Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan asked Tesla CEO Elon Musk to build a Tesla factory in Turkey, Reuters reports, and refers to statements by the Turkish Communications Directorate.
Musk also appears to have said that Tesla is already working with several Turkish suppliers and that Turkey is emerging as one of the top candidates for the electric car manufacturer’s next factory. In addition, the two sides are said to have discussed cooperation in the field of artificial intelligence (AI) and Musk’s Starlink technology.
Erdogan and Musk met at the Turkish House, a building near the United Nations in New York, according to Turkey’s state-run Anadolu news agency. Erdogan is in the United States to participate in the seventy-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly, where heads of state and government from around the world will meet this week.
According to Reuters, Musk will also meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in California. This meeting is said to be about artificial intelligence technology.
Tesla currently has six factories, in addition to a seventh factory under construction in Mexico. Elon Musk is said to have indicated that the location for the new factory will be chosen by the end of the year. According to the news agency, Tesla earlier this year expressed interest in building a factory in India.
Tesla announced on Saturday that the company has produced its 5 millionth electric car.
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