KSU Gazal-1
The KSU Gazal-1, meaning “gazelle” in Arabic, is a mid-size SUV developed by King Saud University students with technicians from Magna Steyr. Production began on June 14, 2010 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, during King Abdullah’s reign. Project managers were Dr. Abdul Rahman Alahmari and Dr. Saed Darweesh. Dr. Khalid Alsaleh registered patents and mentioned tests like camel-collision tolerance. It is the fourth home-made Arab car, following Ramses (Egypt), Laraki (Morocco), and Saroukh el-Jamahiriya (Libya). The Gazal-1 was planned to reach 20,000 units in 2011 and became the first Arab vehicle to be mass-produced in the Arab world.
The car is based on the Mercedes-Benz G-Class long wheelbase and was designed by Studiotorino, with most parts produced by Magna Steyr in Austria. It is a front-engine, four-wheel-drive, five-door SUV.
Engine and performance:
- Engine: Mercedes‑Benz 5.5 L V8, about 382 hp and 530 Nm of torque.
Dimensions:
- Wheelbase: 112.2 in (2850 mm)
- Length: 188.97 in (4800 mm)
- Width: 74.8 in (1900 mm)
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 02:49 (CET).