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Carasti Expands To Saudi Arabia After Raising $2 Million
To celebrate its recent expansion, Carasti is launching with a Ramadan offer of 50% off the first-month subscription for new Saudi subscribers.
From March 23, 2022, on-demand car subscription service Carasti is available in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The expansion of the UAE-based company into the Kingdom comes after a successful bridge round that helped Carasti raise $2 million from venture firms Net Ventures and Rua Growth.
The bridge round will soon be followed by Carasti’s Series A funding round, which should help it further drive growth and establish itself as a dominant player in the car rental and leasing market in Saudi Arabia, which is expected to reach $2.5 billion by 2026, according to a report by Mordor Intelligence.
“After a successful 2.5 years of rapid growth in the UAE, we are now making it possible for Saudi drivers to get a car without any of the hassles of ownership; our full-subscription model looks set to become the go-to brand for the Kingdom’s automotive needs starting today and into the future” said Claudio Esposito-Aiardo, CEO of Carasti.
Carasti offers a growing selection of new and nearly-new cars, and its subscription process takes less than three minutes to complete. Customers can choose from all-inclusive subscriptions ranging from 1 to 24 months, with prices starting at just SAR 1,799 ($479 USD) per month. The few required documents can be conveniently uploaded using the Carasti app, available to download on both the App Store and Google Play Store.
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To celebrate its recent expansion, Carasti is launching with a Ramadan offer of 50 percent off the first-month subscription for new Saudi subscribers. To take advantage of the offer, simply enter the code “WOW50” when signing up. After completing the quick and easy sign-up process, the selected vehicle can be ready in as little as 4 hours.
All subscriptions include not only the car itself but also all other expenses typically associated with car ownership, such as insurance, warranty, maintenance, and around-the-clock roadside assistance and delivery.
News
AltoVolo Opens Orders For Limited Edition Sigma eVTOLs
Early buyers can now reserve build slots for AltoVolo’s 500-mile hybrid aircraft through a new online configurator.
AltoVolo has started taking pre-orders for its first electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft, the Sigma, moving the startup closer to commercial rollout. Customers can now secure a build slot with a £860 deposit and customize every detail online — from paintwork to seatbelt stitching. It’s the first configurator of its kind for a civilian eVTOL, mirroring how luxury car brands let clients tailor performance models before production.
The Sigma runs on a hybrid-electric tilting jet system built for long range and low noise. It can travel up to 500 miles at a 220-mph cruise, and is over 80% quieter than a helicopter. The three-seater weighs just 980kg and can maintain stable flight even if one jet fails. Safety systems include triple-redundant controls, thrust-vectoring stability and a ballistic parachute.
“We will be delivering an ultra-refined hybrid electric aircraft,” said founder and CEO Will Wood. “We believe there are thousands of customers for this type of cutting-edge technology”.
The first 100 units will come with exclusive materials and finishes. AltoVolo is also setting up a global service and maintenance network, with early planning for overhaul schedules already underway. The company’s focus on ownership experience echoes its ambition to anchor itself alongside established aviation brands rather than pure tech ventures.
To help new owners train, the company has built a full-scale simulator that replicates the Sigma cockpit in carbon fiber and leather. Pilots can log time toward a license using the system, aligned with the new US MOSAIC rules that ease certification for powered-lift aircraft. Certification work in Europe and the UK continues in parallel, signaling growing international alignment around light sport and eVTOL regulation.
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Noise inside the cabin has become another design focus. Engineers are refining internal vibration levels and developing a responsive soundscape that shifts with each jet’s power load — part feedback, part theatre.
Urban air mobility projects across the Gulf and elsewhere are pushing regulators and manufacturers to meet in the middle. Dubai, Riyadh and Doha have each outlined plans for air taxi corridors this decade. AltoVolo’s hybrid Sigma, sitting between electric promise and aviation realism, looks built for that middle ground.
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