Kanye thanks Musk for his Tesla, ‘funnest' car he’s driven

Rap star Kanye West praised Tesla CEO Elon Musk on Twitter Monday, claiming that his electric vehicle makes him feel like he’s “in the future.”

Musk retweeted some of West’s comments shortly after they were posted on the social media platform, and has previously said he is “obviously” inspired by the rap star.

The good publicity on Twitter comes at a time when Musk’s company is facing challenges. Tesla has been struggling to ramp up production of its Model 3 sedan, which is seen as a critical bellwether of the company’s near-term profitability. The company continues to target a weekly production rate of 5,000 Model 3 sedans by the end of the second quarter, despite starting the quarter at a rate of just 2,000 vehicles.

Earlier this month auto news site Electrek reported that Tesla temporarily suspended Model 3 production for a few days to “do a comprehensive set of upgrades,” which is expected to allow for production to increase to a rate of 2,000 to 4,000 vehicles per week by next month. Musk squashed a report midmonth that he would need to raise more funds in order to meet production goals for the Model 3.

Meanwhile, at its Fremont, California, plant, Tesla is being probed the state's Occupational Safety and Health Administration, following reports that it failed to disclose serious injuries at the job site. Tesla has denied any wrongdoing.

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Shares of Tesla are down more than 8% so far this year.