Elon Musk dismissed claims that the U.S. State Department planned to award Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) a $400 million contract for armored electric vehicles, responding to reports that the agency has removed Tesla's name from its 2025 procurement forecast.
Earlier reports from Drop Site News and the New York Times suggested that Tesla Armored Electric Vehicles were listed in an initial version of the procurement document. However, a revised version now refers only to Armored Electric Vehicles, while still mentioning BMW's (BMW) armored X5 and X7 SUVs. Musk reacted to the update, saying, I'm pretty sure Tesla isn't getting $400M. No one mentioned it to me, at least.
Speculation around Musk's role in the new administration and his involvement in the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) may have influenced the decision. Adding to the confusion, the original document categorized the purchase under a food manufacturing industry code, which was later corrected to Armored Car Services.
This article first appeared on GuruFocus.