KING ABDULLAH ECONOMIC CITY, Saudi Arabia—Saudi Arabia has never had a domestic automaker. That changes with Ceer, the Kingdom’s first home-grown car brand, a joint venture between the Public Investment Fund and Foxconn. It’s a significant part of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 plan to diversify its economy away from oil production and bring technological innovation locally by the end of the decade.

Ceer, meaning ‘to drive forward’ in Arabic, aims to have seven new cars in its portfolio by 2030, some of which will be hybrids, and has launched two EVs as demonstrations of its capabilities. While it currently plans to sell only within the GCC region, the company is building a competitive, world-class product and suggests that if the demand is there, expansion is possible.

A flagship shouldn’t be boring, and Ceer met that brief. Both the SUV and the sedan have falcon doors, called a Shahin Wing here, to get in and out of the vehicle. The doors add to the drama befitting a startup automaker and will certainly draw attention out on Saudi roads. The doors don’t open wider than a standard car door, so it shouldn’t be much of a challenge in a tight parking lot, as long as the roof isn’t too low.

The SUV had something familiar about it, and Ars auto editor Jonathan Gitlin said it reminded him of the Isuzu VehiCross. Perhaps this is a modern-day interpretation of that vehicle? After seeing the SUV in person, it can be said that the reference is hard to forget.