Daimler sees US$780m windfall from sale of Tesla stake

[FRANKFURT] Daimler AG on Tuesday said it would book a US$780 million windfall from selling its 4 per cent stake in rival electric car maker Tesla Motors Inc .

In a statement, Daimler chief financial officer Bodo Uebber said, "We are extremely satisfied with the development of our investment in Tesla, but it is not necessary for our partnership and cooperation. For this reason, we have decided to divest of our shares."

The sale of Daimler's stake in Tesla will result in a cash inflow of around US$780 million, boosting earnings before interest an taxes by a similar amount for 2014. Proceeds from the stake sale will be used to strengthen Daimler's operational business, the Stuttgart-based automaker said.

A cooperation agreement to supply Mercedes-Benz cars with Tesla battery technology remains is unaffected by the sale, Daimler chief executive Dieter Zetsche added. "Our partnership with Tesla is very successful and will be continued", said Mr Zetsche. REUTERS

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