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From Abu Dhabi to the world: ROX begins a new Emirati chapter
With manufacturing, AI and design capabilities now anchored in the capital, ROX is positioning itself as a UAE-made automotive brand built for global growth
- PUBLISHED: Fri 18 Sept 2026, 10:32 AM
ROX has started vehicle production in Abu Dhabi, marking a new phase in the company’s development and adding to the UAE’s growing advanced manufacturing ambitions.
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The first UAE-manufactured ROX ADAMAS vehicles have rolled off the production line at the company’s Advanced AI Manufacturing Centre in KEZAD, signalling a significant shift in the brand’s industrial footprint. Rather than being seen simply as an international automotive company producing vehicles locally, ROX is increasingly building its next phase around the UAE, with Abu Dhabi serving as the centre of production, technology, design and future international expansion.
ROX is now bringing more of its automotive operations into the UAE, from manufacturing and testing to AI and design. The approach is intended to build a UAE-rooted automotive ecosystem capable of developing products, technologies and expertise locally before taking them into overseas markets.
Jarvis, founder and chief executive officer of ROX, said: “The opening of the new manufacturing centre represents an important step in ROX’s journey and a starting point for expanding our presence from Abu Dhabi into international markets. We look forward to establishing the UAE as a key part of our global growth journey and building a company that the UAE can be proud of and that contributes to its economic ambitions.”
At the centre of this transition is the ROX Advanced AI Manufacturing Centre at KEZAD. The facility covers more than 80 types of component sub-assembly, as well as complete vehicle assembly, calibration, rain testing, road testing and final pre-delivery inspection. ROX is targeting annual production capacity of 300,000 vehicles by 2030, giving its Abu Dhabi operations the potential to become a meaningful part of the UAE’s advanced manufacturing landscape.
The manufacturing centre is one part of the company’s growing presence in the capital. The opening of the ROX AI LAB and ROX Design Studio adds artificial intelligence and design capabilities alongside physical production, bringing more stages of vehicle development together within the UAE.
ADIO plays key role
The new facility builds on the partnership between ROX and the Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO), supporting ROX’s plans to localise its operations across supply chains, technology and design, while contributing to the development of an integrated automotive manufacturing ecosystem. This aligns with ADIO’s broader automotive ambitions, including its automotive programme, which aims to transform Abu Dhabi into the region’s foremost hub for smart automotive manufacturing and assembly, R&D, restoration, auctions and luxury automobiles.
Mohammad Ali Al Kamali, Chief Trade and Industry Officer at the Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO), said: “ROX’s progress in Abu Dhabi is a clear example of how industrial investments can translate into local production, deeper industrial capability and global growth. By anchoring more of its manufacturing and value chain in the emirate, ROX is contributing to an automotive ecosystem designed to support localisation, strengthen supply chains and enable exports. Abu Dhabi gives manufacturers the infrastructure, connectivity and partners to establish, scale and compete globally from a single base.”
This broader setup reflects the direction of the country’s industrial strategy. The UAE has spent years encouraging higher-value manufacturing, advanced technology and locally developed capabilities through initiatives such as Operation 300Bn. Representatives from the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology and the Abu Dhabi Investment Office were present to mark the start of production, reinforcing the link between ROX’s expansion and the country’s wider industrial priorities.
The automotive sector is increasingly becoming part of that industrial push. Manufacturing a vehicle involves far more than final assembly, drawing together components, engineering, testing, logistics, technology, materials and skilled talent. Bringing more of those activities into Abu Dhabi gives the UAE an opportunity to develop capabilities that can extend across the wider mobility and manufacturing sectors.
For ROX, the Abu Dhabi operation therefore marks a move towards building a more complete automotive value chain. Manufacturing is being connected with AI, design, advanced materials, logistics and technical talent, creating an operation that extends beyond a standalone assembly facility.
In less than two years, ROX has established its global headquarters in Abu Dhabi and opened three showrooms, two aftersales service centres and a regional parts hub across the UAE. It now operates 37 showrooms and 21 service centres across the wider Mena region.