Industry News

Oman Launches

Lynk & Co launches 900 plug-in hybrid SUV in Oman at RO25,999

Mobility Auto, the Towell Auto Group company that distributes Lynk & Co in Oman, has put the brand's flagship 900 SUV on sale at its Azaibah showroom. The six-seat plug-in hybrid with four-wheel drive is offered at RO25,999 including VAT in limited quantities, with a vehicle warranty of five years or 150,000km and eight years or 160,000km on the hybrid system. The company quotes up to 718hp and 0–100km/h in 4.6 seconds.

Our thoughts A large, highly specified Chinese plug-in hybrid at this price adds pressure on established brands in Oman's upper SUV segment, where long hybrid warranties are becoming part of the offer.

GCC Policy & trade

UAE rental firms must fit approved trackers to hire cars from 2027

From 1 January 2027, under Cabinet Decision No. 174 of 2026, every vehicle offered for rent in the UAE must carry a tracking device approved by the licensing authority, and rental companies must join a unified platform approved by the Ministry of Interior. Companies may operate only vehicles registered in their own name and authorised for rental, must use a standardised rental agreement registered with the licensing authority, and will hold operating permits valid for one calendar year and renewable.

Our thoughts Rental operators are a major fleet channel for GCC distributors, so tracker readiness and registration in the operator's own name are likely to feature in UAE fleet supply deals.

Global Policy & trade

Pakistan unveils auto policy with lower EV sales tax and export target

Pakistan's federal government on 7 November introduced a new automotive policy with a cumulative export target of USD6bn over five years and an aim for 30% of all new vehicles to be electric by 2030. Planned sales tax rates are 1% for fully electric vehicles, 6% for range-extended EVs and 9% for hybrids, subject to IMF approval, with incentives funded by a levy on combustion-engined vehicles above 1,000cc. Duties on built-up imports, assembly and components are to fall each year towards competitive tariffs after five years, and booking deposits are capped at 20% of the price.

Global Investment

Tesla to wind down Cybertruck production in Texas around mid-2027

Tesla chief executive Elon Musk said Cybertruck production at the company's Texas plant will wind down around mid-2027 to make room for the Cybercab, after US sales fell 48% to 20,237 last year from 38,965 in 2024, according to Kelley Blue Book data cited by Reuters. Tesla has never disclosed what the programme cost, but industry researcher Glenn Mercer of GM Automotive estimated in 2025 that development, including tooling in Austin, came to about USD900m. Tesla still lists more than 125,000 units of installed capacity for the truck, while Electrek estimates output at about 30,000 a year, roughly 12% of the 250,000 annual sales Musk predicted around the 2023 start of production.

Our thoughts The Cybertruck is a costly lesson in sizing a plant to a forecast rather than to proven demand: a line built for more than 125,000 trucks a year never came close to filling, a caution for GCC assembly projects planned on ambition rather than firm orders.