That car companies procure vehicles from other manufacturers for test purposes, is common. Daimler, however, has returned a Tesla copy after SPIEGEL information in desolate condition.
Tesla vehicles
Saturday, 02.12.2017
08:16 clock
The Daimler Group has used dubious methods to gain insight into the technology of its US competitor Tesla. As the SPIEGEL reports in its current issue, Daimler rented a Tesla Model X at a small company in Bavaria for seven weeks via the car rental company Sixt. (Read the whole story here in the new MIRROR.)
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During the rental period, the car was apparently disassembled and screwed together again. In addition, it was tested under extreme conditions – including heat, on a vibrating track and a traction track. In the original lease with Sixt, however, both the disassembly and use on test tracks were excluded. At the end of the rental period, the vehicle was returned with damages in five-digit height.
On the track the micro-entrepreneur was the test drives only on the locating function of the vehicle. This showed it on test tracks near Barcelona and in Sindelfingen. Previously, Daimler already had the “street scooter” of the post office borrowed through a mailbox company and secretly tested. The rental of vehicles for “comparison trips” is a “common in the automotive industry,” said Daimler.
Sixt announced that it had compensated for damages, the depreciation and the expert’s fees. Sixt rented vehicles should not be used on test and racetracks. Sixt did not name Daimler as a customer.
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