In the first quarter, foreign-funded tire companies expanded truck tire production capacity twice

Hankook Tire will continue to expand its production capacity in 2025, especially for truck tires.

Hankook's third phase of expansion in the United States
When many tire companies decided to adjust the truck tire production capacity of their U.S. factories, or simply close their factories, Hankook Tire did the opposite - expanding production!

From March 10 to 13, 2025, the 2025 Technology and Maintenance Committee (TMC) Annual Meeting and Transportation Technology Exhibition was held as scheduled. At this important meeting, Hankook Tire not only officially announced its fifth-generation truck and bus radial (TBR) tire lineup, but also announced an important news - expanding the truck and bus tire production capacity of the Clarksville, Tennessee plant.

In 2022, Hankook Tire began to expand its U.S. factory. When it was first put into production in 2017, the plant had an annual production capacity of 5.5 million passenger car tires and light truck tires, and the plant had 6 automaker partners at the time.

The second phase of the project plans to double the plant's production capacity to 11 million tires, while increasing the annual production capacity of 1 million truck tires. In 2025, with the second phase of the project about to be put into production, Hankook Tire officially announced that it will start the third phase of the US plant at the end of the year. Hankook said that in order to cooperate with the planned factory expansion, the new products in the Hankook TBR series and all future truck and bus tire products will be launched to the market under the Hankook Smart Brand tire.

Hankook Smart Truck Tire
Hankook Smart Brand tires adopt Hankook's Smartec technology concept and integrate innovative technologies such as self-generated 3D Sipe technology and new tread rubber.

At this TMC 2025 exhibition, Hankook displayed three series of products. Smart Flex: AH51/DH51/DH52-high-performance tires, longer mileage and life. Among them, AH51 and DH52 will be available in the second quarter of 2025, and DH51 will be available in the third quarter of 2025.

TL52, a smart trailer tire optimized for long-distance performance produced at Hankook Tire's U.S. manufacturing plant in Clarksville, Tennessee, will also be launched in 2025. At the same time, Hankook has also launched a smart truck tire product to the U.S. market: eSmart City AU56.

This is an electric commercial vehicle tire developed by Hankook, with high load capacity, longer battery efficiency and tread life. The product is expected to be launched in the fourth quarter of 2025.

Hankook Tire's global layout is further expanded
In addition to expanding the product and production capacity layout of truck tires in the United States, Hankook is also expanding truck tire production capacity in Europe.

On February 26, Hankook Tire launched a European capacity expansion project at its plant in Lakamas, Hungary. It is reported that the investment amount for this expansion is 540 million euros (4.1 billion yuan), which can increase the production capacity of truck tires by 800,000, and the project is expected to be put into production in 2027. Similar to the capacity planning of the plant in Tennessee, USA, Hankook has also planned new energy electric truck tire production capacity for the plant.

Public information shows that the Hungarian truck tire project involves high-quality tire products for long-distance and mixed applications, electric commercial vehicle tires, and other product types. The expansion of truck tire production capacity will use sustainable, renewable and recyclable materials, as well as 3D additive manufacturing for tread molds.

If the expansion in the United States is to help Hankook cope with the 25% increase in US tariffs on products from other countries; the expansion of truck tire production capacity in Europe is to effectively help Hankook localize its operations, which is conducive to the expansion of its truck tire business in Europe. Hankook's Hungarian plant was established in 2007, and its current passenger car and light commercial vehicle tire production capacity is 17 million per year.

In fact, as early as 2018, it was proposed to invest 290 million euros in the Hungarian plant to expand truck tire production capacity. At that time, the plan was to increase the annual production capacity by 550,000 sets. However, in 2019, after weighing the actual needs of the tire market, Hankook temporarily shelved this investment. In addition, Hankook also carried out technical transformation and upgrading of the truck tire production capacity of its Chongqing plant in China in 2023.