Saudi Arabia has officially entered the high-performance electric car era with two vehicles that look more like futuristic concept cars than conventional production models. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has unveiled the Ceer Exobot sedan and SUV, a pair of radically styled EVs created as the first vehicles from the Kingdom’s homegrown automotive brand. With gullwing doors, yoke steering, enormous screens and up to 850 horsepower in their opening specification, the Exobots are designed to make a statement well beyond the showroom.
The debut marks a major step in Saudi Arabia’s push to establish an advanced domestic automotive industry under the objectives of Vision 2030. Ceer says the Exobot sedan and SUV are designed, engineered, and manufactured in Saudi Arabia and form part of a seven-model portfolio planned for launch over the next five years. Furthermore, the company points out the vehicles combine Saudi-inspired design with advanced technology, performance and a distinctive driving experience, while production will take place at the Ceer Manufacturing Complex, described as the largest automotive production facility in the Middle East.
A pair of electric cars that look nothing like the usual EVs
The Exobot duo shares the same basic architecture but takes a very different approach to exterior design. Both cars have extraordinarily low noses that rise toward the rear, giving them the wedge-shaped proportions associated with some of the most dramatic cars of the 1970s. Gullwing doors, expansive glass, sharp bodywork, and full-width light bars push the design firmly into futuristic territory, while the 32 individual lighting elements reference 1932, the year Saudi Arabia was unified.
The design comes from Rob Melville, the former McLaren design director, and the result is deliberately unlike the increasingly familiar shapes of today’s electric cars. The sedan and SUV also use enormous Shahin Wing doors named after the Shahin falcon, with each door extending almost 10 feet and opening through a relatively compact arc. With no conventional B-pillars, the huge doors create an unusually open entrance to both rows of seats, although their height when fully open could make low garages and hotel entrances an important consideration.
Inside, the spectacle continues with a curved 48-inch Digital Horizon display stretching across the dashboard and offering 8K resolution. A separate 10.4-inch central screen, an eight-inch rear display, camera-based mirrors and a yoke-style steering control give the cabin a distinctly futuristic character. Yet Ceer has retained physical controls for functions such as temperature, volume and gear selection, while electrochromic lower-door windows can switch between transparent and opaque.
Underneath the dramatic bodywork is an 800-volt electrical architecture, a 112-kWh NCM battery and three electric motors delivering 850 horsepower and 738 lb-ft of torque. The sedan can accelerate from 0 to 62 mph in 2.6 seconds, while the SUV needs 2.9 seconds. Claimed NEDC range stands at 416 miles for the sedan and 348 miles for the SUV, while charging from 10 to 80 percent takes less than 30 minutes.
Built for Saudi Arabia, with even more power coming
The Exobot is also engineered around conditions that are far removed from those encountered by many luxury EVs. Ceer says its Halo Cooling system can bring a cabin from 149°F to around 90°F in 10 minutes, while solar-reflective glass, advanced filtration, separate climate zones and app-based preconditioning help manage the extreme heat. The SUV adds adjustable air suspension and up to 11.8 inches of ground clearance, giving the giant electric machine some ability to venture beyond smooth city roads.
There is considerably more performance waiting beyond the First Edition cars. Ceer has announced a future specification with 1,111 horsepower and 1,106 lb-ft of torque, with the sedan claimed to reach 62 mph in 2.1 seconds and the SUV in 2.4 seconds. The company has not yet revealed the pricing, production numbers, or launch timing for this higher-output version.
The Exobot is ultimately about more than speed and spectacle. Ceer was launched by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund in 2022 in partnership with Foxconn, with the ambition of creating a national automotive ecosystem capable of attracting investment, developing local talent and expanding domestic manufacturing. By 2034, Ceer projects an $8 billion contribution to Saudi Arabia’s GDP and more than $21 billion toward improving the country’s trade balance.
For a country attempting to establish itself as a serious automotive manufacturing center, the first statement could hardly be more dramatic. The Exobot sedan and SUV are unmistakably theatrical, but beneath the outrageous styling sits a carefully constructed industrial project designed to put Saudi Arabia on the automotive map.
