Drumroll please…more awards for Kumho tyres. Hot on the heels of the Good Design awards in Japan for the Kumho Majesty 9 and Ecsta PA51 patterns and the iF Design awards in Germany for the Majesty 9 and WinterCraft Wi51, the three abovementioned tyres have all been honoured with the Good Design Award of North America.
In recent years, the products of Korean tyre producer Kumho Tire have received a number of iF, Red Dot, IDEA and Good Design awards. Now the company has added two more Good Design awards into its already bulging trophy cabinet. The patterns recognised on this occasion are both passenger car products – the Majesty 9 Solus TA91 and ECSTA PA51.
Fans of Czech First League club FK Mladá Boleslav will see a lot more of Kumho Tyre in future. As exclusive tyre partner for the coming three years, Kumho Tyre gains a logo presence on the back of players’ shirts and the front of their shorts during all First League and cup matches as well as on digital signage along the length of the playing field. The sponsorship arrangement also covers hospitality options and a presence within the club’s media activities.
The latest eco-friendly offering from Kumho is the Ecowing ES31. This successor to the KH27 is now available in a total of 46 sizes for 14- to 17-inch rim diameters, and around 70 percent of these carry an EU label grade of ‘B’ for rolling resistance. The sizes include all key fitments for bestselling small and medium-sized hatchbacks and saloons such as the VW Polo and Golf, Fiat 500, Audi A1, A2, A3 and A4, BMW 1 and 2 Series, Peugeot 208 and Renault Clio.
US-based industrial union the United Steelworkers reports that it now represents approximately 325 workers at the Kumho Tire factory in Macon, Georgia. The workforce’s status as a bargaining unit comes almost two years after an initial vote on the matter was held.
The Kia range recently grew with the arrival of the Seltos. The compact SUV officially debuted in India on 20 June, and in addition to spearheading Kia’s planned growth in that market, Seltos models will be exported around the world. The Seltos is heading our away soon and will reach Europe from September. It will be wearing Kumho tyres when it arrives in showrooms.
Kumho Tire has produced the world’s first 20-inch, 45 profile tyre for light commercial vehicles, and is supplying it as an original equipment fitment for the Hyundai H350 in global markets. Purchasers of the Hyundai van who select the Kumho tyre will receive the PorTran KC53 in size 245/45 R20 C 115/113R.
On 1 May, Namwook Jung took over as head of Kumho Tire Italia. He joined the Italian operation after leading the tyre maker’s business in Germany since December 2017.
The Korea Fair Trade Commission (KFTC) announced today that it has fined Kumho Tire and Nexen Tire for forcing South Korean retailers to sell tyres at or above specific set prices.
Kumho Tire reports that models of the BMW X3 manufactured at the BMW America plant in Spartanburg, South Carolina are being fitted with the Kumho Crugen HP91 as original equipment. The sport activity vehicle rides on the Crugen in size 245/50R19 105W; the tyres are manufactured at Kumho’s Gwangju plant in South Korea.
It may not be the best-selling Korean tyre brand worldwide, but at home Kumho outsells its domestic rivals. Data from the Korea Tire Manufacturers Association (KOTMA) indicates that 6.52 million replacement market Kumho tyres were sold in South Korea in 2018. This is more than 40 per cent of all locally-made tyres sold in the country.
Kumho Tire has once again been selected as an original equipment supplier to Mercedes-Benz. The latest generation of its G-Class model, produced in Graz, Austria, is factory fitted with Kumho’s Solus KL21 SUV tyres in size 265/60 R18 110H.
