Posted on 04/11/2025 5:51:05 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Tesla officially launched in Saudi Arabia on Thursday, marking a new chapter in the company’s global expansion after Elon Musk ’s troubled relationship with the kingdom — but the Middle East country’s extreme heat could pose a challenge for its electric vehicle performance and battery efficiency.
Musk and Saudi Arabia have had a complicated history. Back in 2018, the Tesla CEO claimed he had secured funding from the kingdom’s sovereign wealth fund to take the company private. That deal never happened, leading to lingering tensions.
With the launch of its first showroom and service center in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, Tesla makes its long-anticipated entry into the Saudi market. The facility will offer models, including Model 3, Model Y and the Cybertruck, and pop-up stores are also opening in Riyadh, Jeddah, and Dammam.
The Riyadh event drew a large and diverse crowd — from content creators and car enthusiasts to visitors excited about Tesla's launch.
“It’s a beautiful step we’ve been waiting for — to finally see Tesla open in Saudi Arabia,” said Bader Khalid, a local businessman. “The country is clearly moving toward electric vehicles.”
"Tesla is one of the most important EV companies in the world, so it’s a big deal to have them present in our market,” he added.
However, the kingdom still faces significant challenges in infrastructure, with a limited number of public EV charging stations available. The government has announced plans to expand charging networks as part of its sustainability goals.
Musk has a large fan base in the kingdom, praised by many for his creativity and innovation, and seen as a visionary of the future.
“He’s always looking ahead," said Mohammed Osama, a teenager who describes himself as enthusiastic about everything Tesla.
(Excerpt) Read more at msn.com ...
All of that might have made a bigger splash if Saudi Arabia hadn’t already gone all-in on another EV brand. The country’s sovereign wealth fund, the Public Investment Fund (PIF), owns about 60% of Lucid Motors and has been bankrolling the company since 2019.
In 2023, Lucid opened its first car manufacturing facility in the Kingdom. Then in August 2024, the PIF threw in another $1.5 billion just to keep Lucid’s expansion humming. So, while Tesla is rolling out its first retail footprint, Lucid is already rolling cars off Saudi assembly lines.
Steal one and they will ask ‘with which hand did you steal it with’.
Owner: I’ll help. Here’s the digital camera footage.
My son worked for Bechtel Engineering in Saudi many years ago. Enjoyed his three years there, made many $$$$, said most Saudis were very friendly. When flying out for vacations, the veiled Saudi women took their veils off the minute the plane flew out of Saudi. “Beautiful”.
Saudi Arabia has two notable EV-only manufacturers: Ceer Motors and Lucid Motors. Ceer Motors, launched in 2022, is Saudi Arabia’s first homegrown electric vehicle brand, focusing on the GCC region with plans to distribute in Middle Eastern markets by 2025.
Lucid Motors, while not solely Saudi-owned, has significant backing from the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) and is setting up its first overseas factory in Saudi Arabia, targeting completion by 2025 or 2026.
https://search.brave.com/search?q=ev-only+manufacturers+saudi+arabia&summary=1
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