Honda says it could resume building cars in Europe
Honda's head of Europe, Hans de Jaeger, said the company could build cars in Europe again, alone or with a partner, depending on the final form of the EU's proposed Industrial Accelerator Act, which would favour vehicles meeting 'Made in EU' content rules. He said there is no current plan and that present volumes would not justify a plant; Honda stopped making cars in the UK and Turkey in 2021.
Our thoughts Local-content rules are pulling Japanese makers back towards building where they sell, competition that GCC states seeking assembly investment will have to match with their own incentives.
Schaeffler to cut 3,460 European jobs and close five sites
German supplier Schaeffler plans to cut a net 3,460 jobs at 16 European locations, about 2,660 of them in Germany, closing four German sites and one in Belgium. It expects one-off costs of about EUR480m (USD540m) and yearly savings of about EUR300m (USD337m) from 2030.
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–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.
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.
