Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk says he has no plans to sell his stake in the company and believes Tesla will remain an independent automaker.

“I don’t think it’s a good idea to plan to sell a company,” Musk said in an interview with Bloomberg. “I don’t personally have any interest in selling. I think there’s a lot of innovation we can bring to the car business.”

The Silicon Valley company is hip-deep in the development of the Model S, the electric sedan it promises to deliver next year. It is expected to continue losing money as it shuts down Roadster production and brings the S to market.

Given Tesla’s expertise, the industry’s embrace of electric vehicles and mounting government support for the technology, there’s been a lot of speculation that someone would acquire Tesla Motors. Daimler and Toyota already hold stakes in Tesla, as does Panasonic.

There are many reasons why an automaker might buy Tesla, which posted a $48.9 million loss in the first quarter even as revenues from the sale of battery packs and chargers to Daimler and Toyota hit $49 million. But Musk isn’t going anywhere until the S rolls off the line. The terms of Tesla’s $465 million federal loan and its deal with Daimler stipulate that Musk stick around until the end of 2012 at the earliest.

As far as selling the company goes, the Germans are covered there, too. Daimler has the right to counter any offer Tesla Motors might receive, something Tesla concedes in an SEC filing “decrease[s] the likelihood that potential acquirers would make a bid to acquire us.”

Not that it matters, says Musk. He’s got no plans to sell. Having Daimler and Toyota in his corner means “it’s very feasible to stay independent for a long time.”

Photo: Jim Merithew/Wired.com