Erdogan wants to bring Tesla to Turkey. He asks Musk to build a factory

The director of Turkey’s communications department announced President Erdogan’s request on Monday. The announcement quoted Musk as saying that many Turkish suppliers already cooperate with Tesla and that Turkey is one of the most important candidates for its next factory.

Musk’s meeting with Erdogan

Erdogan and Musk spoke during a meeting at Turkish House, a skyscraper near the United Nations headquarters in New York. The President of Turkey is currently in the USA, where he will attend the 78th session of the UN General Assembly.

Erdogan also said during the meeting that Turkey is open to cooperation on artificial intelligence and Starlink, the satellite venture of Musk’s SpaceX. During that meeting, the billionaire allegedly said that SpaceX wanted to cooperate with Turkish authorities to obtain the necessary license to provide Starlink satellite services in Turkey.

Musk’s meetings with politicians

Musk is also scheduled to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in California on Monday. Musk posted on the X social media platform that their talks would focus on artificial intelligence technology.

Tesla in August expressed interest in building a factory in India to produce a low-cost electric vehicle. The company currently has six factories and is building a seventh in Mexico’s northern state of Nuevo Leon, as part of the automaker’s push to expand its global reach. Musk said in May that Tesla would likely select a location for a new factory by the end of this year.