New Ceer Exobot signals oil giant Saudi Arabia’s arrival in EV land

In a slightly surprising turn of events, Saudi Arabia – one of the world’s biggest producers and consumers of oil – has unveiled a pair of electric cars. But, the new Exobot SUV and saloon are supposedly just the first of seven models coming soon from the kingdom. 

These radical-looking EVs were created by Ceer, which is Saudi Arabia's first national carmaker and electric vehicle brand. It was launched back in 2022 as a joint venture between iPhone-maker Foxconn and the country’s sovereign wealth fund PIF (Public Investment Fund) that currently manages over 900 billion dollars in assets, including major stakes in Aston Martin and Lucid. 

Ceer claims the Exobot SUV and saloon have been designed and engineered in Saudi Arabia. They will be built there, too, as the kingdom looks to “establish itself as a leading force in the global automotive industry”.

It’s worth noting, however, that the company uses  technology licensed from German powerhouse BMW. Its electric-vehicle architecture was developed by Foxconn – the Taiwanese firm has experience with EVs through its own brand, Foxtron - and the high-performance drive units for its flagship models are being supplied by Croatian hypercar creator Rimac. 

Former McLaren design boss Rob Melville, whose CV includes the P1, 750S, Speedtail and Senna, is the man responsible for styling Ceer’s cars. The design of the Exobot SUV and saloon was supposedly inspired by “Saudi Arabia’s landscape, rooted in its culture, and reflective of its vision”. Whatever that means…

The visually dramatic cars look like they've escaped from the set of a new sci-fi blockbuster, especially the SUV with its high ground clearance, pronounced wheelarches, huge gullwing doors and ultra-thin lighting motifs. Meanwhile, the saloon is low and its windscreen is so sharply angled we’re not entirely sure how anyone is supposed to sit in it.  

We should find out soon, as more details about the Exobot SUV and saloon are due to be revealed shortly, including the first technical details. It remains to be seen if or when Ceer will export its cars to other markets outside of Saudi Arabia.

But as we said, these are just the beginning. Ceer’s plans for the future include mid-size and compact models, and it’ll offer various propulsion options to serve different customer needs. All these cars will be manufactured at its complex in the Industrial Valley of Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah Economic City, on the Red Sea coast. 

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