Daimler Accused Of Wrecking Rented Tesla Model X During Tear-Down

Manufacturers always get hold of rival brands’ cars, with a view to taking them apart and learning their secrets. It’s a normal thing; manufacturers buy the car they want to dismember, and crack out the power tools. But in this case Mercedes has reportedly wrecked a rented Tesla Model X.

That’s right, they subjected a rented Model X to a full-scale tear-down. Rented for seven weeks through Sixt, who themselves had rented it from private owners Monika Kindlein and Manfred van Rinsum, Mercedes apparently returned the car in more or less totally wrecked condition.

The car’s tracker showed that it had been thrashed on two different race circuits – prohibited in the rental agreement – and has suffered huge damage throughout. An appraiser has set the damage value at €15,684, but the owners make it closer to €100,000.

The couple are said to be suing Daimler for €99,392.79, but don’t have the legal resources of the car-making giant and have resigned themselves to getting less than that.

Daimler, meanwhile, has refused to offer specific comment, calling the process ‘normal’ and saying that if a vehicle is damaged during their time with it, the insurance should cover it. Seems a bit cold, to us.

Source: Der Spiegel