Sales of the company’s electric cars dropped in the first three months of the year, even as other automakers sold more battery-powered vehicles.
New Biden administration auto rules will ease requirements compared to an earlier proposal but will still add to market pressure for cheaper electric vehicles.
Federal prosecutors said the pair tried to sell technology to manufacture batteries for electric cars that belonged to the company.
The carmaker and energy company settled with a Black man who had worked at its California factory and had won a $3 million judgment against the company.
Once considered a laggard, the German luxury carmaker is one of only a few established automakers that has been able to compete effectively against Tesla.
It and other foreign automakers are trying to exploit upheaval caused by new technology to gain market share from their dominant rivals.
Daimler, Navistar and Volvo have been criticized for not selling many electric heavy trucks, but the companies say the country first needs many more chargers.
Quarterly earnings soared from a year earlier after the company booked a tax benefit, but increased competition and a price war took a toll, the electric-car maker said.
Elon Musk, the electric car company’s chief executive, said he would “build products outside of Tesla” unless the board raises his stake to 25 percent.
The rental car company blamed the sharp drop in the value of electric vehicles and higher repair costs for its decision to sell 20,000 cars.