Riyadh: Saudi Arabia’s first electric vehicle brand Ceer has signed a deal with Germany’s multinational firm Siemens to boost the EV market in the region.
Riyadh-based Ceer is collaborating with Siemens Digital Industries Software to accelerate Ceer’s digital transformation and empower its engineers to design and build truly next-generation vehicles using the Siemens Xcelerator portfolio of industry software for the design, development, validation, and manufacturing of Ceer’s electric vehicles.
CEO of Ceer James DeLuca said the Saudi EV company is happy to collaborate with Siemens Digital Industries Software and deploy its portfolio of solutions at Ceer.
“Given the transformational changes in the automotive industry, having the right partner and the right software solution are fundamental to our mission to design, build, and sell aspirational vehicles for our customers,” said DeLuca.
“We are delighted that Ceer has chosen the Siemens Xcelerator portfolio of industry software to help build the first electric vehicle brand in the Kingdom and to kick start the automotive manufacturing industry in the region,” said Edwin Severijn, Senior Vice President and General
Manager EMEA, Siemens Digital Industries Software.
Ceer is the first Saudi automotive brand to produce electric vehicles in Saudi Arabia and will offer a range of vehicles to consumers in Saudi Arabia and the MENA region, including sedans and sports utility vehicles.
The company, which is a joint venture between PIF and Hon Hai Precision Industry Co. (“Foxconn”), will license component technology from BMW for use in the vehicle development process. Foxconn will develop the electrical architecture of the vehicles, resulting in a portfolio of products that will lead in the areas of infotainment, connectivity, and autonomous driving technologies.
Each vehicle will be designed and manufactured in Saudi Arabia and tested to the highest global automotive quality control and safety standards.
Saudi Arabia has laid out a number of targets for its own automotive sector, with a focus on creating a sustainable industrial base that will contribute to the country’s GDP growth, promote the transfer of knowledge to the Kingdom, and spur job creation. Until recently, Ceer had more than 400 employees who have already started designing and engineering Ceer’s vehicles.