French President Emmanuel Macron will meet with Tesla CEO Elon Musk on Friday to discuss France's agenda on AI, social media, regulatory policies, automotive sectors and batteries. Macron believes that Musk's presence in Paris for a tech event is an opportunity to pitch France as an attractive location for foreign investment. Macron also wants to emphasize that France is a leading hub for electric cars.
During their last meeting in Paris last month, Macron pitched that France is a significant hub for foreign investment and electric cars. Musk admitted that he was confident that Tesla would make a significant investment in France in the future. Macron has pushed for northern France to become a hub for electric-car batteries and related materials to strengthen France's profile among investors.
Tesla's site in Berlin scaled back its plans for battery-making recently, indicating that the automaker's global production network has been expanding too quickly. Despite the setback, Macron believes that France will remain an excellent location for battery production and related materials.
Therefore, during Friday's meeting, Macron will discuss the possibility of Tesla building a gigafactory in France. However, Macron also understands that Tesla will need to review all possible projects in Europe and will pitch France's attractiveness to the company regardless.