Saudi Arabia's first car brand unveils electric flagship — with the crown prince on stage

Saudi Arabia, one of the world's largest oil producers, is accelerating its push to become a car-manufacturing nation. Ceer, the kingdom's first homegrown automotive brand — created by the Public Investment Fund — has unveiled its debut electric vehicles and plans to begin sales next year, as Riyadh works to build an automotive industry it hopes will serve as a new engine of growth in a post-oil economy.

Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman personally unveiled the flagship electric vehicle, the Exobot, Monday (local time) at the Ceer production complex in King Abdullah Economic City.

Two vehicles were revealed: a premium electric sedan and a sport utility vehicle. Both are scheduled to go on sale in Saudi Arabia in early 2027.

The crown prince's decision to personally headline the unveiling signals the government's intent to develop the automotive sector as a national growth driver.

"The launch of Ceer's first vehicles represents another step forward in Saudi Arabia's journey to build a sustainable and thriving industrial ecosystem," Mohammed bin Salman said. "By attracting investment, developing local talent and expanding the role of the private sector, we will make the automotive industry a core engine of economic growth and position Saudi Arabia as a leading regional and global hub for this industry."

Ceer was established in 2022 as a joint venture between PIF and Taiwan's Foxconn, making it Saudi Arabia's first domestic car brand. It is one of the flagship projects under Vision 2030, the kingdom's drive to reduce its dependence on oil and build up its manufacturing base.

The Exobot draws heavily on global automotive and electronics expertise. Foxconn supplies the vehicle's electrical and electronic architecture, while BMW provided engineering support.

The design also sets the cars apart from conventional production vehicles. Both the sedan and SUV feature "Shaheen Wing Doors" spanning roughly 3 meters, inspired by the outstretched wings of the shaheen falcon — a symbol of Saudi Arabia. Activated by a smart key or button, the doors sweep upward in an arc of about 60 centimeters. The B-pillar, which normally sits between the front and rear doors, has been eliminated; high-strength materials are used instead to maintain structural integrity and safety.

Thirty-two signature light bars — a nod to 1932, the year Saudi Arabia was founded — are positioned across the body. The front features a 2,400-millimeter windshield, said to be the largest ever fitted to a passenger car.

The vehicles themselves are large. The sedan measures 5,260 millimeters in length, 2,100 millimeters in width and 1,430 millimeters in height; the SUV comes in at 5,020 millimeters, 2,100 millimeters and 1,690 millimeters respectively.

Performance is squarely aimed at the high end. Powered by three electric motors and an all-wheel-drive system, the top-spec model produces 1,111 horsepower and 1,500 Newton-meters of torque. The sedan accelerates from zero to 100 kilometers per hour in 2.1 seconds; the SUV does it in 2.4 seconds. Top speeds are 250 kph and 210 kph respectively.

Given that the cars were developed in Saudi Arabia, the engineers paid particular attention to extreme heat. A proprietary "Hylo Cooling" system brings the cabin temperature down to 32 degrees Celsius within 10 minutes even when outside temperatures reach 65 degrees Celsius during testing. Special foil, triple silver-coated glass and dual front-and-rear air conditioning systems are also fitted.

Inside, a 48-inch 8K curved display stretches across the full width of the dashboard, accompanied by a 10.4-inch center display and an 8-inch rear-seat screen. The cars also support an AI voice assistant in Arabic and English, over-the-air software updates and a digital key.

Ceer CEO Jim DeLuca told Reuters he wanted to "show the world what Saudi Arabia can do."

The vehicle's design draws on Saudi Arabia's natural environment and culture. Engineering and design work was carried out locally, and the cars are being developed to meet safety and environmental regulations in multiple markets with an eye toward global sales.

Production will take place in Saudi Arabia. Ceer is building the Ceer Manufacturing Complex in King Abdullah Economic City, with the goal of making it the largest automotive production facility in the Middle East and one of the most highly automated in the world.

Local production is intended to cut the time from order to delivery from months to weeks. The company has also set a target of raising the local parts content to 45 percent by 2034.

Ceer plans to launch seven models over the next five years — the electric sedan and SUV first, followed by five more affordably priced models between 2028 and 2030. Recognizing that the pace of electric vehicle adoption varies widely by region, the company also intends to expand its lineup to include plug-in hybrid and internal combustion engine vehicles.

Export markets are also in the picture. Ceer plans to begin selling in neighboring countries in 2028 and to expand across the Middle East and North Africa by 2034.

The competitive landscape Ceer is entering is formidable. Chinese manufacturers led by BYD are rapidly gaining market share in the electric vehicle segment, while established automakers are rolling out competitively priced mass-market EVs. The collapse of once-hyped EV startups — Fisker, Arrival and Lordstown among them — serves as a cautionary backdrop.

Saudi Arabia itself has tried and failed before. A plan to build a Jaguar Land Rover factory in the kingdom more than a decade ago fell through, and Toyota shelved its own local production plans in 2019, citing high labor costs and an underdeveloped local parts supply chain.

This time, observers say the conditions are different. Global auto parts suppliers have been moving into the kingdom in growing numbers, backed by government support, gradually forming a local supply chain. American parts maker Lear, Germany's Benteler and China's Fangxin have all established production bases in Saudi Arabia, and South Korean supplier Shinyoung has also joined the local supply network.

Saudi Arabia intends to use Ceer not merely as a carmaker but as the anchor of a broader domestic automotive ecosystem — linking vehicle assembly with parts production, research and development, and workforce training to expand the country's manufacturing base.

The economic ambitions are substantial. Ceer projects it will contribute more than $8 billion to Saudi GDP by 2034, with the trade balance improvement expected to exceed $21 billion. The company also aims to generate a large number of direct and indirect jobs through the automotive industry.