Ghazal 1, the 1st Ever Saudi-Built Car, Go for Production

In what is largely believed to be the cornerstone of a possible automotive industry in Saudi Arabia, the Ghazal 1, the first vehicle built locally, has been presented to King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz on Monday, when it also received the green light to enter production.

The SUV, created from the ground up by students at the country's King Saud University in Riyadh, is purpose built for the country's rough terrain and benefitted from the help and expertise of Motorola, Mercedes and Magna.

Ghazal 1 is 4.8 meters long and 1.9 meters wide and, as any other SUV, is a four wheel drive, but, unfortunately, not many details about the car's engine and performances are available.

"This is a turning point in the path of the kingdom towards becoming a car-manufacturing country similar to other industrialised nations of the world," Abdullah Al Othman, president of King Saud University told Gulf News.

Previewed at this year's Geneva Auto Show by the concept wearing the same name (the concept was only an empty shell, based on a Mercedes G-Klasse model), the Gazal 1 will turn production version in the near future and, despite the infrastructure challenges Saudi Arabia faces in segment of the industry (lack of plants and trained personnel), 20,000 units of the SUV are planned to hit the desert sands over the next three years.

"Contacts are ongoing with Saudi investors for the mass production of the Ghazal 1," Said Darwish, industrial engineering professor at KSU was quoted as saying by Arab News.

According to initial estimates, in between $400 and $500 million are required to get things going.