Business tycoon Elon Musk had a personal meeting yesterday with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in the United States.
The billionaire brought his young son to the meeting, which occurred at the Turkey House in New York City, as you can see in the videos and photos emerging online.
Meeting highlights
Turkey’s Directorate of Communications announced through an X post that President Erdoğan directly asked the Tesla Chief to erect its planned seventh Gigafactory in the country during the 45-minute meeting.
Apart from that, recent reports suggest that the two significant personalities discussed matters regarding SpaceX and potential collaborations in the country’s Digital Vision and National Artificial Intelligence Strategy.
Teslarati noted that the Tesla and SpaceX CEO received two book gifts from the Turkish President, including the Turkish Directorate of Communications’ A New Approach to International Cooperation and Erdoğan’s A Fairer World is Possible.
According to the report, President Erdoğan visited New York to participate in the upcoming United Nations General Assembly on September 19.
Tesla’s presence in Turkey
Tesla officially started the Model Y deliveries in Turkey in May, indicating a major delay from its original plan to launch its S3XY lineup in the country in 2022.
It has also already developed its first-ever design center and Supercharger network in the country in April.
Interestingly, Turkey’s communications directorate shared on Monday Musk’s statement that Tesla considers the country as one of its key candidates for new factory investment.
It further noted that Tesla has already collaborated with various Turkish automotive suppliers.
Tesla to decide on a new Gigafactory by the end of the year
Tesla currently operates a total of six electric vehicle factories across the world. It is also currently developing its seventh Gigafactory in Nuevo Leon, Mexico.
CEO Musk disclosed in May that the company may decide on the next location of its new factory by the end of 2023, Rappler noted.
Notably, it has just achieved its 5 million EV production milestone on Saturday. Its shares surged 123% following the announcement.
See Also:
- Tesla officially delivers first Model Ys in Turkey
- Ford drops SK and teams up with LG on the Turkey battery plant
- Erdogan’s prestige project: Turkey launches TOGG car
- Hyundai finally launches 2024 Kona Electric production in Europe
- Non-Tesla Supercharging Pilot’s expansion to reach 20 countries since launch
Learning which country would get Tesla’s major investment for a new Gigafactory would be exciting. Notably, the Musk-led company is also under negotiations with the Indian Government. The Tesla boss even confirmed plans to produce the mass-market Tesla model in India for the local market and export.
