Falken Tire has expanded its product lines by adding Ohtsu branded tires, another member of the Sumitomo global family.

Founded in 1944, the Ohtsu brand became part of the Sumitomo lineup in 2003. This new multi-brand strategy, which began in 2010 with the addition of medium truck and bus lines of Ohtsu, will ultimately add the sister brand’s passenger and light truck tires, increasing Falken’s product offering and enhancing its position among its North American customer base, the tiremaker said.
 
On display at the Falken booth at the SEMA Show will be Ohtsu’s HP & UHP passenger car tire, the FP7000, and the all-terrain light truck AT4000 tire. These tires will be introduced to the North American market in 2012 by select Falken distributors.
 
“We have made a commitment to provide a wide variety of product to our customers,” said Andrew Hoit, Falken vice president of marketing. “Falken understands the growing pressures in the market that our customers are facing today and the Ohtsu products will offer a proven high quality tire at a very competitive price.
 
“The tire market continues to expand in terms of both demand and product offering. With a two-brand approach, we have twice the opportunity to offer our customers a tire they can purchase for their specific needs. We are confident the Ohtsu brand will quickly stand out as a complimentary choice to Falken and indeed fit very nicely into our total product profile.”