Ford spends hundreds of dollars to dissect Tesla Model Xs
American automaker Ford reportedly paid nearly $200,000 to own a Tesla Model X. The CUV that Ford bought at well over MSRP was one of the first units to roll off the production line.
Vehicle registration documents, which were obtained by Bloomberg, showed the window-sticker price was $144,950, including $10,000 for the Ludicrous Speed Upgrade. Ford, however, paid $199,950 for it from Corporate Auto of Auburn Hills, Michigan, according to the publication.
The unit is a white Founders Series version and was the 64th unit of the less than 100 units of this particular model. The Tesla Model X Founder Series usually went to close company friends or board members. The unit Ford bought originally belonged to Wayne Skiles, owner and operator of the Carousel Coin & Jewelry Exchange in San Bernardino, California. The 71-year-old original owner received the unit for referring at least 10 people to buy a Model S. He promptly flipped it for a profit to a dealer.
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It's common for automakers to buy their competitors' vehicles as soon as they're released for road testing and tear-downs. In the case of Ford, however, The Verge believes the automaker was "anxious" to get the Tesla Model X into the lab.
"It is a common industry practice among many automakers to buy production vehicles for testing as soon as they are released," said Ford in a statement. "Sometimes, this means automakers pay more than sticker price to acquire them as quickly as possible."
Speaking of which, Michelle Krebs, senior analyst for researcher Autotrader.com suspects other major automakers, like General Motors Co., Toyota Motor Corp., and others, might have also been among the early buyers of the Model X. It appears the Tesla vehicle could be a key to creating fuel-efficient but highly profitable SUVs in the future.
