Turkey’s Erdogan asks Musk to build a Tesla factory, according to public media | Automobile industry

The Turkish president made the request while in the United States for the United Nations General Assembly, according to the Turkish News Agency.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has asked Tesla CEO Elon Musk to build a Tesla factory in Turkey, according to state-run Anadolu Agency.

Erdogan asked Musk during a meeting at Turkish House, a skyscraper near the United Nations in New York, the Turkish news agency on social media platform X reported on Sunday.

Erdogan is in the United States to attend the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly. Tesla and the Turkish Embassy in Washington, DC, did not immediately respond to requests for comment from the Reuters news agency.

Musk is also expected to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in California on Monday. Musk posted on X that their discussions would focus on artificial intelligence technology.

Tesla in August expressed interest in building a factory in India that would produce a low-cost electric vehicle (EV).

Tesla currently has six factories and is building a seventh in the northern Mexican state of Nuevo Leon, part of the electric car maker’s efforts to expand its global presence.

Musk said in May that the automaker would likely choose a location for a new factory by the end of this year.

Tesla shares are up 123% since the start of the year, and the automaker announced Saturday that it has produced its five millionth car.

In addition to running Tesla, Musk also purchased X, formerly known as Twitter, for $44 billion in 2022.

While describing himself as a free speech absolutist, Musk has acceded to some demands from the Turkish government to censor content in the country.

In other cases, the social media company has opposed Turkish court orders.