Musk Meets Turkey’s Erdogan Concerning Potential Tesla Gigafactory

Tesla CEO Elon Musk met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in New York City on Sunday to discuss the new gigafactory location. The Turkish leader is one of many around the globe vying for the lucrative facility to be constructed on their soil.

The two were joined by Musk’s young son at the Turkish House, located near the United Nations. Images and videos were posted on Musk’s X platform, which was formerly known as Twitter.

Anadolu Agency, Turkey’s state-owned media, noted that “Erdogan called on Tesla to establish its seventh factory” in the country. It borders Southeast Europe and Western Asia, making it a potentially attractive location.

Tesla looks to expand its international market with its seventh gigafactory location. It currently has four within the U.S. and two others in Germany and China.

While meeting in NYC, Erdogan further proposed a partnership between Musk’s SpaceX and the Turkish space program. Musk encouraged the president by noting that Tesla already works with multiple Turkish suppliers and that the country is “among the most important candidates.”

Erdogan indicated during the meeting that his country is ready to discuss cooperation on artificial intelligence and Starlink. This is the system of thousands of low-orbit satellites used to deliver internet in remote areas around the globe.

Musk reportedly indicated to the Turkish president that SpaceX wanted to coordinate with officials to meet requirements to offer Starlink service in Turkey.

Erdogan took the opportunity to invite Musk to visit the Turkish aerospace and technology festival Teknofest at the end of this month. The billionaire responded that he will enthusiastically be there.

Musk also held talks earlier this summer with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The two also met in NYC and discussed a possible location in South Asia.

A meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set for this week in California. The conversation is expected to focus on artificial intelligence. 

The Wall Street Journal reported that Musk engaged in “very early” conversations with Saudi Arabia about the gigafactory. Musk categorically denied the story, calling it “yet another utterly false article from WSJ.”

Last month, Tesla indicated an interest in working with authorities in India to manufacture a low-cost electric vehicle. The company recently celebrated the production of its five millionth car, and shares for 2023 are up 123%.