Tesla announced plans to launch in Saudi Arabia next month, marking its entry into the Gulf region’s largest market. The event is scheduled for April 10 in Riyadh, according to a post on the company’s website.
The launch event will showcase Tesla’s electric vehicles and solar-powered products. Attendees will have the opportunity to “experience the future of autonomous driving with Cybercab, and meet Optimus, our humanoid robot, as we showcase what’s next in AI and robotics,” the company stated.
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This expansion comes as Tesla faces declining sales in Europe. The European Automobile Manufacturers Association reported a 42.6% decrease in Tesla’s European sales this year, despite overall growth in electric vehicle registrations on the continent.
In the United States, the company has encountered protests following CEO Elon Musk’s advisory role to President Donald Trump and his leadership of the Department of Government Efficiency, which has implemented significant federal cuts.
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Previously, The Wall Street Journal reported in 2023 that Saudi Arabia was in early talks with Tesla to establish a manufacturing facility in the kingdom, though Musk denied these claims.
Saudi Arabia has been working to diversify its economy away from oil dependence. Its sovereign wealth fund is the majority investor in Lucid Group, an electric vehicle startup aiming to compete with Tesla.