Reading: US Tyres Shipments Plummet

By Denna Bowman

Figures revealing the US tyres shipments for the first half of 2009 may be the worst every, according to a new report.

Passenger, light truck and truck tyres shipments were down across the board for the first six months of the year, according to the Rubber Manufacturers Association (RMA).

The combined drop was almost 20% compared to the first half of 2008.

The data indicates that original equipment (OE) passenger tyres shipments plummeted a massive 54.3 per cent compared to the first six months of 2008.

By comparison, OE shipments for the first half of 2008 were down 10.8 per cent year-on-year.

The replacement tyres statistics were also grim, down 11.9 per cent against the same period last year. 2008’s first half saw shipments off a meager 0.7 per cent versus the first half of 2007.

Replacement and original equipment light truck tyre shipments were down 18.8% and 11.8%, respectively. Medium and heavy truck tyre shipments were down 21.7% and 45.5%, respectively.

Overall, the RMA’s Tyre Market Analysis Committee projects full-year tyre shipments will decline approximately 13% in 2009 compared to 2008.

This entry was posted on Thursday, December 17th, 2009 at 6:27 am and is filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.