Ghazal 1, Patented and Ready to Roll in 3 Years

The announcement of the green light received by the first vehicle built locally in Saudi Arabia to enter production has caused somewhat of an Internet frenzy this week even if, when it was presented at this year's Geneva Auto Show as an empty shell the SUV remained largely unnoticed.

We come back on the story today, as further information on the project of the students at the country's King Saud University (KSU) in Riyadh has surfaced. Ali Al-Ghamdi, the Undersecretary for Higher Studies and Scientific Research at the aforementioned university, stepped into the spotlight to announce the progress made towards turning the Ghazal into reality.

According to the Undersecretary, KSU has obtained the patent for the car and is currently looking for investors to actually build it.

“We have obtained the patent for the car, but the university is an educational environment for the transfer knowledge and not a production line,” Al-Ghamdi was quoted as saying by Saudi Gazette. “All we have done at the university is provide 90 percent of the car’s designs.”

The creators of the vehicle expect to see it on the road within the next three years, with hopes that the competitive edge will be given by the price of the SUV, believed to be 20 percent lower than other similar models. That, and the fact that the SUV has been purpose-designed to "cope with the climate in the Gulf."

To turn production version, the SUV needs at least $400 to $500 million, money which will likely come from one or more of the Saudi businessmen Riyadh Valley for Technology is talking to at this moment (Riyadh Valley for Technology represents KSU's interests with investors).

Based on a Mercedes G-Klasse model, the SUV is 4.8 meters long and 1.9 meters wide. It is unclear at this point what engine will be fitted under the hood of the Ghazal.