Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Sunday, Aug 31, 2025

Tesla’s Elon Musk feted by German chancellor hopeful

Tesla’s Elon Musk feted by German chancellor hopeful

Elon Musk visited Tesla 'gigafactory' site alongside Armin Laschet

Tesla, Inc. co-founder Elon Musk met with Germany's front-runner candidate for chancellor Armin Laschet on Friday at the electric automaker's "Gigafactory" construction site near Berlin.

The billionaire said he hopes to begin production at the Gruenheide facility in October.

Tesla had initially planned to begin manufacturing in July, but legal problems and issues with permitting led to delays.

Germany's center-right candidate to replace Angela Merkel as chancellor in the upcoming elections and Christian Democratic Union chairman, Armin Laschet, right, talks to Elon Musk, Tesla CEO, during a visit at the construction site of the Tesla Gigaf


"We’re looking forward to hopefully getting the approval to make the first cars, maybe in October if we’re fortunate," Musk told reporters.

"Giga Berlin-Brandenburg county fair & factory tour on 9 October!" the SpaceX founder later tweeted, noting that while there would be priority access for Berlin and Brandenburg residents it would be open to the general public.

Laschet, the center-right Union bloc's candidate to succeed Chancellor Angela Merkel in the country's September election, thanked Musk for his business in Germany.


The Christian Democratic Union (CDU) chairman reportedly also suggested that German laws should be changed to complicate the efforts of those not directly impacted by the factory's construction to file legal complaints against it.

That said, victims of communism in East Germany have criticized the decision to allocate a subsidy of nearly $10 million to Tesla for Gigafactory infrastructure costs from a trust fund managing what remains of the regime’s fortune.


Instead, groups like UOKG argued, the money should go toward building schools, homes for the elderly, daycare centers or memorials for victims of the communist dictatorship.


In response to a Teslarati tweet citing a report saying public opposition to the plant was declining, Musk wrote Wednesday: "It's gonna be awesome,"

Christian Democratic Union Chairman Armin Laschet and Elon Musk, Tesla's CEO, at the construction site of the Tesla Gigafactory in Gruenheide near Berlin, Germany, Friday, Aug. 13, 2021. 


Berlin’s Tagesspiegel newspaper reported on Thursday that Merkel would step in to assist Laschet for an Aug. 21 campaign event as he continues to sink in the polls, with the Social Democrats and the Greens not far behind.

Laschet, the front-runner and also the governor of North Rhine-Westphalia state, has been in hot water lately and has been forced to apologize — once for failing to credit a source in his 2009 book about immigration and just days later after being seen laughing as Merkel delivered a statement on the devastating floods in western Germany that killed more than 200 people.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Israeli Airstrike in Yemen Kills Houthi Prime Minister
After the Shock of Defeat, Iranians Yearn for Change
YouTube Altered Content by Artificial Intelligence – Without Permission
Iran Faces Escalating Water Crisis as Protests Spread
More Than Half a Million Evacuated as Typhoon Kajiki Heads for Vietnam
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Cristiano Ronaldo Makes Surprise Stop at New Hong Kong Museum
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
High-Stakes Trump-Putin Summit on Ukraine Underway in Alaska
Iranian Protection Offers Chinese Vehicle Shipments a Cost Advantage over Japanese and Korean Makers
Saudi Arabia accelerates renewables to curb domestic oil use
Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez announce engagement
Asia-Pacific dominates world’s busiest flight routes, with South Korea’s Jeju–Seoul corridor leading global rankings
Private Welsh island with 19th-century fort listed for sale at over £3 million
Sam Altman challenges Elon Musk with plans for Neuralink rival
Australia to Recognize the State of Palestine at UN Assembly
The Collapse of the Programmer Dream: AI Experts Now the Real High-Earners
Armenia and Azerbaijan to Sign US-Brokered Framework Agreement for Nakhchivan Corridor
British Labour Government Utilizes Counter-Terrorism Tools for Social Media Monitoring Against Legitimate Critics
WhatsApp Deletes 6.8 Million Scam Accounts Amid Rising Global Fraud
Nine people have been hospitalized and dozens of salmonella cases have been reported after an outbreak of infections linked to certain brands of pistachios and pistachio-containing products, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada
Texas Residents Face Water Restrictions While AI Data Centers Consume Millions of Gallons
Tariffs, AI, and the Shifting U.S. Macro Landscape: Navigating a New Economic Regime
India Rejects U.S. Tariff Threat, Defends Russian Oil Purchases
United States Establishes Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and Digital Asset Stockpile
Thousands of Private ChatGPT Conversations Accidentally Indexed by Google
China Tightens Mineral Controls, Curtailing Critical Inputs for Western Defence Contractors
OpenAI’s Bold Bet: Teaching AI to Think, Not Just Chat
BP’s Largest Oil and Gas Find in 25 Years Uncovered Offshore Brazil
JPMorgan and Coinbase Unveil Partnership to Let Chase Cardholders Buy Crypto Directly
British Tourist Dies Following Hair Transplant in Turkey, Police Investigate
WhatsApp Users Targeted in New Scam Involving Account Takeovers
Trump Deploys Nuclear Submarines After Threats from Former Russian President Medvedev
Germany’s Economic Breakdown and the Return of Militarization: From Industrial Collapse to a New Offensive Strategy
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
×