> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.saudiwins.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # CEER and the Rise of Saudi Arabia's National Car Industry - URL: https://www.saudiwins.com/ceer-and-the-rise-of-saudi-arabias-national-car-industry/ - Published: 2026-09-22T13:36:19.000Z - Updated: 2026-09-22T13:36:19.000Z - Description: CEER is building more than Saudi Arabia’s first national car. From EXOBOT to local suppliers, engineers, and a major manufacturing complex, its larger ambition is a Saudi automotive ecosystem. The car is the visible product. The industry behind it is the real win. - Author: Ameer Albahouth - Tags: Vision 2030 --- On September 21, 2026, Saudi Arabia stopped talking about a national car and showed one. In **King Abdullah Economic City**, the Crown Prince revealed **EXOBOT**. It is a sedan and an SUV. They are the first vehicles from [**CEER**](https://ceermotors.com/?ref=saudiwins.com), the Kingdom's first automotive company and original equipment manufacturer. The company is led by [**James DeLuca**](https://claude.ai/chat/LINKEDIN%5FURL%5FTO%5FCONFIRM?ref=saudiwins.com), **CEO of** [**CEER**](https://ceermotors.com/?ref=saudiwins.com). It was founded as a joint venture between the [**Public Investment Fund**](https://www.pif.gov.sa/?ref=saudiwins.com) and [**Foxconn**](https://www.foxconn.com/?ref=saudiwins.com). The defining idea is simple. A national car is not a product. It is a supply chain with a badge on it. --- #### CEER at a Glance - ****Name:** CEER (سير) - ****Type:** National automotive company and OEM - ****Shareholders:** Public Investment Fund and Foxconn - ****Leadership:** James DeLuca, CEO - ****Sector:** Automotive manufacturing, electric vehicles - ****Plant:** CEER Manufacturing Complex, King Salman Automotive Cluster, King Abdullah Economic City - ****Known for:** Saudi Arabia's first homegrown car brand - ****Milestones:** Launched November 3, 2022\. Signed SAR 3.7 billion in local supply deals in February 2026\. Revealed EXOBOT on September 21, 2026. --- ![EXOBOT](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ce/6c/ce6c2436-4214-427e-b133-5b1ce84d451f/content/images/2026/09/SHOWCAR_SUV_and_SEDAN_bcf31c179a.webp) ## The Signature Contribution: A Car Designed in Saudi Arabia CEER is known for one first. It is the first company to design, engineer and build a Saudi car inside the Kingdom. Official coverage says EXOBOT was designed and engineered in Saudi Arabia to global standards. Its design is described as inspired by the Kingdom's land and rooted in its culture. The launch was timed two days before Saudi National Day. The message was clear. This is a national project, not an imported one. That is the thesis in action. The car is the visible part. The industry behind it is the win. *Image slot: EXOBOT sedan and SUV on stage in KAEC.* ***The EXOBOT sedan and SUV at their world premiere in King Abdullah Economic City, the Kingdom's first national cars.*** --- ![EXOBOT](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ce/6c/ce6c2436-4214-427e-b133-5b1ce84d451f/content/images/2026/09/CEER.webp) ## Origins: A Promise Made in 2022 CEER began with an announcement. On November 3, 2022, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman launched it as Saudi Arabia's first electric vehicle brand. The structure was deliberate. PIF brought capital and national ambition. Foxconn brought electronics architecture and manufacturing expertise. The original plan said cars would reach the market by 2025\. That date moved. The ambition did not. The lesson from the start: an industry begins with a structure, not a showroom. --- ![CEER and the Rise of Saudi Arabia's National Car Industry](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ce/6c/ce6c2436-4214-427e-b133-5b1ce84d451f/content/images/2026/09/CEER_Wall_Charger_With_Signature_Pedestal_70c284349f.jpg) ## Foundation: Borrowing Know-How, Building Capability A new carmaker cannot invent everything at once. CEER did not try. Public reporting says it licensed vehicle development technology from [**BMW**](https://www.bmwgroup.com/?ref=saudiwins.com). In June 2024 it signed with [**Hyundai Transys**](https://www.hyundai-transys.com/?ref=saudiwins.com) for a three-in-one electric drive system. It later partnered with [**Rimac**](https://www.rimac-automobili.com/?ref=saudiwins.com) for high-performance electric drive systems. In January 2026, it partnered with [**Dürr**](https://www.durr.com/?ref=saudiwins.com) to install an advanced paint shop at its plant. Each partnership filled a gap. Together they shortened the path from idea to product. The pattern is consistent: learn from the best, then localize what you learn. --- ## The Defining Chapter: September 21, 2026 This is the day CEER became real to the public. The Crown Prince, who chairs PIF, revealed EXOBOT in King Abdullah Economic City. In CEER's official statement, he called the launch another step toward "a sustainable and prosperous industrial ecosystem." The numbers are serious. According to reported specifications, the SUV carries a 112 kWh battery and an estimated NEDC range of up to 560 km. It uses a dual-motor all-wheel-drive setup with 850 horsepower. CEER quotes 0 to 100 km/h in 2.6 seconds. The sedan is reported at up to 670 km of NEDC range. Both run on an 800-volt architecture. CEER says the battery charges from 10% to 80% in about 30 minutes. Inside, the SUV has a 48-inch pillar-to-pillar curved display and steer-by-wire with a yoke. These are flagship choices. They signal ambition, not caution. ![EXOBOT SUV interior with the curved display. The EXOBOT SUV cabin and its 48-inch display, a statement that Saudi engineering can compete on technology.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ce/6c/ce6c2436-4214-427e-b133-5b1ce84d451f/content/images/2026/09/ceer-exobot-25.webp) **EXOBOT SUV interior with the curved display.* ***The EXOBOT SUV cabin and its 48-inch display, a statement that Saudi engineering can compete on technology.** ## Expansion: From One Plant to a Supply Chain The car is two models today. The plan is seven. CEER says EXOBOT is the first of seven vehicles to launch over five years. The lineup will span midsize and compact models with various propulsion options. All of them will come from the **CEER Manufacturing Complex** in [**King Abdullah Economic City**](https://www.kaec.net/?ref=saudiwins.com). The company describes it as the largest automotive production facility in the Middle East. The CEO has said it is designed for up to 240,000 vehicles a year once fully operational. The deeper expansion is local sourcing. CEER targets 45% of vehicle materials and components from Saudi companies by 2034. In 2025, it signed 11 deals worth SAR 5.5 billion. More than 80% involved Saudi companies. In February 2026, it added 16 agreements worth over SAR 3.7 billion. Partners include Abdul Latif Jameel, Zamil, Sika and XYG, covering items from coolants to glazing. In July 2026, [**SABIC**](https://www.sabic.com/?ref=saudiwins.com) signed an MoU to explore advanced materials for CEER vehicles. In August 2026, the [**Local Content and Government Procurement Authority**](https://lcgpa.gov.sa/?ref=saudiwins.com) signed localization agreements with CEER. This is the thesis at scale. Every contract turns a car into an ecosystem. *Image slot: CEER Manufacturing Complex exterior.* ***The CEER Manufacturing Complex in KAEC, where every EXOBOT and the next five models will be built.*** --- ## Where CEER Stands Today The reveal is done. The factory work is now the story. CEER has said production would begin in the fourth quarter of 2026\. Some post-launch reporting says series production is now set for January 2027, with first deliveries in March 2027\. Pricing and ordering details had not been announced at the time of writing. Day to day, the work is validation, supplier readiness and plant ramp-up. The CEO has said the business plan is fully funded through 2034. Readers should watch one date. The first EXOBOT delivered to a customer is the real finish line. The lesson holds: in manufacturing, credibility is measured in deliveries, not reveals. --- ## Impact: Talent, Jobs and Economic Weight CEER's impact is not only on roads. It is in people. In July 2026, CEER welcomed 40 Saudi engineers into permanent roles. They came through the WAA'ID track of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Scholarship Program, after training overseas. CEER has projected more than SAR 30 billion in contribution to national GDP by 2034\. It also projects a trade balance improvement of around SAR 80 billion. The CEO has previously spoken of around 30,000 direct and indirect jobs. These figures are company and government projections. They are targets, not results. But they show the scale of intent. The pattern returns. A car company that trains engineers builds an industry. A car company that only assembles builds a factory. --- ## The Vision 2030 Link CEER serves a specific pillar of [**Saudi Vision 2030**](https://www.vision2030.gov.sa/?ref=saudiwins.com): a thriving economy built on diversification beyond oil. Its most direct home is the **National Industrial Development and Logistics Program**, which aims to turn Saudi Arabia into an industrial powerhouse. CEER's 45% localization target maps to that goal. It also sits inside a national EV target. The Ministry of Investment has set a goal of 500,000 electric vehicles produced a year by 2030\. CEER shares King Abdullah Economic City with Lucid and a PIF-Hyundai plant. Together they form the core of a national auto cluster. The win for Vision 2030 is not one car. It is proof that the Kingdom can host a full automotive value chain. --- ## Closing: What CEER Teaches the Next Generation CEER's path is not a straight line. It started with a 2025 promise. It revealed its cars in 2026\. Deliveries may arrive in 2027. That is how real industries are built. Slower than headlines. Deeper than products. For young Saudi engineers, the lesson is direct. The opportunity is not only in designing the car. It is in the stamping, the chemicals, the glass and the software around it. Vision 2030 asked the Kingdom to make things. CEER is where that request became a machine you can sit in. --- ## Lessons from CEER 1. **Build the ecosystem before the product.** CEER signed billions in local supply deals before a single customer delivery. 2. **Borrow expertise, then localize it.** Partnerships with BMW, Hyundai Transys, Rimac and Dürr gave CEER a faster path to a credible car. 3. **Invest in people as hard as in plants.** The 40 WAA'ID engineers show that talent pipelines are part of the product. 4. **Credibility comes from delivery.** A reveal wins attention. The first customer handover wins trust. --- ## Frequently Asked Questions **What is CEER?** CEER is Saudi Arabia's first national automotive company and OEM. It was founded in 2022 as a joint venture between the Public Investment Fund and Foxconn. **What is the CEER EXOBOT?** EXOBOT is CEER's first vehicle line, revealed on September 21, 2026\. It comes as an electric sedan and an electric SUV, designed and engineered in Saudi Arabia. **Where are CEER cars made?** CEER cars are made at the CEER Manufacturing Complex in the King Salman Automotive Cluster in King Abdullah Economic City. **How does CEER support Vision 2030?** CEER supports economic diversification by building a local automotive industry. It targets sourcing 45% of vehicle materials and components from Saudi companies by 2034. --- #### Sources - CEER official news: Reveal date announcement, September 11, 2026\. https://ceermotors.com/news/ceer-announces-the-reveal-date-of-its-first-flagship-vehicles-in-saudi-arabia/ - Arab News: Saudi crown prince launches Ceer's first EVs, September 2026\. https://www.arabnews.com/business/saudi-crown-prince-launches-ceers-first-evs-to-boost-kingdoms-automotive-industry-3002548 - Electrek: Ceer unveils its EXOBOT EVs, September 21, 2026\. https://electrek.co/2026/09/21/ceer-unveils-exobot-evs-saudi-arabias-first-electric-vehicles/ - EV coverage of the reveal and cluster context. https://eletric-vehicles.com/ceer/saudi-crown-prince-unveils-ceers-first-evs-exobot-sedan-and-suv/ - Autonext: Production and delivery timeline reporting. https://www.autonext.co/news/ceer-exobot-saudi-arabia-first-car-1100-hp-rimac-march-2027 - Zawya / TradeArabia: SAR 3.7 billion supply chain deals, February 2026\. https://www.zawya.com/en/projects/industry/saudi-ev-brand-ceer-signs-987mln-local-supply-chain-deals-aub7wbvx - WAM Saudi / Arab News: SAR 5.5 billion in deals and plant capacity. https://www.wamsaudi.com/news-articles/ceer-supercharges-saudi-ev-industry-14bn-deals-gearing-up-2026-launch - Argaam: CEO interview on jobs and FDI. https://www.argaam.com/en/article/articledetail/id/1790589 - TradeArabia: SABIC MoU, LCGPA agreements, WAA'ID engineers, 2026\. https://tradearabia.com/tag/Ceer - Italpress / SPA: GDP and trade balance projections. https://www.italpress.com/saudi-arabia-launches-exobot-first-cars-from-national-company-ceer/ --- ***Discover more inspiring stories at*** [***Saudi Wins***](https://www.saudiwins.com/)***, where Vision 2030 comes to life.***