The Saudi Gazal-1 SUV Gets Approval for production From King Abdullah
Until recently, Saudi Arabia has only been a consumer of cars, rather than a producer. The oil-rich country's first car, the Gazal-1, has been given the green light for production by King Abdullah himself.
The Gazal-1 first appeared as a concept at the Geneva Motor Show in March and will soon become Saudi Arabia's first home-built car. The concept was designed by students in King Saud University's automotive engineering program and built around a Mercedes-Benz G-Class. The students worked with Magna Steyr and StudioTorino.
Since making its concept debut in March, the car has been green lighted for production by King Abdullah. However, there are a few things that still stand in the way, such as financing. According to estimates, the project needs a $500 million investment in order to get going.
"Contacts are ongoing with Saudi investors for the mass production of the Gazal-1," Abderrahman al-Ahmari, a project official, told the Association for Financial Professionals.
If the team finds the necessary investment, it hopes to have the car in production within two to three years. Production of the Gazal-1 is planned to be around 20,000 units per year.
Details about the car are rather scarce, but we know that it's based on Mercedes' G-Wagen and designed for the climate of Saudi Arabia and its Gulf neighbors. Detail about the powertrain are wholly unknown, but it's likely an engine from the Mercedes lineup made it under the hood, possibly even the 5.4-liter supercharged V-8 from the G55 AMG. We'll know more about the car as its production date comes closer.
Source: TruckTrend!