BMW Choose Hankook tire for Original Equipment Fitment
Germany: South Korea based Hankook tire will
supply, ultra-high performance and winter tire to BMW for original equipment fitment
on its new 7 Series. Hankook will provide 245/50R18 Y runflat safety component
(front) and 275/40 R19 Y runflat safety component (rear) sizes in summer for 7
series. Company will also provide 245/50R 18 H runflat safety component for
winter use.
Hankook
tire developed both the tire in Germany based Technical Centre. At present,
around 50 engineer and technicians are developing new tire for European car
manufacturers at Hankook European R&D centre in Hanover, Germany. The tires
are however being produced in Raclamas, Hungary. BMW 7 series sedan is the seventh
model of company to be OE fitted with Hankook tire. Earlier Hankook supply OE
fitment tire for Mini, BMW 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 Series, and the X5.
According
to Ho-Youl Pae, head of Hankook Tire Europe, the company is very proud to
supply ultra-high performance (UHP) and winter tires for the first time as original
equipment fitment for the latest model of BMW 7 Series.
The
Hankook UHP tire provide a superb driving and luxury features, with excellent
wet and snow performance. The company has developed the tire with new balance
between compound, tread design and construction as said by Klaus Krause, head
of the Hanover based Hankook tire, European technology centre (ETC).
According
to a recent report published by TechSci
Research, “Germany Tyre Market Forecast and Opportunities, 2020”, the
country’s tire market is predominantly a replacement driven market owing to
large vehicle fleet and high vehicle ownership ratio. The passenger car tire
market is the most dominant tire segment of the country and this trend is
expected to continue through 2020, due to the growing demand for hybrid cars in
the country. Also, the high vehicle ownership coupled with moderate growth in
new vehicle sales, is expected to boost tire sales further in Germany in
approaching years.
As
per TechSci Research, the tie-up with BMW for Original Equipment Fitment, is
likely to increase the share of Hankook in Germany OEM market segment. The step
taken by the company to expand its product line for OEM market, would
eventually lead to increase in the market presence of the company, hence,
impacting the overall Germany tire market.