Musk, Erdoğan discuss Tesla plant in Turkey

Tech billionaire Elon Musk and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan discussed the prospect of building Tesla’s newest factory in Turkey, at a meeting Monday in New York. 

Erdoğan, who is in New York for the United Nations General Assembly meeting, made his case to Musk, the chief executive of Tesla and SpaceX, that Turkey would be an attractive location for the next Tesla factory, Turkey’s state media Anadolu Agency reported. Erdoğan cited the country’s “technological breakthroughs” and vision in artificial intelligence (AI).

“President Erdogan stated that opportunities for collaboration with SpaceX may arise through the steps taken and to be taken as part of Türkiye’s space program and invited Musk to Teknofest to be held in İzmir,” according to a statement from the country’s communications directorate. 

Anadolu Agency reported that Musk said that Turkey was among the most important candidates in selecting the next factory, noting that there were already many Turkish suppliers working with Tesla. 

He also responded to the offer to cooperate with SpaceX’s Starlink service and AI advancements by saying he would need to work with authorities to obtain the necessary licensing, the state media said, citing the official communications directorate statement. 

After Musk said he would likely pick a location for a new factory by the end of the year, many world leaders have been courting him to invest in their respective countries. Musk recently announced he would build a factory in Mexico.