Elon Musk says he wanted to name Tesla's planned third model, a compact, battery-powered sedan, the Model E. Why?
Musk explained to CNNMoney: "A friend asked me at a party, 'What are you going to name the third-generation car?' Well, we have the S and the X, so we might as well make it the E."
Only Ford got wind of the idea and called him, saying it would sue Tesla for using its Model E trademark.
"And we're like, Ford's killing SEX ... that's terrible. So, OK, fine, we won't use the Model E."
Ford never built a vehicle with the Model E name, but it has sued to keep other automakers from using it, saying that Model E sounds too much like Model T.
A Ford spokesman told CNNMoney: "Ford and Tesla entered into a contract in 2010 in which, among other things, Tesla agreed not to register or use Model E. When Tesla later sought to register the Model E trademark, Ford insisted that Tesla abide by the parties' earlier agreement. The matter has been resolved amicably."
