Electric mobility in Oman – Muscat and the Audi e-tron GT
Oman fascinates with a unique blend of tradition, modern architecture and spectacular nature – especially in its capital Muscat. On my last visit to my second adopted home, I was able to explore Muscat with the Audi e-tron GT and combine electric mobility, design and Omani building culture to create a special perspective on the Arabian Peninsula. How does an electric German sports car fit into a city that deliberately opts for restraint rather than high-rise buildings? A journey through Oman, Muscat and the future of design.
It was my first time with the Audi e-tron GT. A whole day. And yet it felt like a quiet revelation.
Muscat is not a city that imposes itself on you. You come here to find yourself, to give your soul space to breathe. No skyline that screams. No glass facades fighting for attention. Instead, white and ivory-colored architecture, nestled between the sea and rugged mountains. Clear lines. Precious materials. Restraint as an attitude.
The opposite of Dubai.
Muscat whispers.
And this is precisely where the Audi e-tron GT really comes into its own.
Marc Lichte, former head designer at Audi and creative mind behind the Audi e-tron GT, puts it clearly: “Good design is highly emotional. It is created where extreme aesthetics and function come together in perfect harmony.
Aerodynamics are not hidden in the e-tron GT. It is made visible. Tear-off edges, targeted air flows in the front, sculptural muscles above all four wheels – the Quattro principle is not only implemented technically, but also dramatically drawn into the sheet metal. The line runs from the flat cabin into the muscle, from the muscle into the wheel.
Design becomes movement. The proportions are extraordinary: long wheelbase, short overhangs, a flat, slim cabin on a wide body. This elegance is not aggressive, but self-confident. Striking, but not loud. Just like Muscat.
Transferring these GT proportions to an electric car is a design challenge. The battery is located in the underbody and changes the center of gravity and overall height. And yet the e-tron GT is flatter than the Audi prologue concept car, which served as a design model. A show car that became reality almost one-to-one.
Maximum aesthetics as a prerequisite. Not as a bonus.
As I drive along the coast, past the Mutrah Corniche, through neighborhoods with reserved palaces and mosques, I notice something that is typical of my time in Oman: I relax. And then there’s an electric sports car that doesn’t make me nervous. No roar. No vibration. Just quiet, immediate power.
Performance is combined with efficiency.
Emotion is combined with calm.
And this is where it gets personal.
Oman – and Muscat in particular – is more than just a travel destination for me. It is one of my soul places. A place on Mother Earth where I have lived. And where I have found a peace that doesn’t come from outside, but from within – supported by the Omani culture and the wonderful people who surround you there.
Muscat does not force anything. It does not impose itself. It allows silence. Between the sea and the mountains, a space is created in which you can think clearly again. Perhaps that is precisely the reason why I feel so at home there.
This inner peace was reinforced during my drive in the Audi e-tron GT. Electric mobility in its most elegant form. No engine noise to interrupt your thoughts. No vibration to cause unrest. Just immediate power when you need it – and silence when you appreciate it.
It was a symbiosis of place and object.
Of architecture and automobile.
Of restraint and performance.
And then the journey continued.
Into the desert.
Not with the e-tron GT – I changed the vehicle for that. The Audi e-tron 55 Sportback quattro was used for wide open spaces, sand and dunes. Perfect for the hot sand in off-road drive mode.
To experience the sunset with him in the Omani desert at the gates of Muscat – priceless.
The sun sinks behind the dunes, the light colors the sand in gold and copper, and you can feel how big this world is – and how small you are in it.
Perhaps that is the true luxury.
Not speed.
Not pure performance.
But rather silence, space and the awareness of being in the right place at exactly the right moment.
Design as attitude.
Architecture as character.
Electromobility as a quiet revolution.
And somewhere between the sea, mountains and aluminum, a symbiosis was created that did not seem contrived – but natural.
My special thanks go to Audi Oman and the then General Manager Joseph Nahas, who made this meeting possible in the first place. He contacted me during my time in Oman – and together we were able to realize this story.
Such moments do not happen by chance. They are created through trust, openness and a shared enthusiasm for innovation.
I look forward to many more electrifying road trips through this extraordinary country in the Middle East – a country that you should experience at least once in your life.
Charging is also easy, because charging stations can be conveniently located via PlugShare!
