Apparently, tyres are a hot item on Christmas present wish-lists for motorists this year.

According to a recent survey by Hankook, 84 percent of survey respondents would not mind receiving tyres as a gift and 35 percent would actually “love it.”

Every quarter Hankook Tire America Corp surveys 1,000 people on their attitudes and opinions about all things related to tyres and driving. The winter installment of the survey, conducted the week of November 21st, probed consumer attitudes about winter driving, along with what is on their minds as they set out for holiday shopping and travel.

Not surprisingly, 82 percent of consumers who will drive in icy and snowy conditions this winter are concerned about winter driving, with 63 percent most concerned about skidding on icy roadways, the survey concluded. But only 8 percent said they are driving with winter tyres on their vehicles.

A new set of tyres for Christmas would be helpful for about 40 percent of the survey respondents who plan to take at least one holiday road trip—and of those, nearly half plan on driving over 500 miles to reach their destination. About 69 percent said they checked their tyre pressure in the past month.

Denna Bowman, Head Office

By Denna Bowman

Hankook is set to present its latest tyres along with its cutting-edge solutions for the current trends and challenges in the industry at a leading motor show later this month.

The south Korean tyres manufacturer, which is celebrating its 70th anniversary this year, will be exhibiting at the International Automobile Exhibition in Frankfurt from 13th to 25th September.

“Driving Emotion” is the theme of the event and Hankook will showcase world premieres in the fields of Premium and Eco-Performance as well as aerodynamic tyres and present, among other highlights.

Its focus theme for the event will be theme ‘electro mobility’.

Motorsport shall also take centre stage at the Hankook stand as it continues to be the exclusive tyre supplier to the most popular worldwide touring car series, the DTM.

Its partnership with the DTM has proved to be a successful season so far as with its tyres proving their capabilities and performing well for the series premium automobile manufacturers Audi, Mercedes-Benz, and as of 2012, BMW.

Hankook has got the bit between its teeth when it comes to ensuring owners of horseboxes and trailers make sure their tyres are safe and legal.

After the tyres manufacturers recent partnership with the Royal International Horse Show at Hickstead earlier this month it has revealed some worrying concerns over the tyre maintenance of these vehicles.

According to the company, last year alone tyre failures accounted for approximately 30 per cent of all horsebox breakdowns at the roadside, many of which could probably have been avoided. I

No in an effort to raise standards of tyre maintenance amongst the horse riding community, Hankook has published the following advice:

Inspect your tyres: Before setting off on any journey make sure you inspect your tyres for any damage and wear such as cuts, bulges and cracks.

Maintaining the correct tyre pressure: Ensure you regularly check your tyre pressures as this can cause irregular wear, reduced grip to the road, heavy steering and increased fuel consumption. It is advisable that you check your tyre pressures weekly or before you embark on a long journey. Make sure you do this when your tyres are cold so you receive an accurate reading. You can find the correct tyre pressure in the manufacturers log book or by visiting your local tyre dealer who can provide you with advice accordingly. It is also worth noting that trailer tyres often require an increased tyre pressure than that of a lorry or car.

Tyre tread: The deeper the tread the more grip you have to the road. For vehicles and trailers up to 3500kg (gross vehicle weight) the legal limit for minimum depth of the tread on your tyres is 1.6mm across the central ¾ of the tyre width. For all vehicles above this weight including horseboxes the minimum tread depth is 1mm. It is however recommended that you replace them before they reach this stage of wear as the performance of the tyre will be reduced significantly.

Spare tyre: Often, one of the main problems can be found with the poor maintenance of the spare tyre. Usually this is placed hidden away and can deteriorate becoming useless when it is called upon for use. Having a well maintained spare tyre can help to avoid unnecessary waiting at the roadside as those without must then quickly locate an appropriate tyre.

Overloading: Your tyres bear the whole weight of both your vehicle and its load. It is very important to ensure that you are not overloading your vehicle or trailer and that you are distributing the load evenly. Overloading has the same effect on your tyres as under inflation, causing rapid wear of the tyre and increased fuel consumption.

With the football season about to kick off, Hankook has announced it is the latest tyres manufacturer to team up with a Premiership football team to raise its brand profile.

The South Korean tyres manufacturer has just announced plans to add sponsorship deals with football teams in the UK, France and Sweden to its 2011/2012 marketing strategy.

Hankook will have prominent advertising displays at the “Stadium of Light”, home of the Sunderland AFC.

According to the company, football sponsorship and advertising activities in Europe secure Hankook’s visibility in a premium sporting environment that “perfectly matches the emotionalism and dynamic of the tyre manufacturer’s sporty young brand.”

Hee-Se Ahn, vice president marketing and sales Hankook Tire Europe, “Our football engagement is an important part of our marketing communications, particularly with the living, breathing emotionality of this sport in mind which perfectly matches our company’s philosophy “Driving Emotion”.

“Football is one of the most popular sports in Europe and is exceptionally well suited to effectively reach out to our important target groups and increase our brand awareness. With this we are also aiming to support our retail partners.”

Jin-Wook Choi, Hankook Tire Executive Vice President and chief operation officer for Hankook Tire Europe, added: “Hankook has seen a steady and sustainable growth over the past couple of years, especially in the European markets.

“We are taking that into account not only by expanding our production capacities, for example the considerable expansion of our high-end European manufacturing-site, but also with a significant intensification of our marketing activities especially in our European key markets.”

Denna Bowman, Head Office

By Denna Bowman

Hankook tyres announced record-breaking second quarter sales on the back of high-profile motorsport sponsorship and ‘increased recognition’ of the quality of its tyres, especially in the ultra high performance market.

Global sales reached £917 million, a rise of 21 per cent year-on-year and the company’s best ever quarter, according to a report in Tyres and Accessories.

Hankook experienced the greatest growth in the emerging Russian market, where Hankook nearly doubled its sales. In other major territories, sales grew by between a third and a half, with European figures up an impressive 49.8 per cent.

The South Korean tyre manufacturer said its figures demonstrate the “increased recognition” of the quality of its tyres, as the ultra high performance segment outstripped total sales growth in its major markets, most notably in Europe, where the Korean manufacturer sold 89.6 per cent more UHP tyres year on year.

Seung Hwa Suh, Vice Chairman & CEO of Hankook Tire, said: “Hankook Tire continues to achieve a surge in sales in the second quarter, overcoming the various challenges in the current tyre market. Such accomplishments were possible through the global customers’ trust in Hankook’s quality products fulfilled by ongoing R&D efforts. We look forward to building a stronger momentum to become one of the global leading tyre companies in the near future, through continuous focus on enhancing Hankook’s brand value and increasing customer satisfaction.”

Hankook stated that “positive events including the company’s 70th anniversary, new plant investments, and the company’s DTM sponsorship” gave it the momentum to set new sales records in 2011.

“This was also driven by its diversification of markets as well as ongoing efforts to improve productivity and develop new products,” the company’s statement continued.

“Upgraded brand value helped achieve excellent business performance both in the emerging and developed markets. One of the emerging markets Russia had a drastic increase with 96.6 per cent sales growth from last year’s second quarter. Continuous growth was also achieved in Europe, North America, and the Asia Pacific regions, marking 49.8, 36.0, and 43.7 per cent YoY increases respectively.”

Hankook has been announced as an Associate Sponsor of the 2012 Motoring Oscar’s - the What Car? Car of the Year Awards.

The South Korean tyres manufacturer is also to lined up to sponsor the Ultra Low Carbon Award Category.

Andrew Golby, publishing director of What Car?, said: “We’re delighted to welcome Hankook as a partner of the What Car? Awards.

“Like us, they recognise the increasing importance of low-carbon vehicles, and our readers feel the same way. Car buyers are placing an increasing priority upon energy-efficient technologies, and look to What Car? for guidance. The ultra-low-carbon category is an accolade that every manufacturer will be keen to win, and we look forward to announcing the result of our judging next January.”

Tony Lee, Managing Director Hankook UK, added: “Hankook are pleased to become Associate Sponsor of the What Car? 2012 awards, and to also sponsor the Ultra-Low-Carbon category which is very much in line with the launch of our new Kinergy Eco tyre range.

“Looking after the environment and reducing our CO2 footprint are becoming an increasing concern for today’s consumer.

“The Kinergy Eco tyre combines the very latest materials, like silica nanoparticles, which are not commonplace in this segment, and cutting-edge compound technologies. This has allowed Hankook to reduce the rolling resistance of the Kinergy Eco by 12 percent. The energy savings is reflected in lower fuel consumption, thereby contributing to an improved overall CO2 footprint.”

The benefits of the sponsorship agreement includes the alignment with the most authoritative and trusted brand in motoring, brand positioning and awareness to an audience of key influencers and decision makers from the motoring industry.

The What Car? Car of the Year Awards are acknowledged by many as the UK Motoring Oscars. It is the automotive industry’s best known and most influential awards ceremony and the event is coveted by car makers both in the UK and overseas.

The What Car? awards issue is a key influencer for consumers in their car buying decision making process and is the brands best selling issue and driver of website traffic.

The event is to be held at the Grosvenor House Hotel, Park Lane in London on the 11th January with top class entertainment yet to be announced. Previous headline acts have included Jonathan Ross, Jimmy Carr, Al Murray and Jo Brand.

Hankook tyres has just launched a new micro site and YouTube page dedicated to its ever-increasing motorsport activities and engagements.

The action-packed website runs reports and info on the various championships sponsored by the tyres manufacturer, including the DTM (Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters), LeMans, VLN, Super GT, Formula D, Time Attack Series and CRC (China Rally Championship).

It’s also packed with photos and videos, plus downloadable wallpaper images.

The “Hankook Competition” microsite is located at hankooktiremotorsports.com or alternatively can be found by clicking the ‘motorsport’ link on the company’s main homepage.

The exciting new YouTube channel (youtube.com/user/HankookEUHQ) also runs films and short documentaries about the various racing series it sponsored.

The YouTube page also offers fans the opportunity to interact with the tyre manufacturer and other motorsport enthusiasts directly as all videos can be publicly commented upon.

He-See Ahn, vice president of marketing and sales at Hankook Tire Europe, said: “We have significantly expanded our motorsport engagement in 2011.

“Since the beginning of the year, we are the exclusive tyre provider to the DTM and have successfully completed the first couple of races. Hankook wants to share these experiences with our fans and give them the opportunity to be a part of it.”

“The YouTube channel and our new microsite open up new opportunities to get in touch with our customers. We feel this is a great opportunity for us and we plan to make more use of it moving forward.”

Denna Bowman, Head Office

By Denna Bowman

Hankook tyres is celebrating its 70th anniversary by concentrating on its sustained growth.

The South Korean tyres manufacturer is one of the fastest growing tyre companies in the world and is determined to build on its success.

Jin-Wook Choi, Hankook’s European chief, commented: “In the 70th year of our existence, we want to lay the strategic foundation stone for the next seven decades together with our customers.

“To this end, we have considerably intensified our investments in the areas of branding, products and services to help us on our way to becoming a leading global company in every respect.”

Hankook is developing two additional global production facilities to cope with increased demand and is also investing in a new global research center.

The company is also raising its brand profile through motorsport events, including the DTM touring car series and the Le Mans 24 Hour Race.

He-See Ahn, vice president of sales and marketing at Hankook Tyre Europe, added: “Europe is our company’s biggest market and thanks to the well-renowned high quality of our products, we have been able to grow significantly here in the past years.

“As a recognisable European tyre manufacturer, we will continue to invest in our presence in Europe. For example, with the soon to be completed capacity expansion of our Hungarian plant, this will enable us to reduce our delivery times and tailor our products more efficiently to the needs of the steadily increasing number of satisfied Hankook customers in Europe.”

Congratulations to Hankook tyres for a thrilling debut at the start of the new DTM season.

The South Korean tyres manufacturer helped make the Hockenheim event - which pulled in 58,000 spectators - an action-packed race.

Winner Bruno Spengler enthused: “My team has provided me with a great car and carried out the pit stops at the right moment. The Hankook tyres were also very good. Even though we are running a lot over the kerbs here at Hockenheim, the tyres remained consistent. That is really very goo.”

Ralf Schumacher, who finished in third, added: “Special thanks to Hankook! Somehow that seems to help a little bit. I think it is not natural for a new tyre manufacturer comes into a series and deliver a good and consistent tyre. Here at Hockenheim, we we had no problems at all during testing and racing. Thanks to Hanook for being here with us. I think this is a really good addition for the DTM.”

Alex Kapadia, Operations Team

Interesting article in the ft.com a couple of days ago, detailing how Hankook tyres is setting its sights on
Formula One as a means to boosting its brand appeal.

The South Korean tyres manufacturer has seen how British racing driver Paul di Resta used his championship victory in last year’s Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters to catapult him into F1 this season.

Now Hankook is set to replace Dunlop as the official tyre supplier to DTM, a Europe-wide tour of 10 races, from next month and it views this as a possible springboard for succeeding Pirelli as the F1 supplier from 2014, when the Italian company’s three-year contract is up.

According to ft.com: “Pushing to win greater Asian sponsorship, Bernie Ecclestone, F1’s commercial supremo, invited Hankook to supply F1 tyres last year. Cho Hyun-bum, the company’s chief financial officer, regretted that Mr Ecclestone’s eight-month time frame made it “physically impossible” to build the required extra capacity but vowed Hankook would be ready next time.”

However he revealed in the article: “We are keen to do it and DTM is a logical stepping stone.”

According to the report: “Hankook is targeting blue-riband motorsport to address its greatest commercial weakness: poor brand value in developed markets. Mr Cho concedes that DTM and F1 are not profitable in terms of tyre sales, but are priceless for its attempt to narrow the gap with Michelin and Bridgestone in premium markets, where margins are more alluring.”

Alex Kapadia, Operations Team