In 2024, the import volume of tires in the United States increased by 7.3% year-on-year
The latest data shows that in 2024, the United States imported a total of 273 million tires, an increase of 7.3% year-on-year.
The United States used to be one of the most important markets for Chinese tire exports, but now, Chinese tires are gradually being cleared out of the US market.
1. Historical review: the whole story of the special protection case of tires (2009-2012)
June 29, 2009 - The United States International Trade Commission (ITC) recommended the implementation of a special tariff (55%/45%/35%) on Chinese passenger car tires that decreases year by year on the grounds of "market disruption", which broke the tradition of cautious use of "special protection measures" under the WTO framework.
September 11, 2009 - The Obama administration officially signed the special protection order, and the Sino-US tire trade war officially broke out. This case became:
The first special safeguard measure against China in the Obama era
The largest single commodity trade sanction China has encountered since joining the WTO
Affecting the tire trade flow worth $1.7 billion
September 5, 2011 - The WTO dispute settlement body ruled in favor of the United States, setting three dangerous precedents:
Relaxed the criteria for identifying "market disruption"
Recognized the rationality of "transitional protection" of unilateral tariffs
Weakened special treatment for developing countries
2. Trump era: comprehensive escalation of trade war (2018-2020)
After the outbreak of the Sino-US trade war in 2018, the tire industry suffered a triple blow:
Tariff nuclear explosion: 25% punitive tariffs cover all categories of tires. After adding the original anti-dumping duties, the comprehensive tax rate of Chinese tires generally exceeds 50%
Supply chain reconstruction: US buyers launched the "China + 1" strategy, and leading companies such as Double Coin and Linglong were forced to build new production capacity in Thailand and Vietnam
Technology blockade: The US Department of Commerce included nanomaterials and intelligent tire pressure monitoring systems for tires on the export control list
3. 2024: China's tire industry under global encirclement
Trump signed an executive order in the first month of his second term in office, forming a "tariff combination "Fist":
Basic tariff: Maintain 25% Section 301 tariff
New tariff: 10% special tax for all categories
Traceability mechanism: 6-month traceability tax for re-exports through third countries
4. Dilemma of industrial transformation and breakthrough path
Existing challenges:
Capacity transfer cost: The average investment payback period of new factories in Southeast Asia has been extended to 8.2 years (three times more than that in China)
Technology generation gap: 235 patent barriers have been built by Michelin, Goodyear and other companies for EV-specific tire patents
Brand value trap: Overseas markets are still trapped in the "high cost-effectiveness" positioning, and the average selling price is 38% lower than that of international brands
Strategic breakthrough point:
M&A breakthrough: Acquire European second-tier brands (such as Germany's Fulda) to obtain channels and certification qualifications
Material revolution: Promote the industrialization of dandelion rubber (Linglong has built a thousand-ton production line)
Service reconstruction: Establish a tire-as-a-service (TaaS) model to bind the new energy vehicle enterprise ecosystem
