Saudi Arabia: the new frontier in automotive production?       

Saudi Arabia’s wealth and economic power derives from its position as a leading oil producer; it is now starting to move away from its fossil fuel dependency, investing in all sorts of businesses around the world. It is also transforming its own economy as it opens up its strictly Islamic society to the world; the country wants to be a tourist destination and host major sporting events, including Boxing, Formula 1 and a future Football World Cup. It also wants to develop new, modern manufacturing industries, although it has very limited experience of manufacturing in general and a workforce which lacks any history of industrial work. Recruiting local people to do such work, even in modern, high-tech manufacturing environments, may be a challenge.