The Middle East, long the most lucrative market for bespoke luxury cars, is emerging as an early casualty of the Iran conflict – threatening a key profit pool for global automakers.
While the region typically accounts for less than 10% of global volumes, it delivers disproportionately high margins thanks to ultra-wealthy buyers willing to pay multiples of base prices for customisations – from gold-leaf finishes to hand-crafted interiors. For some models, bespoke additions can double or even triple the final price.
That high-margin engine is now sputtering. Dealerships across the Gulf are temporarily shut after the outbreak of hostilities, with high-end brands such as Rolls-Royce, Ferrari and Maserati pausing deliveries. Although showrooms have begun reopening, business remains significantly weaker, with one Dubai-based dealer reporting a roughly 30% drop in sales.
The disruption comes at a particularly vulnerable moment for the sector. Demand in China has sharply declined, U.S. sales face tariff-related uncertainty, and Europe remains sluggish – leaving the Middle East as one of the few profit centres.
As Bentley CEO Frank-Steffen Walliser said earlier this month of the Middle East: “It’s the best market in the world.”
