VW Chief Winterkorn 'Startled' at Recent Tesla (TSLA) Model S Fire; Says VW Batteries Safe

The recent fire in a Tesla Motors (Nasdaq: TSLA) Model S was startling not only to the company, but to other major players in the auto industry as well.

Speaking at a chemistry award ceremony in Ludwigshafen, Germany, Volkswagen (OTCBB: VLKAY) CEO Martin Winterkorn said that he was startled by the event. Noting that electric car safety is a key issue to consumers, the executive said that VW's battery technology has been thoroughly tested and is safe.

VW plans to debut 40 new electric cars over the next several years, a plan that the company announced earlier this year. Electric vehicles will include models of the popular Gold and Up citicar in 2013.

Winterkorn also reiterated how important electric vehicles are becoming to manufacturers given the increasingly stringent emissions standards being passed by regulars in major markets. By having a more-robust fleet of EVs, manufacturers are able to reduce the overall emissions imprint while also improving efficiency numbers.

Shares of Tesla are lower in early trading. The stock dropped about 0.6 percent Tuesday on news that the NHTSA would be looking into the recent Model S incident.

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