WAYNE, N.J., December 14, 2011 – Hankook Tire, the seventh-largest and one of the fastest growing tire companies in the world, announced today that it has reached $1 billion in U.S. FY 2011 sales as of December 13th, 2011 for the first time in its thirty year history in the United States.
Hankook Tire has established itself as a leading tire brand in the U.S. market through the use of advanced technology, product development initiatives and an aggressive brand building strategy. Throughout 2011 the company released a number of new innovative tires including the enfren eco (Eco-Friendly All-Season Performance) low rolling resistance tire, the OPTIMO H426 (Luxury Performance Touring All-Season) tire and the Dynapro HT (Premium Highway All-Season) tire for light trucks and SUVs. 2011 also saw Hankook’s AH24 (Premium Regional Steer/All Position) commercial tire verified by the U.S. Environmental Agency’s SmartWay Technology Program, bringing Hankook’s number of SmartWay verified tires to six.
To further brand awareness in the United States, Hankook Tire has expanded its behind home plate advertising activities with professional baseball to twenty two Major League Baseball ballparks, become an official sponsor of the Formula Drift motorsports series, established a billboard in New York City’s Times Square, launched its new “Be One with It” television and print advertising campaign and recently signed an agreement to advertise with men’s college basketball as part of nine pre-season tournaments during 2011.
“Our continued strong growth in the U.S. market is driven by our investment in R&D, industry leading product lines and technology, and the support of our dedicated customers,” said Mr. Soo Il Lee, President, Hankook Tire America Corp. “To reach the $1 billion sales mark for the first time in our history is a testament to our collective efforts in all facets of our business, from product development to sales and marketing. What makes this achievement still more special is that 2011 marks Hankook Tire’s 30th anniversary in the United States. We continue to see many opportunities to build on this success and look forward to achieving even greater results in 2012.”
Hankook Tire also recently entered into several new original equipment fitment agreements with leading car manufacturers including BMW and Toyota. These agreements add to the number of fitments Hankook has with leading global automobile manufactures on vehicles such as the Lincoln MKT, Ford F-150 and Explorer, the Chevrolet Equinox, the GMC Terrain, the Volkswagen Passat, the Hyundai Sonata, the Kia Opitma and many more.
About Hankook Tire America Corp.: Hankook Tire America Corp. is a growing leader in the U.S. tire market, leveraging investments in technology, manufacturing and marketing to deliver high quality, reliable products that are better for consumers and the environment. Headquartered in Wayne, N.J., Hankook Tire America Corp. markets and distributes a complete line of high performance and ultra-high performance passenger tires, light truck, SUV tires, as well as medium truck and bus tires to more than 400 independent dealers through 3000+ retail sales locations in the United States.
From Tyler Depina / Brodeur on behalf of Hankook
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