has ~ $200 billion in cash. Tesla is worth $700 billion now.

Tesla share price is based 90% on Musk and 10% the rest of the company

If Musk died today Tesla would not lose 90% evaluation. They have a lot of other people that are 'best in class' working for them. That's like saying Apple is 90% Steve Jobs, or Amazon is 90% Bezos. Might have been true in 2013 but not today.

 

[GeorgeSymonds]

If Musk died today Tesla would not lose 90% evaluation. They have a lot of other people that are 'best in class' working for them. That's like saying Apple is 90% Steve Jobs, or Amazon is 90% Bezos. Might have been true in 2013 but not today.

We're unlikely to find out in the near future but I think I'd be a lot nearer than you if he did.

Steve Jobs death was predicted, he'd been suffering with cancer for many years and was increasingly frail and the shares would have already reflected his demise. It wasn't a shock. Apple were also massively profitable by then.

Bezos has already stepped down as leading Amazon handing over to his number two in a controlled manner and in a move that's also been signposted to the markets for some time. Bezos has never been a character like Musk.

 

[Jason71]

I would have thought VW is the last company to buy Tesla at this point. Maybe a few years ago but now they have done a lot of the work to set them selves up as a major player in EV's. Its the others like Fiat Chrysler who are playing catch up who need Tesla tech at this point. But as others have said the company is way over valued. if the eternally predicated stock price crash ever happens I can see there being some interested parties.
Will Tesla still be an independent company in 20 years or will it have merged with another brand in some form I would bet the latter. 10 years? 5 years?........who knows.

 

[Yev000]

I think I'd be a lot nearer than you if he did.

Ok, but I didn't give you my evaluation percentage of Elon Musk. So you must think my percentage is something like 10%... So if Musk dies and the share price falls 50% you'd be closer...

You really think if Musk dies tomorrow Tesla share price will go from $650 to $65?

 

[Durzel]

We're unlikely to find out in the near future but I think I'd be a lot nearer than you if he did.

Steve Jobs death was predicted, he'd been suffering with cancer for many years and was increasingly frail and the shares would have already reflected his demise. It wasn't a shock. Apple were also massively profitable by then.

Bezos has already stepped down as leading Amazon handing over to his number two in a controlled manner and in a move that's also been signposted to the markets for some time. Bezos has never been a character like Musk.

Tim Cook was regarded as a very safe pair of hands, and being a bean counter meant investors saw the potential for real profit (which as we all know was ultimately realised). The transition of power was orderly too, which helped.

I personally think if Musk just disappeared overnight that Tesla's price would crater, simply because the share price is completely disconnected from fundamentals at the moment. There's no way that Tesla having a ~$700b market capitalisation makes any sense, or is anything more than massive speculation about future developments, etc.

Amazon - by contrast - makes money hand over fist so Bezos was essentially just a "face to the name".