Company Insights Ceer Motors Transport Ceer Motors Overview Saudi Arabia’s first electric car manufacturing company Ceer Motors was formed through a partnership between the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) and Foxconn, the Taiwanese contract manufacturer. Ceer will design, manufacture and sell a range of vehicles including sedans and sports utility vehicles using licensed technology from BMW. It is also working with Rimac Technology. In June 2024, a contract worth $2.2 billion was signed between Ceer and Hyundai Transys, through which the Korean company will supply Ceer vehicles with the integrated electric vehicle drive system. Ceer Motors has also signed an agreement with the Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Company. Modern Building Leaders is contracted to build a manufacturing complex in King Abdullah Economic City and the first Ceer EVs are scheduled to be available in 2025. It is predicted that Ceer Motors will attract more than $150 million of foreign investment to Saudia Arabia and 30,000 job opportunities. The company is expected to contribute $8 billion to Saudi Arabia’s GDP by 2034. Ceer Motors News Transport Lucid’s Jeddah factory targets new Middle East territories Lucid, the Saudi-owned electric vehicle manufacturer based in the US, is moving to full production at its Jeddah factory, with a target capacity of 150,000 cars a year within three years, its robotics provider, Rockwell Automation, said this week. “Currently it’s for domestic use but when the expanded plant is done, they will cover all […] November 7, 2024 Industry Saudi Arabia open to joint mining ventures with China Saudi Arabia is open to joint investments with Chinese mining companies, mineral resources minister Bandar Alkhorayef has said. The kingdom is seeking collaborations in processing and producing lithium used in electric vehicle (EV) batteries, as well as processing and refining copper, the state-run Saudi Press Agency reported. During a meeting with senior executives of General […] September 8, 2024 Transport Driverless cars for Saudi officials by next year Saudi Arabia has launched a project for driverless cars which could result in government agencies using them as early as next year. The government is installing smart communication devices along roadways that interact with autonomous vehicles, the official Saudi Press Agency said, announcing a new Saudi Road Code. “These devices provide real-time road condition data, […] August 16, 2024 Transport Saudi-backed Lucid EV makes more cars but lags target Saudi-backed US electric vehicle maker Lucid has increased Q2 production by 22 percent but still looks likely to miss its annual targets. Some 2,110 vehicles were produced, compared to 1,728 in the previous quarter. However, the company’s annual target is 9,000 units. The company also received a setback when the US National Highway Traffic Safety […] July 9, 2024 Mining Saudi Arabia targets Chile for lithium investments Saudi Arabia’s mining minister Bandar Alkhorayef will visit Chile next month to negotiate a deal to secure lithium to support the kingdom’s ambition to expand its electric vehicle (EV) sector, a news report said. Alkhorayef will meet with his counterpart in Santiago, Reuters reported, quoting a Chilean government statement. The report said the two officials will discuss […] June 18, 2024 Tech Ceer signs $2.2bn deal with Hyundai to power its EVs Ceer, Saudi Arabia’s first electric vehicle brand, will use technology from South Korea’s Hyundai to power its cars, as the kingdom continues to ramp up its presence in the EV market. The Saudi EV maker has signed a SAR8.2 billion ($2.2 billion) contract with Hyundai Transys to supply EV drive systems (EDS). The integrated EDS […] June 12, 2024 Transport Saudi deal with Lucid powers up EV charging network US electric vehicle manufacturer Lucid has partnered with a Saudi government entity to create a much-needed network of charging hubs around the Gulf state. There were less than 1,000 electric cars on the roads in Saudi Arabia in 2023. Saudi-backed Lucid signed an agreement on May 29 with the Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Company (EVIQ), which […] May 30, 2024 Analysis Trade Diplomacy and trade to fore as China woos GCC leaders It’s quite a coup. Hu Jintao (still with us) must be feeling vindicated. The heads of four Arab states are in Beijing to attend the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum, which Hu founded in 2004 to bring together China and the Arab League. Xi Jinping, Hu’s successor as leader of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), will […] May 28, 2024 Manufacturing EV imports rise in Saudi Arabia, but only to 779 cars Saudi imports of electric vehicles rose sharply in 2023 – but to a total of just 779 EVs, despite government hopes that it can become a green economy leader through the manufacture and use of electric cars. The kingdom imported only 210 EVs in 2022, showing the mountain it has to climb to realise ambitions […] April 16, 2024 Analysis Renewable Energy Lithium’s highs and lows – and what they mean for the Gulf For one of the world’s most critical minerals, the past two years have been the best of times and the worst of times. First, lithium prices shot skywards, hitting around $80,000 per metric tonne in 2022 amid fears that global supply would not meet demand. Then, in just a year, the soft, silvery-white metal lost […] April 12, 2024 Posts navigation 1 2 … 4 Next
Transport Lucid’s Jeddah factory targets new Middle East territories Lucid, the Saudi-owned electric vehicle manufacturer based in the US, is moving to full production at its Jeddah factory, with a target capacity of 150,000 cars a year within three years, its robotics provider, Rockwell Automation, said this week. “Currently it’s for domestic use but when the expanded plant is done, they will cover all […] November 7, 2024
Industry Saudi Arabia open to joint mining ventures with China Saudi Arabia is open to joint investments with Chinese mining companies, mineral resources minister Bandar Alkhorayef has said. The kingdom is seeking collaborations in processing and producing lithium used in electric vehicle (EV) batteries, as well as processing and refining copper, the state-run Saudi Press Agency reported. During a meeting with senior executives of General […] September 8, 2024
Transport Driverless cars for Saudi officials by next year Saudi Arabia has launched a project for driverless cars which could result in government agencies using them as early as next year. The government is installing smart communication devices along roadways that interact with autonomous vehicles, the official Saudi Press Agency said, announcing a new Saudi Road Code. “These devices provide real-time road condition data, […] August 16, 2024
Transport Saudi-backed Lucid EV makes more cars but lags target Saudi-backed US electric vehicle maker Lucid has increased Q2 production by 22 percent but still looks likely to miss its annual targets. Some 2,110 vehicles were produced, compared to 1,728 in the previous quarter. However, the company’s annual target is 9,000 units. The company also received a setback when the US National Highway Traffic Safety […] July 9, 2024
Mining Saudi Arabia targets Chile for lithium investments Saudi Arabia’s mining minister Bandar Alkhorayef will visit Chile next month to negotiate a deal to secure lithium to support the kingdom’s ambition to expand its electric vehicle (EV) sector, a news report said. Alkhorayef will meet with his counterpart in Santiago, Reuters reported, quoting a Chilean government statement. The report said the two officials will discuss […] June 18, 2024
Tech Ceer signs $2.2bn deal with Hyundai to power its EVs Ceer, Saudi Arabia’s first electric vehicle brand, will use technology from South Korea’s Hyundai to power its cars, as the kingdom continues to ramp up its presence in the EV market. The Saudi EV maker has signed a SAR8.2 billion ($2.2 billion) contract with Hyundai Transys to supply EV drive systems (EDS). The integrated EDS […] June 12, 2024
Transport Saudi deal with Lucid powers up EV charging network US electric vehicle manufacturer Lucid has partnered with a Saudi government entity to create a much-needed network of charging hubs around the Gulf state. There were less than 1,000 electric cars on the roads in Saudi Arabia in 2023. Saudi-backed Lucid signed an agreement on May 29 with the Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Company (EVIQ), which […] May 30, 2024
Analysis Trade Diplomacy and trade to fore as China woos GCC leaders It’s quite a coup. Hu Jintao (still with us) must be feeling vindicated. The heads of four Arab states are in Beijing to attend the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum, which Hu founded in 2004 to bring together China and the Arab League. Xi Jinping, Hu’s successor as leader of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), will […] May 28, 2024
Manufacturing EV imports rise in Saudi Arabia, but only to 779 cars Saudi imports of electric vehicles rose sharply in 2023 – but to a total of just 779 EVs, despite government hopes that it can become a green economy leader through the manufacture and use of electric cars. The kingdom imported only 210 EVs in 2022, showing the mountain it has to climb to realise ambitions […] April 16, 2024
Analysis Renewable Energy Lithium’s highs and lows – and what they mean for the Gulf For one of the world’s most critical minerals, the past two years have been the best of times and the worst of times. First, lithium prices shot skywards, hitting around $80,000 per metric tonne in 2022 amid fears that global supply would not meet demand. Then, in just a year, the soft, silvery-white metal lost […] April 12, 2024
