Ceer, a company that aims to manufacture vehicles in Saudi Arabia, has appointed James DeLuca as the company’s CEO.

Ceer is a joint venture between the Public Investment Fund (PIF) and Foxconn. Each vehicle designed and manufactured by Ceer in Saudi Arabia will be tested to the highest global automotive quality control and safety standards. Ceer vehicles are scheduled to be available in 2025, said a statement.

DeLuca has over four decades of experience in the automotive sector, including senior leadership roles at both General Motors and VinFast.

DeLuca will oversee the development, manufacturing, and sales of Ceer’s portfolio of consumer vehicles with the aim of producing iconically-styled electric cars with advanced technologies and features.

DeLuca led Vietnam-based car manufacturer VinFast as its first CEO, creating South East Asia’s first electric vehicle brand. Prior to VinFast, DeLuca led General Motors’ manufacturing function across the globe, overseeing the company’s production processes while managing over 200,000 employees at 171 plants in 31 countries.

“Saudi Arabia recognises the importance of the automotive sector when it comes to economic growth and job creation, and I am looking forward to shaping Ceer into a car brand that is admired by both Saudi consumers as well as the wider industry,” said DeLuca.

“Ceer will help ignite Saudi Arabia’s automotive sector and create synergies of scale that the automotive industry will benefit from as more automotive manufacturing moves to the Middle East to make electric vehicles mainstream in the country and the wider region.”

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. Today, Ceer has more than 400 employees who have already started designing and engineering Ceer’s vehicles.

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