Premium tyre manufacturer Hankook Tire’s associate brand Laufenn is celebrating 10-year milestone of the brand’s presence in Europe.

The brand started with passenger car tyres since 2015 and added commercial vehicle treads to its portfolio five years later. Laufenn today boasts market presence in over 100 countries, offering passenger car tyres in 341 sizes along with a commercial vehicle portfolio of 18 sizes. Hankook intends to boost marketing expenditures in order to raise awareness of its Laufenn brand. In addition, a new generation of passenger car treads for the summer and winter will soon be introduced. Laufenn will increase its market share and supply original equipment tyres to a European automaker in 2025, in addition to its current offering in the passenger car replacement market. Laufenn has also been an official sponsor of the UEFA Europa Conference League since the 2021/22 season, further emphasising its position in strategically important sales markets.

Laufenn first made its foray into the market with performance and touring summer tyres for passenger automobiles. The X Fit Van summer tyre for SUVs and passenger vehicles, as well as the i Fit, the first winter tyre for SUVs and passenger cars in Western and Central Europe, came next. The i Fit ICE, a studded winter tyre for passenger automobiles and SUVs, marked Laufenn's entry into the Northern and Eastern European markets over the ensuing time frame. All-season tyres are now part of the range in addition to summer and winter tyres. Laufenn unveiled the improved summer tyres S FIT EQ+ and G FIT EQ+ in 2020. Laufenn's total market share in Europe has increased fourfold since its launch.

Laufenn is also commemorating a significant milestone in the commercial vehicle tyre industry: the company has been providing truck, bus, and trailer treads throughout Europe for five years. In 2025, the 18 sizes that are now available in the commercial vehicle portfolio will be expanded to include additional sizes, beginning with the trailer tyres LF95 and LR02, which are 265/70 R19.5.

In an effort to further innovate the truck market, Laufenn is this year launching ‘Laufenn365’, a new digital platform that will make it easier to resolve unintentional damage claims for the company's commercial vehicle tyres and provide clients with additional insurance against unforeseen expenses. Initially, this platform will be available in the United Kingdom. Laufenn intends to reach further European markets with its smart product and tyre warranty. The launch of another affiliate brand, Optimo, is a recent illustration of Hankook's strategic brand growth. Optimo serves a market niche with increasing demand for passenger automobiles and enhances Hankook's sibling and premium brands.

Jongho Park, President and Chief Operating Officer, Hankook Tire Europe, said, “With our associate brand Laufenn, we offer tyres that deliver excellent value for money without compromising on safety, reliability and quality. Customers benefit from the many years of experience of the Hankook brand and get a product that meets the highest standards. This allows us to create a win-win situation in every respect.”

Jang Hyuk Moon, Vice President – Marketing Department, Hankook Tire Europe, said, “Laufenn has established itself as a strong associate brand to Hankook with a steadily expanding portfolio and growing international presence. The brand will continue to focus on quality and customer relationships in order to further build on its success.”

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Cooper Tires has strengthened its product offering in the Europe, Middle East and Africa region with the introduction of the Cooper Summer tyre range. This newly launched portfolio is specifically designed for passenger car and sport utility vehicle drivers seeking dependable, no-nonsense performance across a broad spectrum of summer road conditions. The lineup is purpose built without unnecessary frills, focusing squarely on reliable everyday driving.

The Cooper Summer range spans the ultra-high-performance, high-performance, and sport utility vehicle segments, delivering a balanced driving experience where it matters most. Key engineering priorities include energy efficiency, confident braking on wet surfaces and extended tread life. Every tyre in the lineup is engineered to maintain grip consistently over time, ensuring that vehicles can handle daily demands without sacrificing safety or longevity.

This product launch coincides with the rollout of Cooper Tires’ refreshed global brand identity, which draws on over a century of proven durability. The new visual branding underscores the company’s longstanding commitment to rugged reliability and hard-earned confidence, appealing to drivers who value substance over promotional claims. The Cooper Summer range embodies this philosophy by promising road-tested performance rather than empty marketing rhetoric.

The portfolio covers 162 stock keeping units across rim diameters from 14 to 22 inches, addressing 81 percent of the most sought-after fitments in the region. All tyres in the range are electric vehicle ready, reinforcing Cooper’s dedication to durable engineering for modern mobility. To achieve dependable summer performance, the tyre relies on a lightweight, optimised casing with advanced materials that reduce rolling resistance while maintaining high speed stability. An asymmetric tread pattern maximises road contact, and enlarged outer shoulder blocks improve braking stability, while well distributed grooves quickly evacuate water to reduce aquaplaning risks. Stiffer ribs and a balanced footprint promote even pressure distribution, reducing irregular wear, and the compound architecture preserves tread stiffness throughout the tire’s life.

Independent testing by the German publication Auto Motor und Sport in size 195/55R16 placed the Cooper Summer in seventh place with a good rating, praising its safe, precise and reliable handling on both wet and dry roads along with very good aquaplaning protection and rolling comfort. With speed ratings of H, V, W and Y, width ranges from 165 to 285 mm, and aspect ratios from 30 to 70, the Cooper Summer portfolio is positioned to support dealers through the 2026 summer season and beyond, proving that Cooper continues to deliver tough, well-engineered products for real world demands.

Ben Glesener, Senior Technology Director Product Development Consumer EMEA, said, “With the Cooper Summer range, we set out to build a summer portfolio drivers can rely on without hesitation. We engineered this portfolio around three benefits that matter most – energy efficiency, confident wet braking and strong tread wear – and made sure every element of the tyre works together to support them. From the asymmetric tread pattern to the lightweight yet robust casing, Cooper Summer delivers balanced performance without compromise. It’s a significant step forward for Cooper in EMEA, and a clear expression of what the brand stands for today: dependable performance, built with purpose.”

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Doublestar Tire, a leading Chinese tyre manufacturer, recently showcased its flagship products at the 139th China Import and Export Fair, also known as the Canton Fair, held in Guangzhou. The event reached a record scale, gathering exhibitors from over 210 countries and regions and highlighting cutting-edge technologies in advanced manufacturing, new energy and low-carbon environmental protection.

Doublestar presented three specialised tyres. The TBR mining tyre D170 was developed for complex mining conditions with enhanced wear, cut and puncture resistance. The new OTR tyre DFA603 offers high loading capacity, safety and durability, boosting support for construction machinery. The PCR star product DH03 provides superior road grip, low rolling resistance, fuel economy, reliable braking and reduced noise for driving comfort.

The company’s participation demonstrated its continuous research and innovation in professional fields and reaffirmed its commitment to overseas markets. Doublestar aims to provide safer, more energy-efficient and intelligent tyre products and travel solutions, earning widespread professional recognition.

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Continental is showcasing ‘The Sound of Premium’, an immersive installation, at Milan Design Week 2026 held at BASE Milano from 20 to 26 April. The experience translates the brand’s advanced tire engineering into a multisensory journey, redefining how urban mobility sounds. Key technologies on display included Continental’s noise-reducing ContiSilent and Urban Silent Technology, which actively lower rolling noise through sound-absorbing materials inside the tire and tread patterns optimised for city speeds.

Cities are dense with movement and noise, where even invisible elements like tyres shape the acoustic environment. Continental’s technologies reduce road noise at its source, enhancing both driving stability and interior comfort. The installation invites visitors to reconsider urban sound not as a nuisance to be eliminated but as an element that can be precisely engineered and controlled.

The exhibition unfolds in three distinct phases: chaos, harmony and quiet. Layered city sounds first create tension and disorientation, then gradually dissolve as rhythm and balance emerge. The journey ends in a state of calm defined not by silence alone but by acoustic precision. A tyre displayed as a design object underscores how engineering can improve urban well‑being.

An interactive installation of 25 touch points allows visitors to shape their own sound environment in real time, activating different acoustic layers through touch. Each participant creates a personal composition reflecting their rhythm and sensitivity. The resulting experience can be recorded and shared via QR code, extending the dialogue between technology and individual expression beyond the exhibition space.

As electric vehicles become more widespread, rolling noise has grown into a dominant source of urban traffic sound. Continental meets this challenge by applying its expertise at the tyre‑road interface, developing measurable reductions in interior noise. Through ‘The Sound of Premium’, the company positions silence not as emptiness but as a performance feature.

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Nokian Tyres plc has introduced a new long-term share-based incentive plan for management and key employees, as the company seeks to align executive rewards with shareholder returns.

The board of directors said the Performance Share Plan (PSP) would cover the company’s management and selected key personnel, with the aim of supporting shareholder value creation and reinforcing commitment to strategic objectives.

The plan, titled PSP 2026–2030, comprises three separate plan periods, each with a three-year performance cycle followed by the payment of potential share rewards. The start of each period will be determined by the board, and any rewards will be paid in company shares.

The first phase, PSP 2026–2028, will assess performance against three criteria: relative total shareholder return, weighted at 50 per cent; average return on capital employed (ROCE), at 40 per cent; and a 10 per cent weighting for reduction in Scope 1 and 2 carbon emissions intensity.

Subject to meeting these targets, rewards will be delivered by the end of April 2029.

The maximum number of shares that may be distributed under PSP 2026–2028 is 1,258,000, representing the gross value of the rewards before applicable taxes are deducted.

Approximately 100 participants are included in the first plan period, including the president and chief executive and members of the group management team.

Under the plan’s terms, participants who leave the company before rewards are paid will generally forfeit their entitlement.

The president and chief executive, together with other senior executives, must retain 25 per cent of the shares received until their personal shareholding equals their gross annual salary from the preceding year.

The board said no new shares are expected to be issued under the plan, meaning it is not anticipated to dilute the company’s existing share base.

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