RIYADH: The UK’s Briggs Automotive Company signed a distribution deal with Saudi Arabia’s Veloce Life enabling its supercars to be sold in the Kingdom.
“Saudi Arabia is really the heartbeat of the GCC,” Neil Briggs, co-founder and product development director of BAC, told Arab News.
“The Kingdom is going through such a transformation right now and the fact that it is so closely affiliated with motorsport and the motor industry, of course, with Lucid being here, we can complement both of those in terms of road vehicle production and also the motorsport side,” he said.
BAC Saudi Arabia officially launched following an agreement signed between Briggs Automotive Company and Veloce Life.
Veloce Life, which is centered around the Kingdom’s automotive scene, aims to connect car collectors, enthusiasts, and drivers with new luxury vehicles.
The new deal will also allow for a stronger presence of the BAC Mono supercar in key industry events throughout the region.
“We try to look for the most unique automotive companies around the world that would give something that is not available in Saudi. Obviously, the automotive sector as a whole is not new, but the Lucid, CEER and PIF projects are much bigger and more advanced and we wanted to look for something that brings an added value that they can also benefit from,” Faisal Binladin, founder of Veloce Life, said.
According to BAC, expansion into Saudi Arabia marks an entry into a strategically pivotal market for the automotive company.
BAC’s founding brothers, Neill and Ian Briggs, founded the company in 2009 in Liverpool and then went on to first launch the BAC Mono in 2011.
Another addition to their series, the single-seater supercar Mono R made its debut in the Kingdom at the March 2023 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in Jeddah, drawing wider attention and interest from car enthusiasts.
In 2018, Faisal Binladin founded Veloce Life with the aim of becoming the fastest-growing hub for passionate car lovers.
Binladin’s passion for motorsport led him to spark cooperation with BAC. Earlier in his career, he started as a founder, CEO and racer for the Saudi Falcons, competing in 264 races.
The cooperation was two years in the making, with a slow-down caused by COVID-19 and factors including financial feasibility, services and beneficiaries, the Veloce Life founder said.
Foundations of relationships were laid in Saudi Arabia in the 2021 Riyadh Car Show, Neil Briggs said.
“Faisal was a fan and follower of the brand for many years and contacted us about an interest in distribution in the Kingdom,” the product development director added.
“We were very keen to try and repeat the Liverpool model of ‘now we’ve developed the relationship with the local council and everything around skills, schools, supply chains, and advanced manufacturing.’ Faisal shared that vision and it was very much aligned with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030.”
The Veloce Life founder highlighted the role the Saudi Ministry of Investment played in the cooperation: “They have been extremely supportive … they want to maximize our chances of success … they are a key and integral part of our success.”
When asked what differentiates BAC from other established players in the Saudi market, Ian Briggs, design director and co-founder, said: “Our product differentiates us, everybody else makes a method of transport … our car is about driving as a leisure activity, in the same way you go horse riding, in the same way you go canoeing.
“We don’t compete head to head with the other big car companies. We make small volumes of a very unique product that’s very much focused in what we consider an opening market of driving as a leisure,” he added.
The co-founders said that BAC is not focused on vehicles as a day-to-day tool but rather as high-performing enablers of the leisure experience of driving.
They highlighted the innovations that set their vehicles apart from one the existing offerings in the Saudi market.
“Because we have this obsession, some might say, with weight, and optimizing the weight that has led us down an innovation path which meant that BAC has got many firsts,” Neil Briggs said.
“We are the first company in the world to use graphene in carbon fiber body panels on a vehicle, which is a material discovered in 2004 at Manchester University.
“In 2014 we started an innovation in R&D journey to experiment and put graphene into a composite.
“Basically, when it’s added into the composite it enhances the structural properties, which means you can use fewer layers in some cases for the same performance, stiffness and durability.”
He said that the use of graphene reduces the weight of BAC cars by 22 percent.
“A lot of these things that we develop show new supply chain capabilities and it also means that we are happy to disseminate and share that knowledge and IP with anyone who likes to license that from us,” he added.
The co-founder explained that the weight innovation is pertinent to the electric vehicle sector, because anything that can be done to help extend EV range will in turn help to reduce emissions, thereby putting less strain on infrastructure.
“Part of what we are looking to do here in Saudi Arabia is what we refer to as the Liverpool model. So, we have been in Liverpool for 10 years and ever since we have been in Liverpool, we have basically been focused on five key areas: skills, education, supply chain, innovation and marketing,” he said.
“We are looking to do the same here in the Kingdom over a similar period of time and try and help to educate the next entrepreneurs, designers, engineers and marketers looking to try and inspire people with our stories,” he added.
Binladin outlined some of the goals of the partnership over the next few years, including paving the way for future generations of Saudis to work in the motor industry.
“Fifteen to 20 Saudis would work in the racing, automotive sector. This is straight off from day one, but also another 15-20 people in the marketing, design, and evolution of technology and 3D printing,” he said.
As the projects expand so will the job opportunities in the Kingdom, he added, saying that in the next five years, the team will easily number more than 200 people.
Binladin has always had a passion for cars and the automotive industry. He said that through the partnership, he wants R&D facilities to develop new materials, and IP technologies, like graphene, in Saudi Arabia.
“We want to utilize the latest technology in 3D printing, generative design, discover how can we utilize these parts in creating a car but also in other aspects to help Lucid and CEER to make their cars lighter and more efficient with the technologies we have,” he said.
The Veloce Life founder added that the new technologies developed by the cooperation go beyond motorsport, with the energy sector also expected to see benefits.
BAC exports 80 percent of the cars it produces to 46 countries. BAC Saudi Arabia will operate out of regional hubs in Riyadh and Jeddah, through the partnership with Veloce Life.
“We are very proud to be here and continue the well-established Anglo-Saudi relationship that has existed for many years,” Briggs said.
BAC vehicles are available for prospective buyers in Saudi Arabia with the first deliveries expected later this year.
