Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan asked Tesla CEO, Elon Musk to build a factory inside Turkey, confirmed a top official from his government.

Many people in the Turkish government want Musk to choose the country as the spot for the next Tesla factory. The report also cites that the EV maker is already purchasing required materials from Turkish suppliers.

Previously, Musk and Erdogan talked about cooperation on AI and Starlink satellite internet. Turkish communications directorate elaborated that SpaceX has already applied to obtain a license for Starlink internet service in Turkey.

(Reuters)

Update: While reacting to this story, Musk has denied the report writing on X “Yet another utterly false article from WSJ”.

https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1703790503286972701?s=20

Original Story: Media reports reveal that Saudi Arabia in early talks with Elon Musk led EV maker Tesla to set up a manufacturing factory in the Gulf nation.

According to a report by WSJ, Saudi Arabia is alluring Tesla with deals such as offering high quantities of certain metals and minerals that the company needs to build EVs. It is being said that Arabia is making these efforts in order to grow its manufacturing sector and grow investment.

One of the proposals the kingdom is considering involves extending financing to commodities trader Trafigura for a flailing Congo cobalt and copper project, which could help provide a Tesla factory with supplies, the WSJ report said.

A Trafigura spokesperson said the trader was reviewing its options for the Mutoshi project in Congo amid rising costs and persistently low cobalt prices.

Tesla did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment, while Saudi Arabia’s sovereign fund, the Public Investment Fund, declined to comment. Currently, Tesla has six factories and the working on the seventh factory in Mexico.

(via – Reuters)

Today, Elon Musk gave an update on Tesla Cybertruck “Just drove the production candidate Cybertruck at Tesla Giga Texas!”. This also gives an update for all of the Tesla Cybertruck enthusiasts.

The Tesla Cybertruck is an upcoming battery electric light-duty truck announced by Tesla, Inc. In November 2019. Three models have been announced, with EPA range estimates of 250–500 miles (400–800 km) and an estimated 0–60 mph (0–97 km/h) time of 2.9–6.5 seconds, depending on the model.

Just drove the production candidate Cybertruck at Tesla Giga Texas! pic.twitter.com/S0kCyGUBFD

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 23, 2023

Since its unveiling, the mass production of Cybertruck has been delayed but Musk keeps on saying that the company will start Cybertruck’s journey by the end of this year.