Saudi Arabia Launches First Locally Developed Vehicles Under Ceer Brand

Saudi Arabia has officially unveiled its first locally designed and engineered vehicles, marking a major milestone in the Kingdom’s effort to establish a domestic automotive industry.

Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman on September 21 launched the first vehicles from Ceer, Saudi Arabia’s national automotive company. The vehicles, called EXOBOT, are being introduced in two versions: an electric sedan and an electric SUV.

The launch forms part of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 strategy to diversify the economy beyond oil and develop advanced industrial and technological sectors.

According to Saudi authorities, the EXOBOT models were designed and engineered locally, with styling inspired by Saudi Arabia’s landscape and culture.

The vehicles will be manufactured at the Ceer Manufacturing Complex within the King Salman Automotive Cluster in King Abdullah Economic City. The facility is described by Saudi authorities as the largest automotive manufacturing complex of its kind in the Middle East.

The EXOBOT sedan and SUV are the first two models in a planned lineup of seven vehicles that Ceer intends to introduce over the next five years. The wider lineup is expected to include midsize and compact vehicles using different propulsion technologies.

Ceer was launched in 2022 by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) as the Kingdom’s first Saudi automotive brand. The company is a joint venture involving PIF and Taiwan’s Foxconn, with international companies contributing technology and engineering expertise. BMW has provided engineering support, while Foxconn has contributed to the vehicles’ electrical architecture.

Ceer plans to begin selling the EXOBOT sedan and SUV in Saudi Arabia in early 2027, with ambitions to expand into regional markets later.

The launch represents a significant part of Saudi Arabia’s attempt to develop a complete domestic automotive ecosystem, including vehicle manufacturing, component suppliers, engineering and technology.

Saudi authorities project that Ceer could contribute more than SAR30 billion ($8 billion) to the country’s GDP and improve the trade balance by about SAR80 billion ($21 billion) by 2034, while creating direct and indirect employment opportunities.

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said the launch would help strengthen the automotive sector as a contributor to economic growth while attracting investment and developing national talent.

For Saudi Arabia, the EXOBOT launch marks the transition from plans for a domestic automotive industry to the unveiling of its first Saudi-branded vehicles, with the Kingdom now aiming to build the sector into a regional and eventually global automotive business.