Last year, Oxford Dictionaries declared that “Unprecedented” is the word of year that chosen by the famous English language experts to sum up the preceding 12 months. It’s been more than a year since the pandemic changed the way we live and work, and nothing feels more important than staying connected to our communities. Tyre industry is no exception.

As we all know, the automotive society is changing at rapid pace world-wide due to various factors such as new customer trends, growth of middle class and new mobility concepts. The performance requirements of tyres continue to rise ever higher, meaning that even further advancement in tyre technology as well as fighting with complex issues are now our new normal. The requirements of tyre performance parameters are much greater than past therefore now we work with “octagon,” instead of historically used “triangle.”

Today, we are talking about “Desired performance” instead of “Prioritised performance” which covers all required factors as well as sustainable green product concept. As we all know, many tyre manufacturers have announced their aggressive plans to have “carbon-neutral” products and aimed to adopt renewable materials and sustainable solutions.

As noted earlier, there are also additional challenges facing mobility and there are many new topics. In this article as TIC, we focused some of the hot topics to be involved by tyre companies. The below topics will force fundamental changes and our industry is going to be more complex. We need to understand those which would affect market dynamics, breakthrough developments and mobility revolutions.

We believe that a holistic approach is needed to see the future as well as new opportunities and treats. TIC-Tire Industry Consulting’s recommendations are given for some of the important areas, which should be involved by tyre manufacturers in order to continue their business.

Air-Free tyres

The airless concept tyre is one of the initiatives aimed towards many tyre manufacture’s long-term vision of the use of sustainable materials. Many of tyre manufacturers revealed their second or third generation air free technologies by featuring improved load-bearing capabilities, driving performance and environmental design. However, there are a lot of works to be made before air free tyres available for customers. Anyone looking for the future of tyre industry needs to involve Air Free tyre technology. Although it is very hard to estimate, we believe CAGR would be reached 3-4% within ten years globally.

Sustainable solutions

This is one of the most popular topics for automotive industry since many years by aiming CO₂ emission reduction. The motivations are: increasing pressure from legislation to move to zero CO_2, EV sales booming in many countries and consumers are increasingly seeking to buy from environmentally responsible companies. Main players have announced very challenging targets to use all-sustainable materials by 2030 and 2050. Tyre industry has to follow this path and needs to do fundamental changes regarding all processes such as R&D, supply chain and others. We believe that tyre industry should implement multiple technological innovations for sustainable solutions by working with their suppliers. In order to keep the competition, tyre manufacturers should: have a Science Based Target (SBT) for sustainability, engage with suppliers for joint activities and improve R&D activities regarding new materials, new designs and higher the usage of recycled materials.

EV tyres

Global automotive sector is responsible for 15% of global GHG emission and Paris agreement targeted to have “zero” GHG emission by 2050 to limit global warming. This is a very challenging target ever seen that committed by all countries. Private sector is co-responsible for implementation and rapid fleet electrification is one of the on-going solution items. OEMs have set the pace for CO₂ reduction and tyre manufacturers should have the EV tyre that meets “desired performance” as a sustainable green product.

The best example would be Germany , that aims to have 14M electric cars in 2030 by having almost 30% share of total car and electric passenger car new sales would reach to 75-80%  of total cars sale in 2030. Those figures show how big opportunity is exist for EV tyre manufacturers for OE and replacement markets. In that respect, we should continue to improve New Product Development (NPD) process even harder by expanding R&D efforts.

Artificial Intelligence

One of the important breakthrough innovations is AI and now widely use in all industries. We have seen many new applications by using AI in tyre industry too. Some of the areas would be sensor adoptions, prediction of compound physical properties, data mining in production processes and performance predictions during service time such a wear life and others. As TIC, we see AI as a “white space” for tyre manufactures that needs special skills as well as knowledge to adapt AI to existing systems.

Dynamic Testing

This has been performed by many tyre manufacturers using different test methodologies  such as component level, Hil (Hardware-in-the-Loop), ViL (Vehicle-in-the-Loop) test during the development and test & verification states of the product. In addition to those currently available test technologies, there are new developments in testing, such as dynamic driving simulators, in other words DiL (Driver-in-the-Loop). This technology enables tyre manufacturer to test and verify their next-generation tyre designs in virtual environment using the vehicle digital twin, which replicates the actual vehicle including vehicle driving dynamics, with real driver interaction. The DiL will improve the development process and create new opportunities for tyre manufacturers as preferred one. TIC believes in “Speed to market with right solutions and innovation,” and ready to support you. Design & development process duration is getting more and more crucial and all manufacturers are trying to reduce it by using modern simulation and testing technics. We recommend adopting Virtual technology in order to provide the best service to your customers.

As a conclusion, tyre industry is facing a lot of challenges and having very dynamic competition, in that respect the tyre technology and tyre knowledge will be extremely important to compete in the future, more than at any time in the past.

TIC Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) have vast hands-on experiences for above topics and ready to support your activities. We provide specialised technical solutions for challenges and TIC guarantees a high standard of professional-ethical principles that we have kept and developed for years. (TT)

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Dunlop Tyres South Africa has appointed Marcia Noxolo Veronica Mayaba as its new commercial director, effective November 2025, as the company moves to sharpen its strategic execution in sales, retail, marketing and technical services.

Mayaba, one of South Africa’s most prominent automotive executives, brings decades of leadership experience and a resume marked by industry firsts including becoming the country’s first Black female CEO in automotive retail. Her previous roles span senior positions at Eqstra Fleet Management, Isuzu Motors South Africa, Lindsay Saker VW and Audi and Barloworld’s multi-brand operations.

The move forms part of Dunlop’s medium to long-term growth agenda as it competes for market share in a tightening industry landscape.

Lubin Ozoux, CEO of Dunlop Tyres South Africa said: “Marcia brings a distinctive  blend of empathy, strategic insight, and commercial acumen. Her passion for developing people, her deep understanding of the automotive ecosystem, and her commitment to ethical leadership align perfectly with Dunlop’s purpose-driven culture. We’re so excited to welcome her to the leadership team and look forward to the impact she will make in driving our business and dealer partnerships forward.”

Mayaba framed the appointment as both professional and personal, citing the automotive sector as a platform for economic mobility. “Dunlop embodies heritage, integrity and resilience, values that deeply resonate with me. My first meeting with Lubin and the Exco immediately felt like a fit a culture anchored in people, continuous improvement and long-term sustainability. Joining Dunlop is not just a career move; it’s a continuation of my purpose to build stronger, values-based ecosystems within the automotive landscape,” Mayaba said.

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Nokian Tyres gathered nearly 100 workshop representatives from five partner companies at the Hakka Ring, its year-round testing facility in Santa Cruz de la Zarza, Spain, to highlight its latest advances in all-season tyre technology and exchange views on market trends and industry challenges. The company said the test center, designed for all-weather performance evaluation, reflects its focus on safety, performance and sustainability throughout the year.

During the event, Iberia Country Manager Luis Miguel Cabanas presented brand updates, new product developments and future strategic direction. Partners were given the opportunity to drive the Seasonproof 2, the company’s newest all-season flagship tyre. Manufactured at Nokian Tyres’ zero carbon emissions factory in Romania, the Seasonproof 2 has been independently tested and verified by TUV SUD, Tyre Reviews and WhatTyre, and utilises up to 38 percent renewable, recyclable and ISCC PLUS–certified materials.

The tyre features the company’s latest innovations aimed at improving traction, precision and efficiency in varying conditions including technology designed to balance summer handling with winter grip, adaptive tread design for better performance in changing weather and a new compound optimised for durability, wet grip and fuel economy.

The event culminated with high-speed test runs on the 7-kilometre oval circuit with 40-degree banked corners, providing what the company described as an impressive demonstration of speed, control and overall driving performance. Nokian Tyres said the showcase strengthened relationships with key partners and reinforced its commitment to leading sustainable innovation in the all-season segment.

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Nokian Tyres gathered nearly 100 workshop representatives from five partner companies at the Hakka Ring, its year-round testing facility in Santa Cruz de la Zarza, Spain, to highlight its latest advances in all-season tyre technology and exchange views on market trends and industry challenges. The company said the test center, designed for all-weather performance evaluation, reflects its focus on safety, performance and sustainability throughout the year.

During the event, Iberia Country Manager Luis Miguel Cabanas presented brand updates, new product developments and future strategic direction. Partners were given the opportunity to drive the Seasonproof 2, the company’s newest all-season flagship tyre. Manufactured at Nokian Tyres’ zero carbon emissions factory in Romania, the Seasonproof 2 has been independently tested and verified by TUV SUD, Tyre Reviews and WhatTyre, and utilises up to 38 percent renewable, recyclable and ISCC PLUS–certified materials.

The tyre features the company’s latest innovations aimed at improving traction, precision and efficiency in varying conditions including technology designed to balance summer handling with winter grip, adaptive tread design for better performance in changing weather and a new compound optimised for durability, wet grip and fuel economy.

The event culminated with high-speed test runs on the 7-kilometre oval circuit with 40-degree banked corners, providing what the company described as an impressive demonstration of speed, control and overall driving performance. Nokian Tyres said the showcase strengthened relationships with key partners and reinforced its commitment to leading sustainable innovation in the all-season segment.

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Hankook Tire and Technology reported consolidated revenue of KRW 5.4127 trillion and operating profit of KRW 585.9 billion for the third quarter of 2025, the company said in a statement.

Tyre business sales rose 11.2 percent year-over-year to KRW 2.7070 trillion, while operating profit climbed 10.4 percent to KRW 519.2 billion, marking the company’s highest-ever quarterly performance.

Hankook attributed growth to stronger demand across global replacement and OE markets and a rising mix of high-inch tyres. Lower raw material and logistics costs helped cushion the impact of US automotive parts tariffs.

Hanon Systems, which has been fully consolidated into Hankook Tire’s results since the first quarter, generated KRW 2.7057 trillion in revenue, up 8.2 percent from a year earlier. Operating profit reached KRW 95.3 billion, an increase of 1.7 percent year-over-year and 48.2 percent quarter-over-quarter.

High-inch (18 inches and above) passenger car and light truck tyres accounted for 47.4 percent of segment sales in the quarter, up 2.6 percentage points from a year earlier. EV tyre sales represented 27 percent of the total, a 7-point increase year-over-year.

Hankook continued expanding OE fitments for premium EVs, citing supply agreements for the Porsche Macan, Xiaomi YU7, BMW iX, New i4 and New X3. The company now equips about 50 global automotive brands across more than 290 models.

Hankook’s EV-focused iON line-up and Ventus performance range won EV Tire of the Year and Performance Tire of the Year at the UK-based WhatTyre Awards, reinforcing its technology leadership.

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