Tesla announced on Friday that it is launching its Cybertruck in the United Arab Emirates later this year, amid its launch in Saudi Arabia. The company is not new to the Middle East, having previously opened retail outlets and installed charging stations in markets such as Israel, Jordan, Qatar, and the UAE.
In an email sent to Cybertruck reservation holders in the country this Thursday, Tesla teased: “By the end of 2025, you’ll be among the first to drive it outside North America”.
The U.S. carmaker officially launched in Saudi Arabia this week, with its Model 3 sedan at a starting price of SAR 173,490 ($46,200) and the updated Model Y with prices from SAR 203,490 ($54,200). Tesla has been in Dubai since 2017, where it currently sells its four models (plus the new Model Y).
Tesla showcased its Cybertruck and the redesigned Model Y in the launch event in Riyadh. Pop-up stores opened on Friday in the capital, in Jeddah and in Dammam.
“Cybertruck Is Coming. You’re closer to experiencing a truck built for any planet,” the company said in the email. “With its ultra-hard exoskeleton and raw power, your Cybertruck handles every terrain—on road, off road or across the desert.”
“By the end of 2025, you’ll be among the first to drive it outside North America. More details on delivery and when you can configure your truck to follow,” Tesla added.
The Elon Musk-led brand entered Saudi Arabia as the U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to visit the Middle East later this month, with dates yet to be confirmed.
EV Adoption in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia aims for 30% EV adoption in the next five years. In the oil capital, electric vehicles represented 1% of the automobile market share last year.
However, “more than 40% of consumers in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia are considering purchasing an EV in the next three years”, according to a PwC Middle East consumer survey. The Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Company intends to build 5,000 fast chargers across the kingdom by 2030.
The country closed 2024 with 101 EV charging stations, while the UAE had 261, according to Statista. The 900-kilometer (559-mile) highway between Riyadh, the capital, and Mecca, a key religious city, had no charging stations.
The Middle Eastern country already sells China’s brands BYD and Zeekr, as well as the North American Lucid, which is majorly controlled by its Public Investment Fund (PIF).
The PIF invested in Tesla‘s rival Lucid Motors as “part of the Fund’s mandate is to support innovation and unlock key strategic sectors”. Lucid opened Saudi Arabia’s first-ever car manufacturing facility near Jeddah in 2023.
The kingdom is also developing a Saudi-made EV brand, Ceer Motors, a joint venture between the PIF and Foxcoon, a Taiwanese manufacturer, expected to launch in the Middle East by year end.
Cybertruck
Tesla opened orders for the Cybertruck in August last year, with deliveries beginning in November 2023 in the U.S., four years after the vehicle’s unveiling in Los Angeles.
In mid-March, however, Tesla recalled nearly all the Cybertruck units it delivered in the U.S. due to a problem on the exterior panel. The recall affected over 46,000 vehicles built from November 2023 through February 27, as revealed by Tesla in a filing with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Although it was the eighth recall for the SUV since January 2024, data from Cox Automotive showed that the model ranked as the fifth best-selling electric vehicle in the United States last year.
On Thursday, the brand announced a new variant of the Cybertruck in the U.S., priced from $69,990. The new Cybertruck long-range variant is the cheapest among the three models it currently has in the U.S., Tesla’s website shows.
