Mega-trends are necessary indicators of the ebbs and flows of pop culture and different industries across the world. When it comes to the tire industry though, more drivers are switching to crossover utility vehicles or CUVs – starting a trend that has created a growing need for tires for these CUVs. In this episode of the Tire Review Continental Tire Garage Studio series, we discuss the popularity of CUVs and the growth of specific tire fitments for them.

Thanks to a shift to larger rim diameters in recent years, combined with a wide variety of consumer expectations for these versatile CUVs, tire fitments for these vehicles have become a bit more complicated from the dealer’s perspective.

After 2017, the first year that new crossover sales surpassed new car sales in North America, the need for CUV tires was evident. In fact in just two years, close to nine million new CUVs are projected to be sold, while only five million new cars will be sold, according to IHS Market. This will create an obvious rise in the need for CUV tires.

The buyer may not necessarily have the expenditure as the first thing on their mind when searching for their CUV tires. Tires for CUVs are expected to not only handle loads of added utility but do so with high expectations of comfort, sophistication and safety.