DUBAI – Saudi Arabian engineers have launched the country’s first car named after the desert deer, a speedy animal known for its elegance in the desert’s harsh environment.

Ghazal 1 was showcased on Monday by ruler King Abdullah, Saudi newspapers reported on Tuesday.

A price for the SUV was not disclosed. Some blogs report that the car will be priced at around $100,000.

Made by engineers at King Saud University, the car “shows that we have capable people who can transform ideas into products of high economic value,” Khaled al-Anqari, the country’s higher education minister, was quoted as saying in daily Arab News.

“What is achieved today is a clear proof of the ability of Saudi youth to make innovations and inventions … If they are provided with adequate facilities and given opportunities.”

Saudi men and women between 20 and 24 years are grappling with unemployment rates of 43 percent, the country’s statistics department said in April. Unemployment among Saudis rose to 10.5 percent in 2009 from 10 percent in 2008.

Ghazal 1, designed to match the hot climate of Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries, is 4.8 meters long with a width of about 1.9 meters.

Students at the university took two years to develop the car, newspapers said, adding that the country plans to produce 20,000 vehicles a year. - Maktoob