Eight decades after Nokian Tyres introduced its first winter tire, the Finnish company has announced the addition of five new products to its winter range. Three new tires have entered the Hakkapeliitta line-up; all three, the studded Hakkapeliitta 8 SUV and the Nokian Hakkapeliitta C3 and Hakkapeliitta CR3 van tires, are designed for use in Nordic conditions. Nokian has also expanded its Nordman range.
Nokian says the Nokian Hakkapeliitta 8 SUV brings grip and durability “like never before” to winter roads. Grip is aided by the ‘Nokian Eco Stud 8’ concept, which was first used in the Hakkapeliitta 8, and Nokian says materials used by the aerospace and defense industries optimize the new tire’s durability.
The studded Nokian Hakkapeliitta C3 makes everyday life easier for heavyweight professionals, opines the tiremaker. Nokian claims “supreme mobility in harsh winter conditions”, balanced grip and a stable driving feel. The non-studded Hakkapeliitta CR3 offers excellent winter grip and driving comfort, Nokian shares. The tyre uses the Nokian Cryo Crystal concept, which is already employed in the Nokian Hakkapeliitta R2 passenger car tire, to provide a sizeable increase in winter grip.
In addition to the three Hakkapeliitta tires, Nokian is also supplementing its Nordman family by introducing the Nokian Nordman 5 and Nokian Nordman 5 SUV studded tires for the B market segment.
“We are extremely happy about the enthusiasm that consumers have shown our new generation of Hakkapeliittas, which offers winter safety like never before,” says Kim Gran, president and CEO of Nokian Tyres. “Our success in magazine tests was also astounding. Nokian Hakkapeliitta 8 passenger car tire has won all but one of the magazine tests in the Nordic countries and Russia. The new products being introduced now utilize the same state of the art technology. These new winter products are the most modern in their fields, and their entire ranges will be available to new user groups during the autumn season of 2014.”
80 Years of Winter Tires
The growth of Nokian’s winter range coincides with what the tiremaker claims is the 80th anniversary of the introduction of the world’s first winter tire. In 1934, Nokian Tyres introduced the Kelirengas – ‘Weather Tire’ – for trucks. Two years later, Nokian’s engineers came up with a new solution for drivers of early passenger cars: the Lumi (Snow)-Hakkapeliitta. This tread pattern introduced on this tire remained a Nokian feature until the 1950s. (Tyres & Accessories)
