Saudi EV Joint Venture Ceer Unveils Exobot Sedan and SUV Concepts

Ceer, a Saudi automotive startup formed as a joint venture between the kingdom's Public Investment Fund and Taiwanese manufacturing contractor Foxconn, has unveiled its first vehicle concepts: a futuristic sedan and SUV dubbed the Exobot. The company plans to put both models on sale in Saudi Arabia starting in 2027, with five additional models planned by 2030, according to reporting by The Verge .

The Exobot concepts feature sharp angular styling developed by former McLaren design director Rob Melville. According to British publication Autocar, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman held final approval over the designs. Both vehicles incorporate upward-opening gullwing doors. The sedan uses a low-slung stance with a windshield that merges into the hood, paired with two-tone bodywork and a full-width LED light bar below the nose. The SUV features higher ground clearance, flat rooflines, and angular, armor-like paneling.

Ceer is entering a shifting global automotive market marked by expanding exports from Chinese electric vehicle makers across Europe, Asia, and South America, alongside steep U.S. tariffs on Chinese-built EVs. To manage operations, the startup appointed Jim DeLuca as chief executive officer. DeLuca spent 37 years at General Motors, where he served as executive vice president of global manufacturing. DeLuca told Reuters that the venture was built to demonstrate Saudi Arabia's manufacturing capabilities to the international market.

While Ceer's initial Exobot models are all-electric, the company plans a diversified powertrain strategy for subsequent rollouts. Follow-on models will include hybrid and internal combustion configurations depending on market demand. The project combines capital from Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund with Foxconn's contract manufacturing infrastructure.

The kingdom has pursued domestic automotive manufacturing for over a decade with mixed outcomes. Prior negotiations to establish a Jaguar Land Rover plant yielded no factory, and Toyota declined an assembly deal in 2019. The Public Investment Fund currently holds a controlling stake in California-based Lucid Motors, which is constructing a production facility in King Abdullah Economic City. Ceer faces a challenging environment for automotive newcomers, following recent bankruptcies at early-stage EV makers such as Fisker, Lordstown Motors, and Arrival.