Hyundai Motor, Kia to develop next-generation tires with Michelin

(Hyundai Motor Group)

South Korean automakers Hyundai Motor Co. and Kia Corp. have teamed up with global tire manufacturer Michelin to develop tires with enhanced driving performance.

According to Hyundai Motor and Kia under Hyundai Motor Group, they signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Michelin on Tuesday to accelerate their tire technology innovations in a ceremony held at the group’s Namyang research center in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province.

Under the agreement, the two sides will collaborate for three years starting next year on improving tire performance and advancing virtual simulation technology.

Their work is expected to focus on tire technologies that reduce rolling resistance to improve fuel efficiency, as well as products that enhance handling and braking performance.

Hyundai Motor Group and Michelin have also carried out joint research on advanced tire technology in 2017 and 2022, developing tire specifications optimized for rear-wheel-drive electric vehicles and achieving research results related to tire-wear technology.

“Through the third phase of technological collaboration with Michelin, we expect to achieve tire technology innovations that will lead the future mobility market,” said Shin Yong-suk, vice president and head of Genesis Engineering Design Center at Hyundai Motor Group. “By leveraging the specialized capabilities of both companies in mobility and tire technologies, we will create a synergistic effect that will ultimately translate into improved driving performance.”

Hyundai Motor Group has been concentrating on securing advanced tire technologies.

The move is viewed as a strategy to increase the added value of its premium vehicles by expanding its technological scope to include tires, thereby enhancing vehicle driving performance.

According to industry sources, Hyundai’s technology division recently secured foundational technology for advanced ultra-low-rolling-resistance (ULRR) tires.

The division had pursued the development of tire technology for the facelifted Kia Sorento hybrid model (MQ4 PE HEV) over a three-year period from 2022 and successfully developed world-leading mass production technology with a low rolling resistance coefficient of 5.5.

Meanwhile, Kia announced on Tuesday that its EV6 GT ranked first place in a three-model electric-vehicle comparison test conducted by German automotive magazine Auto Motor und Sport.