Ceer Exobot launch sets Saudi Arabia’s car-industry ambitions in motion
Saudi-backed Ceer unveiled electric Exobot sedan and SUV models, with Saudi sales due in early 2027 and a wider regional plan to follow.
By James Whitfield · Staff Writer
3 min read
The Ceer Exobot launch has put Saudi Arabia’s first home-grown automaker on public display, with a premium electric sedan and SUV scheduled to go on sale in the kingdom in early 2027. The September 21 unveiling is an early test of the country’s plan to build an auto-manufacturing base as it seeks to reduce its reliance on oil.
Ceer is a joint venture between Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund and Taiwanese electronics manufacturer Foxconn. Reuters reported that the company introduced the two all-electric Exobot models at its manufacturing complex in King Abdullah Economic City.
When will Ceer Exobot cars go on sale?
Ceer says Saudi sales of the Exobot sedan and SUV will begin in early 2027. The cars are premium flagship models, rather than the full range the startup intends to offer, according to Reuters and Ars Technica.
Chief executive Jim DeLuca told Reuters that Ceer plans to add five mainstream models between 2028 and 2030. The company began as a pure-EV maker, but DeLuca said its eventual range would also include plug-in hybrids and internal-combustion vehicles if market demand warrants them.
Ceer’s stated expansion path starts at home: surrounding markets from 2028, followed by a broader push across the Middle East and North Africa through 2034, Reuters reported. DeLuca said later models would be designed to meet global regulatory requirements, though Ceer has not committed to sales outside its planned regional rollout.
What is Saudi Arabia trying to build with Ceer?
The venture is part of Vision 2030, the Saudi program intended to diversify the economy beyond oil. The aim reaches beyond selling cars: Ceer and the government are trying to establish engineering, manufacturing and parts supply capacity in the country.
Foxconn supplied the Exobots’ electrical architecture, while BMW provided engineering, Reuters reported. The news agency also said suppliers including Lear, Shin Young, Benteler and Fangxin have opened factories in Saudi Arabia after government incentives.
That partner network may help Ceer address the difficulty of starting an industry with limited local production experience. Earlier efforts did not succeed: Reuters reported that a proposed Saudi-based Jaguar Land Rover plant was dropped more than a decade ago, while Toyota rejected a 2019 proposal, citing labour costs and the lack of a local supplier base.
What has Ceer said about the Exobot models?
Ceer has presented the sedan and SUV as high-performance electric flagships with upward-opening doors and no central B-pillar. Ars Technica reported that the company quotes a 112-kilowatt-hour battery, an 800-volt system and about 30 minutes of DC fast charging to 80%.
Those specifications, including Ceer’s quoted range and acceleration figures, are company claims for pre-production vehicles rather than independently verified results. The startup is also entering a competitive market in which Chinese manufacturers have gained share and several EV startups, including Fisker, Arrival and Lordstown, have failed, Reuters noted.
For Ceer, the first sales will show whether its industrial plan can move from an ambitious vehicle reveal to sustained production.
This story draws on original reporting from Ars Technica.