Elon Musk takes ID.3 for a spin with VW boss Herbert Diess

Elon Musk has been filmed driving Volkswagen’s new electric car in Germany alongside VW boss Herbert Diess.

The Tesla CEO was in the country to inspect construction of his firm’s new ‘Gigafactory’ outside Berlin, but stopped by Braunschweig-Wolfsburg Airport to meet with his rival CEO.

The pair took an ID.3 electric vehicle out onto the runway, and appeared in good spirits as they joked about the vehicle’s performance, with Diess asking Musk: “You know this is a mainstream car, not a race machine?”

“Yeah, I just wanted to see what the acceleration is like,” the South African entrepreneur replied.

Musk was in an inquisitive mood, asking about battery sizes and safety systems, as well as complimenting the steering.

In a LinkedIn post sharing footage from the meeting, Diess wrote: “Thanks for the visit, Elon! Hope you like the video. It was great driving the ID.3 with you!

“You were just quite critical with the available torque at higher speed. I told you: “Yes, we are on the runway – but no need for take off – its not a sports car.” For this you should try our Porsche Taycan.”

Tesla is well-known for building electric vehicles that push acceleration performance as one of their key selling points. The top-spec Porsche Taycan can go from 0-60mph in under three seconds, which rivals the Tesla Model S’s capabilities.

The ID.3 is at the forefront of Volkswagen’s electric vehicle plans. Deliveries begin this month following a rough start to life, with software issues delaying production.