Omani car brand MAYS has unveiled its latest model, the MAYS Jewel, in Muscat, marking a new chapter for a company that set out to show that the next global car brand can come from Oman.
The seven-seat super hybrid was launched on Tuesday evening at Active Oman under the auspices of Sayyid Ibrahim bin Said al Busaidi, Minister of Heritage and Tourism, in the presence of officials, investors and entrepreneurs.
Founded in 2019, the company takes its name from Maysoor, the legendary Omani horse that raced internationally and was never beaten, while its logo carries Oman’s mountains.
The horse also shapes its idea. For thousands of years, horses were partners that sensed their riders; cars, which arrived about a century ago, moved people faster but no longer sensed them. MAYS has developed emotional artificial intelligence that reads facial expressions and tone of voice to detect signs of stress and fatigue, responding through conversation, music, cabin settings and, when needed, a suggested break. The technology supports Arabic first, alongside English.
“We grew up seeing global brands everywhere, and the question that always stayed with me was: why can’t the next global brand start from Oman? Not only to compete, but to add something new to the world,” said Haider al Zaabi, co-founder of MAYS. “I hope every Omani child sees in this journey proof that big dreams are possible, and that building a global brand from Oman is natural,” he added.
The company unveiled its iE1 concept car at Al Bustan Palace in 2022 and received backing from the Oman Technology Fund, followed by research and development funding under Future Fund Oman (FFO). It delivered its first cars to customers in February 2025, and its main showroom was visited by HH Sayyid Theyazin bin Haitham al Said, Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs.
The Omani brand is now heading abroad, with agreements to supply 750 cars to Uzbekistan worth $17.9 million and 350 cars to Italy worth $7.5 million, and a dealership partnership in Bahrain targeting 500 cars with an announced value of $12.75 million. At home, a programme will provide 500 electric cars to Omani delivery drivers.
“The agreements we signed in Uzbekistan, Italy and Bahrain confirm that markets are looking for something different,” said Mohammed al Zadjali, B2B Business Development Manager at MAYS.
The company aims to take its cars to more than 17 countries by 2030.
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