Made in the Gulf: How ROX and Ceer Are Building a Regional Car Industry
Abu Dhabi's ROX and Saudi Arabia's Ceer have very different strategies, but together they target hundreds of thousands of vehicles a year.
For decades, the Gulf has been one of the world’s most lucrative car markets without building cars of its own. That is beginning to change in 2026, with two very different manufacturing projects moving from announcement to production.
ROX: production starts in Abu Dhabi
ROX, which set up its global headquarters in Abu Dhabi in 2025, began production on 3 September 2026 at a 10,000 sq m plant in KEZAD and officially opened the facility on 6 September. The first three ADAMAS SUVs to roll off the line carry a “Made in the Emirates” mark.
- More than 80 component types are sub-assembled on site before final assembly, calibration and testing
- An AI lab and design studio share the site
- 17 ADAMAS components use polyolefin materials from UAE-based Borouge
- Targets: 20,000 vehicles a year by 2027 and 300,000 a year by 2030
- An ADAMAS Abu Dhabi Edition, described as the brand’s first UAE-designed model, is planned for March 2027
Ceer: Saudi Arabia’s national EV brand
Ceer, launched in 2022 as a joint venture between the Public Investment Fund and Foxconn, revealed its first two models in September and plans to start production at King Abdullah Economic City. Its workforce has grown to around 2,300 people, with Saudis holding about 80% of direct roles, and it aims for 45% local content by 2034.
Big numbers, long road
Taken together, the companies’ stated targets add up to around 470,000 vehicles a year, although those goals sit on different timelines and are company or government projections rather than audited figures. The real test will be export markets: the region’s domestic demand alone cannot absorb that kind of output, so both brands will need to compete abroad on price, quality and service.
