According to Hankook Tire’s vice president, Pae Ho-youl, green tires will be the tire industry’s “keyword” for some time to come. For this reason, the Korean company is making substantial investments in this area.
Pae recently told the Korea Times newspaper than Hankook had spent 20 billion won per annum while working on its enfren environmental tire, which was released in 2008 following two years’ of technical development. Now the tiremaker has previewed its latest version of the green tire, the enfren eco, at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas. Hankook says the enfren eco is designed with fuel-efficient vehicles, such as the Toyota Prius and Honda Civic Hybrid, in mind.
“Prior to a couple of years ago, consumers put their top priority on durability and wear and tear, but recently eco-friendliness has become a major factor in the selection of tires,” commented Pae. “Eco-friendly products have been the focal point of all industries, as well as the tire sector. Social responsibility for the environment has been a factor of corporate competitiveness, and providing an eco-friendly and fuel-efficient commodity has emerged as the global trend in the area.”
Pae also told the Korea Times that Hankook expects the proportion of global sales generated outside of Korea to increase from 70% to 80% by 2014, the year the company anticipates to become a global top-five manufacturer.
