Ceer: Saudi Arabia launches car firm with wild electric SUV
Notably, while Ceer will launch with pure EVs, DeLuca said the firm will be “flexible and resilient, and we’re going to be one of those companies that produces what the market wants”.
He added that that Ceer’s platform is capable of accepting multiple powertrains, hinting that plug-in hybrid or range-extender technology could be offered in markets with “minimal design changes” to the vehicles.
No concerns over PIF commitment
The Saudi government and the PIF have invested heavily in the Vision 2030 programme, but in recent years it has cut back spending and investment in some high-profile areas.
The planned Neom megacity in the north-west of the country has been scaled back, while the PIF pulled its funding from the upstart LIV Golf tour.
DeLuca insisted the PIF is committed to Ceer, saying: “I can speak with confidence that we have the full support of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and we’ve got a fully funded business plan that goes through 2040.
“We’re close to showing those products to the world and revealing our manufacturing complex in King Abdullah Economic City, a fully integrated assembly plant that is state of the art across the board.
“We’re about to be the most visible manifestation of Vision 2030, and the Kingdom is looking forward to that story.”
The Saudi government has also received widespread criticism for its restrictions on free speech, its lack of women’s rights and human rights abuses, leading to many of the Vision 2030 investments in hosting sporting events being described as ‘sportswashing’.
Asked if he had any concerns about that, DeLuca responded: “We feel confident that when we tell our story we will show the progress that’s being made. At Ceer, we say we’re not just starting a car company, we’re igniting an industry.
“In addition to our plant, we’ve got Lucid on one side, Hyundai on the other side. We worked really hard to build a supplier park, because you can’t ignite an industry without a localised supply base. We’ve attracted five global tier-one suppliers. So when we talk about igniting an industry, this is real. We are calculating creating 30,000 direct and indirect jobs.
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