The Gulf has become one of the fastest-adopting regions for Chinese cars — ICE SUVs first, EVs increasingly. Chery, GWM, BYD and MG all run growing dealer networks, and Dubai doubles as a re-export hub for the wider region.

A fast-opening region

The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) has moved from the margins to the centre of China's export map. Chinese brands' combined GCC share rose from around 2% in 2019 to an estimated 15% by 2025, according to Roland Berger. Low tariffs are a big reason: the GCC applies a common external duty of roughly 5% on vehicles, with free movement between member states — a stark contrast to the EU and US walls. Industry trackers estimate the Gulf, led by Saudi Arabia and the UAE, absorbed well over a million China-made vehicles in 2025, making it one of China's largest external auto markets, and Middle East imports of Chinese EVs jumped sharply year on year.

Brands and models

The strongest players are MG, Geely, Changan, Haval and Chery on the ICE side, with Jetour a breakout success — it climbed into the UAE's top brands on the strength of the T2 SUV — and BYD leading on EVs. Typical best-sellers are the Jetour T1 and T2, Changan CS55/CS75, Haval H6 and Jolion, MG RX5 and ZS, Geely Coolray and Emgrand, and the BYD Atto 3, Song, Seal and Han. Dubai's Jebel Ali free zone acts as a regional assembly and distribution hub — Jetour, for example, uses it to stage a wider GCC rollout — though most volume is still imported fully built rather than assembled locally.

ICE today, EV tomorrow

The region remains overwhelmingly an ICE and SUV market — cheap fuel, long distances and extreme heat all favour combustion — but EV sales are climbing fast off a low base, and China dominates the Gulf's EV import mix. Governments are pulling rather than pushing: Saudi Vision 2030 and UAE EV targets back charging infrastructure and incentives instead of punitive tariffs. Notable 2025–2026 moves include Jetour's aggressive UAE expansion, major dealer groups such as Gargash adding Chinese franchises, and BYD's regional manufacturing push spanning Egypt entry, Pakistan production and Saudi feasibility studies.

Regional shares are estimates — the GCC has no single unified registration body (sources: Roland Berger, AGBI, company releases).

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