Nexen Tire's Chosen as OE Tire for New BMW iX3

Seoul, South Korea, March 3, 2026 – Nexen Tire, a leading global tire manufacturer, today announced that its premium performance tire, N'FERA Sport, has been selected as the original equipment (OE) tire for the new BMW iX3.

This significant collaboration marks another milestone for Nexen Tire in the OE market, further solidifying its technological position and brand influence in the global premium tire market. It also signifies the beginning of a new chapter of deep collaboration between the two companies in the premium new energy vehicle OE sector.

As a popular all-electric SUV model under the BMW brand, the new BMW iX3 has extremely stringent requirements for the performance, safety, and compatibility of its OE tires. N'FERA Sport stood out with its superior overall performance, becoming its exclusive OE tire. This achievement reflects Nexen Tire's years of continuous dedication to research and development innovation and quality control.

Superior performance, N'FERA Sport stands out. As a core representative of Nexen Tire's high-end product line, the N'FERA Sport tire is designed specifically for high-performance vehicles, integrating multiple innovative designs and cutting-edge technologies to perfectly balance handling, safety, and comfort.

It previously won the 2022 German Red Dot Design Award, demonstrating its globally recognized quality and design. The tread features a widened longitudinal groove design, acting like an efficient drainage system to quickly expel water between the tire and the ground, significantly improving wet-weather drainage efficiency and effectively mitigating the risk of hydroplaning in rainy conditions.

The asymmetrical block pattern design further optimizes the tire's contact patch, ensuring excellent handling stability at high speeds on both dry and wet surfaces, preventing issues such as sideslip and veering.

In terms of core performance, the N'FERA Sport's tread compound incorporates the latest high-grip silicone compound technology, combined with a reinforced sidewall structure. This not only significantly improves the tire's braking response and shortens braking distance but also effectively enhances lateral support during high-speed cornering, providing drivers with a precise and smooth handling experience, perfectly matching the power characteristics and driving needs of the BMW iX3 as an electric SUV.

Furthermore, this tire also excels in wear performance and fuel efficiency, achieving excellent ratings in authoritative global tire tests such as ADAC and AUTOBILD in Germany, and being designated a "Recommended Product." Its overall strength is highly recognized by the industry.

Behind this outstanding performance is Nexen Tire's continuous investment in research and development and technological innovation. As the first company in the Korean tire industry to introduce a high-dynamic driving simulator, Nexen Tire has built an advanced R&D platform at its Seoul Central Research Institute.

This platform can simulate various real-world driving scenarios in a virtual environment, testing tire performance in acceleration, steering, braking, and other aspects, minimizing the cost and time required for real-vehicle testing while improving R&D accuracy.

Currently, the company has achieved deep integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and virtual reality (VR) technologies throughout the entire product development process. For example, the AI-automated inspection system improves quality control accuracy by 30%, and virtual simulation technology significantly shortens the new product development cycle, building a solid technological barrier.

Meanwhile, Nexen Tire, in collaboration with Hyundai-Kia Motors Group and Incheon University, developed a tire noise reduction prediction system based on AI and big data. This system effectively reduces internal and external vehicle noise, further optimizing the driving experience. This technology is also being applied to high-end original equipment tires, meeting the stringent NVH performance requirements of premium automakers like BMW.

The implementation of these cutting-edge technologies provides solid support for the rapid expansion of its original equipment business. Since officially launching its OE (Original Equipment) cooperation in 2012, Nexen Tire has successfully entered the supply chain of top global automakers such as the BMW Group, thanks to its stable quality and leading technology. Previously, it provided original equipment tires for models such as the BMW 5 Series. This collaboration with the new BMW iX3 represents a further deepening and expansion of their partnership.

“By strengthening R&D innovation and deepening global cooperation,” said John Bosco (Hyeon Suk) Kim, CEO of Nexen Tire, “we will continue to provide global customers with high-end tire products that combine safety and performance.”

In the future, Nexen Tire will further expand its technological collaboration with global automakers, focus on the development trends of the new energy vehicle industry, prioritize the R&D of tires specifically for new energy vehicles, launch more high-performance products adapted to electric vehicles, and gradually build a fully virtual R&D process.

Through technological innovation, Nexen Tire aims to lead industry development, continuously consolidate its core competitiveness in the high-end tire market, and bring a better and safer travel experience to global consumers.