Hankook & affiliates target Middle East auto parts market at Dubai show

Hankook & group is pushing into the Middle East automotive aftermarket with batteries, thermal management components and tires. Following a joint appearance at a US auto parts trade show last week, three of its affiliates are operating a shared booth in Dubai to expand the group's global sales network.

Hankook & group announced Wednesday that it is participating in Automechanika Dubai 2026, running Tuesday through Thursday (local time) at the Dubai World Trade Centre in the UAE.

Automechanika Dubai is a major trade show covering the automotive parts, maintenance and service industries across the Middle East and Africa. Automakers, parts suppliers, distributors and repair shops attend to present products and explore business partnerships.

Three group affiliates are taking part: the Energy Solutions (ES) division of Hankook &, Hanon Systems and Hankook Tire & Technology.

The joint booth covers the full vehicle chain — from batteries that supply electrical power, to thermal management systems that regulate heating, cooling and temperature, to tires that handle actual driving.

The group plans to leverage each affiliate's existing overseas customer base and distribution network to secure new clients in the Middle East and neighboring regions.

The Hankook & ES division has centered its display on AGM batteries, a lead-acid vehicle battery format.

AGM batteries offer stronger charge and discharge performance than conventional lead-acid batteries and are used in vehicles with high power consumption. Hankook & is also showing its existing vehicle battery lineup, including EFB and MF models.

The division is also introducing "Electrified AGM," a concept product designed to meet the demands of vehicles with growing onboard electronics.

Hanon Systems is exhibiting components used in vehicle heating and cooling as well as battery temperature management.

Key products on display include compressors, radiators and condensers. The company is also presenting its next-generation HICE module, which integrates multiple electric vehicle thermal management functions into a single unit.

The HICE module consolidates several thermal management functions to improve component efficiency and reduce energy consumption. Hanon Systems publicly unveiled the mass-production version of the module last week at AAPEX 2026 in Las Vegas. The technology has been adopted for the first time in BMW's new electric SUV, the iX3.

Hanon Systems is focused on extending the technology it has developed supplying parts for new vehicles to the replacement parts market. In the Middle East, the company aims to address demand for vehicle cooling and air-conditioning systems driven by the region's extreme heat.

Hankook Tire & Technology is anchoring its booth around airless tire technology — tires that require no inflation.

Its flagship product, the iFlex, uses a special internal structure in place of air pressure to support the vehicle's load. The design reduces the risk of punctures, and the company is exploring its potential in future mobility applications such as robotaxis and unmanned vehicles.

Also on display is an off-road airless tire that has already entered mass production after being fitted to an unmanned firefighting robot. Hankook Tire & Technology supplies the airless tires for an unmanned firefighting robot developed in collaboration with Hyundai Rotem.

Alongside this, the company is exhibiting Concept S, a concept product envisioning a future tire made entirely from sustainable materials — a goal the company has set for 2050.

Hankook & group's interest in the Middle East is driven by rising vehicle ownership and growing demand for maintenance and replacement parts in the region.

According to market research firm Ken Research, the automotive aftermarket across the six Gulf Cooperation Council countries — including Saudi Arabia and the UAE — is projected to grow from about $12 billion last year to around $16 billion by 2031.

"This exhibition is an opportunity to present our technological strengths in batteries, thermal management and tires under a single brand — Hankook," a Hankook & group official said. "We will expand our touchpoints with global customers, uncover new business opportunities through inter-affiliate cooperation, and further strengthen the global standing of the Hankook brand."