Happy birthday, Laufenn. The Hankook Tire brand is celebrating ten years in Europe in 2025 with a range that has grown to 321 sizes for passenger vehicles and 18 for commercial vehicles. In this anniversary year, Laufenn will further expand its portfolio and, significantly, gain a foothold in Europe’s original equipment car tyre market.
Hankook Tire & Technology will showcase its portfolio of Hankook and Laufenn commercial vehicle tyres at the Road Transport Expo trade show, which takes place at the NAEC Stoneleigh in Warwickshire between 24 and 26 June. The tyre maker will also highlight the new Laufenn365 digital platform.
Hankook Tyre UK has introduced Laufenn365, a new digital platform designed to streamline damage claims for its secondary tyre brand, Laufenn. Hankook guarantees Laufenn TBR tyres against accidental damage, offering a refund under its damage warranty for protection against unexpected costs.
Hankook has launched its Laufenn brand in North Africa, pitching it primarily at commercial vehicle customers and fleets with a video made at transport exhibition given in local languages and distributed via social media. Guy Heywood, vice president of Hankook Europe, introduced the brand, which is already present in European markets, to potential commercial vehicle and fleet customers saying: “we want to offer the [best] tyre option…”.
Immediately following the conclusion of the 2023/24 season UEFA Europa League Final at the Aviva Stadium, Dublin, a somewhat unexpected 3-0 win for Gian Piero Gasperini’s Atalanta over Xabi Alonso’s otherwise undefeated Bayer Leverkusen team, official global sponsor Hankook Tire announced that it will extend its partnership with the competition and the lower tier Conference League, via its Laufenn brand, for a further three-year deal. The new deal extends to at least the end of the 2026/27 season the Korean tyre manufacturer’s relationship with the UEFA competitions, which debuted in 2012. The partnership is already the Europa League’s longest. Both the UEFA Europa League and the Conference League are expanding in the 2024/25 season, affording the Hankook and Laufenn brands increased exposure thanks to a revamped league phase. The showpiece event in Dublin offered a great spectacle on the European stage to Hankook, which has hosted corporate guests all around the continent as well as displayed its branding prominently across the continent as a result of its sponsorship deal this season.
Visitors to three trucking events taking place in the UK this summer will have the opportunity to get better acquainted with the Hankook and Laufenn truck tyre ranges. In addition to continuing its support of the Devon and Cornwall shows, as of this year Hankook Tyre UK has announced its sponsorship of the Best of the Best event.
Hankook Tire is expanding its Laufenn portfolio with the LF95, a trailer tyre it has designed to deliver “impressive mileage” in regional haul applications and various road conditions. This latest product from Hankook’s second-line brand is available in a regroovable size 385/65R22.5.
First presented at the SEMA show in Las Vegas back in 2014 and subsequently launched in Europe and dozens of other markets, Laufenn is Hankook Tire’s second brand. After introducing Laufenn to the world, Hankook is now bringing the brand home and offering it in South Korea for the first time. By debuting Laufenn locally, the tyre maker aims to “further accelerate” its domestic market penetration with a multi-brand strategy that satisfies “the diverse tastes of consumers.”
Hankook Tire has extended its commitment to the UEFA Europa League for a further three years. This third renewal of the tyre maker’s sponsorship covers the period until the end of the 2023/24 season and additionally includes the new for 2021 UEFA Europa Conference League. It will sponsor this competition via its Laufenn tyre brand. Hankook and UEFA jointly announced the partnership’s extension and Laufenn’s Europa Conference engagement following the 2021/22 UEFA Europa League group stage draw.
Next week the Commercial Vehicle Show returns to the NEC in Birmingham after a year’s absence, and Hankook Tire will be present as an exhibitor. The tyre maker will debut two new products for European markets during the show, the Hankook SmartFlex AH51 and DH51 steer and drive tyres.
This summer, Hankook Tyre UK will exhibit its growing range of truck, bus and van tyres, including the new Laufenn truck tyre range, at the Commercial Vehicle Show. The UK’s largest and most comprehensive road transport and commercial vehicle event will take place between 31 August and 2 September; Hankook can be found in Hall 5, at stand 5B50.
Hankook has launched a new all-season tyre for cars and small-to-medium sized SUVs under its Laufenn brand. The Laufenn G FIT 4S features widening grooves and a high grip silica compound for year-round European driving. Hankook is developing its second-line Laufenn brand globally in the consumer and commercial segments, offering an attractive price-performance ratio. The Laufenn G FIT 4S has been developed for price-conscious drivers, allowing them to avoid seasonal tyre changes, while offering solid all-weather performance.
Hankook’s global launch of Laufenn brand commercial vehicle tyres, targeting the segment’s second tier, represents a substantial development for the company’s commercial vehicle tyre business. For the UK market in which Hankook is a leader in terms of sales, the initial nine Laufenn patterns cover more than 85 per cent of tyres in the market for goods and people transportation, as well as construction truck tyres. Most sizes also offer the three peak mountain snowflake (3PMSF) marking for use in winter conditions. The Laufenn range was due to be presented in the UK at the Commercial Vehicle Show, before the Birmingham NEC event was cancelled due to the pandemic. Tyres & Accessories took the opportunity of the launch to speak to Guy Heywood, Hankook’s European marketing and strategy director for its truck and bus business, and UK sales director Paul Emery about the addition of Laufenn to the manufacturer’s European commercial vehicle tyre portfolio, Hankook’s position as a leading player in the segment, and its response to the coronavirus crisis and the financial headwinds emanating from the pandemic.
The launch of the second-line Laufenn brand onto the European commercial vehicle tyre market has rounded out Hankook’s offer to fleet customers. Offering a second tier brand – alongside a growing retreading programme via its Alphatread range – can both allow the manufacturer a more extensive product range to cater to each customer’s entire fleet, and also allow Hankook to capitalise on the growing interest in more value-oriented products. The new tyres, which give Laufenn itself impressive market coverage, also help to emphasise one of Hankook’s competitive advantages; the proportion of products under three years old in its TBR portfolio. The timing of the launch could also help to address the economic strife felt by the logistics sector in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. Featured in the September issue of Tyres & Accessories, we spoke with Guy Heywood, Hankook’s European marketing and strategy director for its truck and bus business, and UK sales director Paul Emery about how the introduction of Laufenn will help to develop the tyre manufacturer’s commercial business in the UK and Europe.
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Hankook has introduced a new line of Laufenn brand commercial vehicle tyres in the UK. With Laufenn the Korean tyre manufacturer targets the second tier of the market. Hankook initially launches Laufenn in the UK with nine patterns covering more than 85 per cent of tyres in the market for goods and people transportation, as well as construction truck tyres. Hankook adds that most sizes offer the three peak mountain snowflake (3PMSF) marking for use in winter conditions. The Laufenn CV tyre range was due to be presented in the UK at the Commercial Vehicle Show, before the Birmingham NEC event was cancelled due to the pandemic.
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