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 CO2, 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)
Kuraray America's Project Kuralytix Secures Finalist Spot In 2026 IChemE Global Awards
- By TT News
- November 12, 2026
Kuraray America, Inc. has announced that Project Kuralytix has secured a finalist position in the 2026 IChemE Global Awards, a competition run by the Institution of Chemical Engineers. The entry, officially titled ‘Project Kuralytix: Unifying Five Legacy Systems for Predictive Reliability at Kuraray America’, sits among six shortlisted candidates in the Digitalization, AI and Automation Award category, which celebrates creative deployment of digital tools across chemical engineering.
The La Porte, Texas, facility serves as the backdrop for this initiative, which takes on a persistent industry hurdle: making sense of enormous volumes of operational and reliability data so that decisions can be reached swiftly and with greater confidence. Through a partnership with Pinnacle and its Newton platform, five formerly siloed systems were merged into one cohesive reliability platform. The blending of machine learning with quantitative reliability optimisation empowers teams to forecast equipment breakdowns, weigh their potential operational fallout, sequence maintenance tasks and channel resources towards maximum benefit.
Demonstrated results underscore how analytics can reshape manufacturing reliability management. The effort revealed avenues for trimming process-related reliability losses and assisted in sidestepping production interruptions by flagging equipment decay earlier. Reliability calculations that once consumed days now finish in minutes, while maintenance strategy shifts from reactive, time-based choices toward proactive, data-driven reliability management. Taken together, these improvements reinforce asset reliability, bolster process safety and yield quantifiable operational value.
Kuraray America conveyed pride in earning international acknowledgment alongside fellow organisations propelling chemical engineering innovation. The distinction reflects the teamwork, technical proficiency, and commitment of the La Porte team and its Pinnacle collaborators, whose efforts brought Project Kuralytix to fruition. The company voiced gratitude to all contributors to the project's development and rollout, citing Charles Neal, Daniel Velasquez, Jennifer Lawrence and Kevin Birkby.
Yokohama Tire Recalls 610 GEOLANDAR M/T G003 Tyres Over Sidewall Compound Defect
- By TT News
- November 12, 2026
Yokohama Tire Corporation has notified NHTSA of a voluntarily recall covering two sizes of its GEOLANDAR M/T G003 Light Truck tyre line. The affected sizes are LT245/75R16 120/116Q and LT285/70R17 121/118Q, produced at the company's Mie Plant in Japan from 31 May to 6 June 2026. Approximately 610 tyres are believed to be involved in the action.
Initiated in accordance with NHTSA regulations, the recall stems from the possible use of an improper compound in the sidewall during manufacturing. Reduced adhesion could lead to carcass-ply separation, air leakage or rapid air loss. Such loss of inflation pressure may diminish vehicle control and heighten crash risk.
Enviro Adopts Revised Reorganisation Plan With Reclassified Creditor Groups
- By TT News
- November 12, 2026
Scandinavian Enviro Systems AB (publ) has adopted a revised reorganisation plan proposal, including a debt settlement, as it continues through company reorganisation proceedings that began on 27 February 2026. The new proposal supersedes the version published on 26 August 2026 and centres chiefly on reclassifying affected parties into groups. The reorganisation, initiated by a Gothenburg District Court decision, has been extended twice, most recently until 27 November 2026.
The earlier plan was circulated to affected parties in late August, and feedback received since then, together with the Company's own deliberations, prompted the revised submission. Under the new classification, five groups remain, but the former Group A – comprising creditors asserting a right of retention – has been removed, with those creditors moved into the non-preferential category. Group A now contains only the Company's auditor, PwC, whose statutory audit claim is treated as preferential and slated for full payment. Enviro has asked the retention-asserting creditors to substantiate their rights without success, and it considers preferential treatment unwarranted, especially as the property concerned holds no going-concern value for the Company.
The settlement terms for remaining creditors are untouched: public-law claimants and non-related non-preferential creditors are offered 30 percent, while related creditors receive nothing. Payments fall due within three months of the plan gaining final, non-appealable status, though disputed claims await final resolution or binding settlement. Financing comes from a convertible loan and warrants arrangement concluded with Nordic Restructuring and Growth Capital 1 on 26 August 2026, with SEK 35 million earmarked for the settlement as new financing carrying a general right of priority.
The revisions aim to produce a grouping that accurately mirrors creditors' legal standing, thereby yielding a plan capable of adoption by affected parties and confirmation by the district court. The revised proposal will accompany the reorganisation administrator's report when sent to affected parties, and Enviro plans to seek plan proceedings shortly, at which point voting will take place. The full revised plan will be available on the company website.
GitiSport e.GTR2 Pro Claims Guinness World Records Title With 503.17 kmph Run
- By TT News
- November 11, 2026
Giti Tire has secured a Guinness World Records title for the highest speed achieved by electric vehicle tyres, following a run in which its specially engineered GitiSport e.GTR2 Pro tyres reached 503.17 kmph (312.65 mph). The record was set on 1 November 2026 on a specially secured section of the Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed International Road (E11) in Abu Dhabi’s Al Dhafra Region, surpassing the previous benchmark of 496.22 kmph set at ATP Papenburg in Germany in September 2025.
The achievement was marked on 6 November 2026 at a ‘Celebration of Speed’ event at Burj Khalifa in Dubai, where Dr Enki Tan, Executive Chairman of Giti Tire Group, received the official Guinness World Records certificate. German professional racing driver Marc Basseng drove the YANGWANG U9 Xtreme during the record-setting attempt.
The GitiSport e.GTR2 Pro resulted from more than three years of collaborative development, engineering innovation and rigorous testing. Designed to withstand the extreme forces of an electric hypercar producing over 3,000 PS, the bespoke tyre features high-strength aramid fibre reinforcement and a specialised racing profile. Giti’s engineers worked closely with YANGWANG and Basseng throughout the programme, refining performance according to vehicle dynamics, aerodynamic changes and driving feedback, and further optimised the tyres for the Abu Dhabi highway conditions with critical technical support.
For Giti Tire, the title reflects the strength of its international research and development network, technical expertise and ability to collaborate with leading manufacturers on demanding projects. With 75 years of tyre manufacturing experience and a presence in more than 130 countries, the company continues advancing engineering capabilities across passenger car, commercial vehicle and high-performance tyres. Its expertise is recognised through extensive Original Equipment partnerships, and lessons from extreme-speed projects contribute to wider development priorities including braking, handling, comfort, efficiency and durability.
Basseng said, “When you're pushing the limits of speed, confidence is everything. Having worked closely with Giti's engineers throughout this journey, I've developed tremendous trust in their expertise, dedication and attention to detail. Knowing that every detail had been carefully tested, checked and prepared gave me the confidence to focus entirely on driving and push beyond what we had previously achieved.”
Dr Tan said, “This will be marked as a true Milestone in Automotive history, going beyond 500kmph in an electric vehicle is an industry game changer. Giti and YANGWANG have together pushed beyond the limits of technology to attain the ‘Highest Speed Achieved by Electric Vehicle Tires’. This achievement is a testament to innovation, dedication and the relentless pursuit of excellence demonstrated by our global research and development teams. We engineer tyres that perform under the most extreme conditions. Beyond setting records, this partnership reinforces our commitment to advancing tyre technology, delivering innovative solutions for the evolving automotive industry and inspiring greater confidence in the Giti brand among vehicle manufacturers and motorists worldwide.”
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