Even though the peak of the EV gold rush may have come and gone, that hasn’t stopped new entrants from showing up on the scene. Slate is legit, Chinese manufacturers are still spinning off new brands, and now Saudi Arabia is joining the party with something that’s exceptionally out-there. It’s called Ceer Motors, and the brand’s first two EVs look nothing short of insane.
So what’s the backstory on Ceer Motors? Well, it’s partially founded by the Saudi Public Investment Fund, the same fund that owns a majority stake in Lucid Motors. However, Ceer doesn’t seem to be pulling from Lucid’s box of toys. Instead, it’s a partnership with Foxconn that has a technology licensing agreement with BMW and a supply agreement with Hyundai Transys, with assembly carried out locally. At face value, it’s a bit odd for the PIF not to leverage the Lucid ownership for this venture, but not nearly as odd as the cars themselves turned out to be.
There’s an SUV and a sedan, although “sedan” might be stretching things a bit. They’re both called Exobot, sort-of like how GM called a sedan and a minivan Lumina and Lumina APV, but the name merely raises an eyebrow. The real strangeness here is that each body style features two doors that don’t exactly operate conventionally.
That’s because instead of two separate doors on each side, each Exobot model features one giant door on each side that lifts up gullwing-style. This means there aren’t any B-pillars, which could be great for entry and egress provided the overhanging open doors don’t compromise that in another way. As a mechanism, it’s deeply impractical but rather impressive, yet it merely adds to the outlandish looks of these models instead of dominating the conversation.
The overall design seems to have drawn inspiration from super-flat wedge-shaped concepts of the past, with dramatically raked windscreens that reach beyond the centerlines of the models’ front axles. Combine that with blocky noses, expansive glass on the doors, and sharply cut fenders, and the Ceer Exobot models will certainly be an acquired visual taste. The overall forms are a bit primitive, but there’s definitely a wow factor to certain individual elements.
The interiors are equally outlandish, starting with the sure-to-be-contentious steer-by-wire yoke. A litany of controls, including headlight and wiper operation, sit on the yoke, but there’s still an indicator stalk on the column. Beyond that, the view out looks properly weird. Thanks to the super-flat windscreens, an enormous pillar-to-pillar display seems to take up an enormous amount of vertical height, and it’s augmented by a portrait-style screen closer to the seats. Curiously, Ceer does seem to be doing a better job of implementing actual buttons than some mainstream automakers, although there are still many questions left unanswered here. What does the advanced driver assistance stack actually look like? Does the funky door arrangement actually allow for decent speaker placement? Will the silver-coated glass work as promised to reject heat in the desert?
On the launch models, a 112 kWh battery pack sends juice to three electric motors for a combined output of 850 horsepower. An 800-volt architecture should take advantage of 350 kW DC fast charging stations, and Ceer promises 416 miles of range from the sedan and 348 miles of range on the SUV on the NEDC cycle. Figure zero-to-62 mph in 2.6 seconds for the sedan and 2.9 seconds for the SUV. In a sane world, those numbers would be good enough, but Ceer’s also promising future 1,111-horsepower variants that drop the zero-to-62 mph sprint times down to 2.1 seconds for the sedan and 2.4 seconds for the SUV.
Mind you, there’s reason to be skeptical about all of this, as Foxconn hasn’t had the straightest track record as an automotive partner. How much of Ceer is marketing spectacle versus a viable automaker? Will consumers actually bite on the Saudi Arabian automaker’s wild styling? I guess we’ll just have to see how this plays out.
Top graphic image: Ceer
After reading the comments, I’m now deleting my redundant tongue in cheek comment about The Line. “Great Minds Think Alike” and all that…
Saudi Arabian cars always look like a prince insisted on being allowed to “observe” the design process, but then had a “suggestion” for every single component, and a guard standing behind him staring murderously at the designers, silently but firmly urging them to agree. That said, the sedan looks cool, if not handsome. I’d pay $1.99 to get a Hot Wheels model of it, but wouldn’t spring for the $5.59 metal-bottomed, rubber-tired version. The yoke and screens are as unsurprising as they are unwelcome, which doesn’t really matter, as nobody will ever sit in either of these vehicles.
I, uh, think…I like it?
At least they’re doing something, not that I would ever buy anything like this. The side window treatment on the “sedan” reminds me of the Stratos Zero, but clearly there are also Pininfarina Modulo, Carabo, and Boomerang influences.
Bonkers…but not good.
Part of me says this is yuck, however the after work drinks part of me that is writing this says, Yeah, Go Saudi, this looks like it was in Mass Effect and would be super exciting to see if I ever convert to Islam and go on Haj or whatever, like I imagine seeing a Gurgel in Brasil would be. On a wider note, let there be more evolutionary Islands of cars so we have more cool domestic market weirdness out there instead of stupid homogenous world cars.
It’s like a Tesla made out of Lego.
I…uh…hmmm…
So ugly.
Needs moar pop up headlights
Also separate front and back gull wing doors so it looks like a dragonfly when open.
I love it, but I’m an 80’s kid and it’s a wedge car. It’s almost like I don’t have a choice in the matter. I don’t want to own one (probably not a problem, I don’t expect production to happen).
From my amateur estimations, you would be entirely unable to see anything closer than 20 feet in front of the bumper in the SUV.
Design brief “give me a family oriented Dome Zero here is some money”
“Even though the peak of the EV gold rush may have come and gone”
The peak of the EV gold rush hasn’t even started.
As for this thing… unoriginal cyberpunk drivel.
The EV gold rush is well over, now it’ll just become an increasingly demanding, stable market.
The gold rush was when 1-2 companies could dominate the EV market by simply being there first, it wasn’t a result of high demand, but of lack of competition. Everyone was rushing to be first. Now almost every company has some investment in the tech, there’s no longer a gap in the market where a startup can appear and declare “look, I’ve just invented the unthinkable Tesla Two, which is totally not just like a Tesla, because it’s actually better in every way (but it doesn’t exist yet, please invest)”, and thus the gold rush is concluded.
That’s not to say that EV’s are drying up, just that they’re now a competitive market. It’s very similar to the .com boom, the internet has only gotten bigger and farther-reaching, but making money there is no longer as simple as “I’ve invented a website where you can watch videos”. Just like there’s still gold underground in California, but it’s not casually floating down their rivers anymore.