March 6 (Reuters) - The U.S.-Israel war with Iran, which entered its seventh day on Friday, threatens to disrupt the shipment of vehicles from Asia to the Middle East, a major export market for Asian automakers.
Chinese, Indian, South Korean and Japanese automakers export cars worth billions of dollars to the Middle East through the Strait of Hormuz and shipping along the route has ground to a halt over fears of attacks by Tehran.
CHINA
The Middle East is the second-largest overseas market for China-made vehicles and an increasingly important region for the Asian giant as it looks to offset weak demand at home.
Of the 8.32 million cars shipped overseas by Chinese automakers in 2025, 1.39 million, or one-sixth, were to Gulf countries like Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, according to the China Passenger Car Association.
Major car exporters include Chery Automobile, BYD, SAIC Motor, Changan Automobile and Geely.
China joint ventures of Kia, Hyundai Motor and Toyota Motor are also among the top 10 car exporters to the Middle East, according to data from Gasgoo Automotive Research Institute, China's largest supply chain platform.
INDIA
India exported $8.8 billion worth of cars in 2025, of which 25% went to the Middle East, mainly Saudi Arabia, according to commercially available customs data.
Hyundai Motor is most exposed with half its 2025 global shipments of $1.8 billion from India going to countries in the Gulf region.
Toyota, too, has a large exposure with about two-thirds, or more than $300 million, of its total India exports of $470 million last year going to the Middle East, according to the data.
Maruti Suzuki sends less than 15% of its exports by value to the Gulf region, the data showed. Of its total exports of $3.2 billion in 2025, cars worth $457 million were shipped to the region.
Nissan Motor's exposure from India is about $318 million, or 38% of its total exports in 2025, the data showed.
SOUTH KOREA
South Korea's total car exports by value in 2025 hit a record $72 billion, of which $5.3 billion of vehicles were sent to the Middle East, up 2.8% from 2024, according to the Korea International Trade Association.
Hyundai Motor's exports to the Middle East and Africa accounted for 8% of its total wholesale sales in 2025 of 4.14 million units. This adds up to about 317,000 cars that were shipped to the combined region.
Kia shipped 8% of its 2025 wholesale sales of 3.1 million units to the Middle East and Africa.
JAPAN
Toyota exported 320,699 vehicles from Japan to the Middle East in 2025, which was a 5.4% increase over the previous year, according to data published by the company. This made up just over 15% of the company's total exports of over 2 million units last year.
The automaker will produce nearly 40,000 fewer vehicles bound for Middle East markets due to logistical concerns stemming from the U.S.-Israeli campaign against Iran, the Nikkei reported.
Reporting by Aditi Shah in New Delhi, Zoey Zhang in Shanghai, Heekyong Yang in Seoul and Maki Shiraki in Tokyo; Editing by Miyoung Kim and Jamie Freed
Source: Reuters