Business
Toyota, Hyundai and Chinese automakers expected to be most impacted by Iran war
Toyota Motor Corp. vehicles bound for shipment at the Port of Nagoya in Tokai, Aichi Prefecture, Japan, on Tuesday, April 29, 2025.
Toru Hanai | Bloomberg | Getty Images
DETROIT — Toyota Motor, Hyundai Motor and Chinese automakers such as Chery face the most potential impact of non-domestic automakers from the U.S.-Israel war with Iran, according to an analysis by Bernstein.
Those international automakers account for roughly a third of sales in the Middle East, according to the report, led by Toyota at 17%, Hyundai at 10% and Chery at 5%. In Iran specifically, Bernstein reports Iranian automakers Iran Khodro and SAIPA lead, followed by Chery with a 6% market share.
Other Chinese carmakers also are expected to be impacted, as the Middle East has become a growing destination for Chinese auto exports. Bernstein, citing China export data, said the region accounted for about 17% of China’s passenger vehicle exports in 2025.
The Bernstein report notes that while sales in the region will be impacted, the closing of the Strait of Hormuz, which links the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and the Indian Ocean, and rising oil prices will have ripple effects across the global automotive industry.
“Closure of the Strait of Hormuz adds 10-14 days to transit times,” Bernstein analyst Eunice Lee said in a Wednesday investor note, adding “a prolonged conflict and closure of the strait would hurt sales, increase logistics costs, and delay deliveries.”
Roughly 20 million barrels of crude oil travel through the strait every day, according to consulting firm AlixPartners. It’s also a “critical passage” for vehicle and parts shipments to the Middle East, Bernstein noted.
Bernstein said any effect on Japanese automakers “appears limited for now, but close monitoring of developments is still required.” It also said, of the European automakers, Chrysler and Jeep parent Stellantis “seems to have the largest exposure in light of its overall issues.”
“The impact of rising gasoline pump prices is already being seen in Stellantis’ 11% stock price slump since its close last Friday – making so sharp a pivot to gas guzzling HEMI V8 engines and writing off its electrification efforts seems particularly inauspiciously timed at the moment,” Lee wrote.
U.S. crude oil prices on Friday topped $90 per barrel, and retail gasoline prices in the U.S. have jumped nearly 27 cents in the last week through Thursday to $3.25 per gallon on average, according to the motorist group AAA.
Stellantis this week said it is “closely monitoring developments across the affected countries,” noting it’s “not yet possible to fully assess the potential impact on local operations.”
Toyota, in an emailed statement, said it does “not conduct business in Iran and do not have any resident employees there.” The company said it is “closely monitoring the situation and prioritizing the safety of our local resident employees in the Middle East and related parties.”
Hyundai and Chery did not immediately respond for requests for comment.
Business
LPG relief: Two Indian vessels cross Strait of Hormuz safely with 92,700 tonne cargo, set to dock March 16 & 17 – The Times of India
In a boost to domestic energy supplies amid disruptions in West Asia, two Indian-flagged LPG carriers safely crossed the conflict-hit Strait of Hormuz early Saturday and are now on course for ports in Gujarat. LPG carriers Shivalik and Nanda Devi are heading to Mundra and Kandla, respectively, Rajesh Kumar Sinha, Special Secretary in the Ministry of Shipping, said at a media briefing. The ships are carrying a combined 92,700 tonne of LPG and are expected to dock at Indian ports on March 16 or 17, he said. The two vessels were among 24 ships that had been stranded on the western side of the strategic waterway since the war broke out in the region.
Petrol, diesel stocks adequate
India has sufficient availability of petrol and diesel and refineries are operating at full capacity despite disruptions linked to the West Asia conflict, a senior petroleum ministry official said, urging consumers to avoid panic booking of LPG cylinders.Addressing an inter-ministerial briefing, Joint Secretary (Marketing & Oil Refinery) Sujata Sharma said the country currently has enough crude supplies and domestic production is meeting fuel requirements.“As far as crude oil and refineries are concerned, we have a sufficient supply of crude and our refineries are operating at full capacity. There have been no reports of any dry-out at retail outlets. Adequate petrol and diesel are available,” she said.She added that India does not need to import petrol and diesel at present. “We produce enough petrol and diesel in the country according to our requirements, and therefore there is no need for us to import them,” Sharma said.
LPG supply under watch, PNG push for commercial users
While domestic fuel supplies remain stable, the official flagged concerns about cooking gas availability amid the prevailing geopolitical situation.“Regarding LPG supply, I would like to say that it is still a matter of concern for us in view of the prevailing geopolitical situation. However, no dry-out has been reported,” she said.The government is encouraging commercial consumers facing supply disruptions to switch to piped natural gas (PNG). In this context, the Gas Authority of India Limited (GAIL) has held meetings with city gas distribution operators to facilitate immediate PNG connections wherever feasible.“There was considerable discussion regarding commercial cylinders, and after that it was decided that some LPG should also be supplied to commercial consumers,” Sharma said, adding that distribution has begun in about 29 states and Union territories.
Panic booking spikes, govt appeals for restraint
Sharma also pointed to a sharp increase in LPG bookings, describing the trend as panic-driven.“Panic booking is still happening on a very large scale. Yesterday, we informed you that the number of bookings was around 7.5-7.6 million, and now that number has increased to almost 8.8 million. So this is nothing but panic booking,” she said.Appealing for restraint, she urged consumers to place orders only when required. “I would like to appeal to the citizens of the country to avoid panic booking and to make bookings only when there is an actual need. This will be good for everyone,” Sharma added.Highlighting the progress in digital adoption, the official said most LPG bookings are already being made online. “Online booking is currently about 84 per cent, but it needs to improve to almost 100 per cent,” she said.(With inputs from agencies)
Business
A Paramount-Warner Bros. movie slate could rule the 2027 box office, but is it sustainable?
Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison speaks during the Bloomberg Screentime conference in Los Angeles on October 9, 2025.
Patrick T. Fallon | Afp | Getty Images
Hollywood could soon have a new king of the box office.
With Paramount Skydance set to take over Warner Bros. Discovery, the combined film studios could dominate the theatrical slate.
Paramount CEO David Ellison has repeatedly promised not to pull back on production from either studio, with the goal of making 30 movies a year — 15 from Paramount and 15 from Warner Bros. The pending transaction, with an enterprise value of $111 billion, must still win regulatory approval both in the U.S. and in Europe.
As the current 2027 slate stands, the combination of WBD and Paramount would result in 26 theatrical releases. However, additions to that calendar could come as soon as April at the annual CinemaCon conference in Las Vegas.
This behemoth of a slate is dominated by Warner Bros. titles, and it’s likely that those films would account for the bulk of ticket sales.
The studio is set to release films from major franchises including Godzilla-Kong, Superman, Batman, Minecraft, The Conjuring universe, Gremlins and Lord of the Rings.
Meanwhile, Paramount will have new entries for Sonic the Hedgehog, Paranormal Activity, A Quiet Place and its animated Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchises.
Still from Paramount’s “Sonic the Hedgehog 2.”
Paramount
While Paramount’s franchises are popular and have generated solid ticket sales at the box office, its major releases in 2027 are smaller budget features. In fact, no film in any of those four franchises has generated more than $350 million globally, according to data from Comscore. But with smaller budgets, they don’t have to in order to be profitable.
Warner Bros.’ part of the slate, on the other hand, has bigger budget features that in the past have generated bigger box office returns. The most recent Godzilla-Kong film generated $572 million globally, 2025’s “The Conjuring: Last Rites” tallied nearly $500 million, “The Batman” took in $772 million and “A Minecraft Movie” nearly hit $1 billion.
“When you look at the films on the horizon from the PAR/WBD combo it is most impressive,” Paul Dergarabedian, head of marketplace trends at Comscore, told CNBC. “And it may not be an overstatement to say that that slate could indeed have the potential to generate the biggest single studio box office in 2027.”
The Warner Bros. movie studio is a big part of why Ellison was so committed to winning over WBD’s board and its shareholders in a bidding war against Comcast and Netflix. Last year, Warner Bros. was the second-highest grossing studio at the domestic and global box office. Paramount was fifth.
Disney has long held the box office heavyweight title, although it was briefly overthrown in 2023 by Universal. Warner and Universal have jockeyed between second and third position, with Sony, Lionsgate and Paramount falling in line behind them.
A tricky feat
“Doubling up two major slates adds to the potential for a very strong 2027, but nothing is ever certain when it comes to assuming a potential annual box office winner among studios,” said Shawn Robbins, director of analytics at Fandango and founder of Box Office Theory. “That’s especially true when the likes of Disney and Universal will each bring out their own heavy-hitters next year.”
Disney, in particular, has franchises like Ice Age, Star Wars, Frozen and Avengers on the docket for 2027.
Of course, franchise tentpoles are not always guaranteed to succeed at the box office, but the combined efforts of Paramount and Warner Bros. is a compelling offering for an industry that has been shrinking dramatically over the last decade.
“The notion of two major studio slates under one large umbrella in 2027 makes for an intriguing prospect while raising some fair speculation,” said Robbins. “We’ve seen the decline in theatrical output in the years following Disney’s acquisition of Fox, although caveats such as the pandemic and streaming explosion somewhat skew that comparison.”
A combined Paramount and Warner Bros. slate also faces some logistic issues. There are only 52 weekends on the calendar, and with 30 movies, the studio would need to strategically place its releases as not to cannibalize its own ticket sales.
David Corenswet stars are Superman in Warner Bros.’ “Superman.”
Warner Bros. Discovery
Robbins noted that rival studios typically only go head-to-head on the same weekend or on back-to-back weekends if they are certain there isn’t a major overlap in audience demographics. It’s why there is often a horror movie set for release at the same time as a family-friendly animated feature, for example.
In contrast, Robbins noted, Paramount is scheduled to release “Sonic the Hedgehog 4” just one week ahead of Warner Bros.’ “Godzilla X Kong: Supernova.”
“It wouldn’t be a shock to see one of those shifted earlier or later on the calendar since the parent studio will want to minimize risk and do what’s best for the financial bottom line while remaining competitive,” he said.
And while Ellison has touted a 30-movie slate in the years after 2027, it’s unclear if that future is feasible.
Traditionally, when two major studios merge, the number of films released declines and there is a major wave of layoffs as consolidation weeds out redundancies. Not to mention, the marketing costs of big-budget films can be prohibitive.
“What will actually become normal for the newly unified house of Paramount and Warner remains to be seen,” Robbins said. “The longevity of such a slate in the years after 2027 will be challenging to produce, but never say never.”
Disclosure: Versant is the parent company of CNBC and Fandango.
Business
‘Petrol, Diesel Adequately Available In India’: Govt Urges Citizens Not To Hoard Fuel Amid US-Iran War
Last Updated:
‘Consumers are advised not to take or store fuel in loose or inappropriate containers, as it poses serious safety risks,’ says the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas.
The government said all retail outlets and dealers have been instructed to strictly follow safety guidelines while dispensing fuel. Any violation will invite strict action.
Amid rising concerns over fuel supply due to escalating geopolitical tensions in the West Asia, the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas on Saturday issued an advisory assuring citizens that petrol and diesel remain adequately available across the country. It also urged people to avoid unsafe practices such as storing petrol or diesel in loose containers.
In a post on X, the ministry said, “Petrol and diesel are adequately available at retail outlets across the country. Consumers are advised not to take or store fuel in loose or inappropriate containers, as it poses serious safety risks.”
Important advisory for citizens.Petrol and diesel are adequately available at retail outlets across the country. Consumers are advised not to take or store fuel in loose or inappropriate containers, as it poses serious safety risks.
Retail outlets have been instructed to… pic.twitter.com/5KtQW5dbnR
— Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas #MoPNG (@PetroleumMin) March 14, 2026
The advisory comes after authorities detected a case in Tamil Nadu where petrol was reportedly being dispensed in a loose container at a retail outlet, which violates safety norms.
“It has come to notice that at one retail outlet in Tamil Nadu, petrol was being taken in a loose container, which is unsafe and not advisable,” the ministry said.
Govt warns of strict action for violations
The ministry added that strict action has already been taken in the matter.
“The concerned petrol pump has been suspended, and appropriate action has been taken,” the ministry said.
The ministry also said all fuel retailers across the country have been directed to strictly adhere to safety guidelines while dispensing petrol and diesel.
“All retail outlets and dealers have been instructed to strictly follow safety guidelines while dispensing fuel. Any violation will invite strict action,” the advisory said.
Advisory comes amid supply concerns
The government’s clarification comes at a time when concerns over fuel availability have risen due to disruptions in global energy supply chains due to closure of the Strait of Hormuz amid US-Iran-Israel war.
Rumours of shortages have also triggered panic buying in some areas, temporarily affecting supplies at a few petrol pumps despite adequate overall stock levels.
Authorities have urged the public not to believe unverified information and assured that the country’s fuel supply chain remains stable.
The country saw a huge shortage of LPG cylinders after the supply was stopped in the West Asia amid the ongoing Iran war. However, two Indian cargo ships carrying LPG have been allowed by the Iranian authorities to pass through the Strait of Hormuz. The first Indian LPG vessel, Shivalik, had already begun its movement through the Strait of Hormuz after negotiations helped secure safe passage. The ship has since reached open sea and is sailing safely under Indian Navy guidance. Now, India’s second LPG carrier Nanda Devi has successfully exited the Strait of Hormuz and entered open waters, government sources told CNN-News18, marking another step forward in India’s efforts to safely move its energy cargo through the tense Gulf region.
Nanda Devi is carrying more than 46,000 metric tonnes of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG).
March 14, 2026, 15:35 IST
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