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Industry News
Oman Investment
Oman lists ten Chinese-linked plants, two of them automotive
A Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion official has listed ten Chinese-linked industrial projects in Suhar, Duqm and Khazaen. Two are automotive: an agreement by Spruce Group to assemble electric and hybrid vehicles at Khazaen Economic City, with no value or start date given, and Zhongke Electric's USD1bn (about RO385m) battery-anode materials plant in Suhar, under construction since May 2026 with planned capacity of 200,000 tonnes a year. Chinese direct investment in Oman stood at RO903.8m at the end of June 2026, up from RO866.2m at the end of 2025.
Our thoughts Without a stated value or start date, the Khazaen assembly project is a possible future source of local supply rather than a near-term alternative to imports; the Suhar anode plant is the firmer sign of a battery supply chain forming in Oman.
Oman Investment
Oman–China state-visit deals include free-zone warehousing
During His Majesty the Sultan's state visit to China, the Oman Investment Authority and other Omani entities signed 23 agreements and partnerships. Asyad Group and JD.com agreed to develop distribution warehouses, starting in the Muscat International Airport Free Zone, Khazaen Economic City and Sohar Free Zone, and China International Marine Containers signed a memorandum on transport and logistics in Oman. The package also includes a planned USD800m joint fund with the Silk Road Fund.
Our thoughts None of the deals concerns vehicles directly, but more Chinese-backed warehousing in Oman's free zones would strengthen the case for using Oman as a regional base for parts and after-sales distribution.
GCC Launches
Toyota and Geely launch plug-in hybrid SUVs in the UAE
Al-Futtaim Toyota has launched the RAV4 plug-in hybrid in the UAE in two all-wheel-drive trims at AED154,900 and AED169,900 (USD42,200 and USD46,300). On the same day AGMC opened pre-orders for the Geely Monjaro EM-i at AED130,900 to AED149,900 (USD35,600 to USD40,800), quoting up to 116 km of electric range under WLTP.
Our thoughts A mainstream Japanese brand and a Chinese rival now offer plug-in hybrid SUVs within a few thousand dollars of each other, giving Gulf distributors a clear price benchmark for the segment.
GCC Market
UAE cuts November pump prices after October's rise
The UAE Fuel Price Committee has lowered prices for November: Super 98 falls to AED4.16 a litre from AED4.40, Special 95 to AED4.04 from AED4.28 and diesel to AED4.75 from AED4.80. October prices had risen by about 16% with Brent crude above USD100 a barrel.
Our thoughts Monthly swings in UAE pump prices keep running costs in the sales conversation, which favours hybrids and plug-in models over conventional petrol cars.
Middle East Launches
Chery-backed Freelander plans 11 Middle East markets, including Oman
Freelander International, the brand backed by Chery, says it will enter 11 Middle East markets, including Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman, with a full roll-out in the first half of 2027. Al Tayer Motors and Premier Motors will represent it in the UAE, where the Freelander 8 is due in the first quarter of 2027. Partnership agreements for Bahrain and Oman were signed in October; the partners were not named.
Our thoughts A new Chinese-backed brand with an as-yet unnamed Omani partner will shift at least one local distributor's line-up in 2027; how quickly it builds a showroom and service network will decide how fast it can compete.
Briefs summarise reporting by the outlets linked under each item; follow the links for the original. Our thoughts are our own view, for general information only and not advice. See our disclaimer.
