Hankook Tire & Technology to supply tires for Nio SUVs

Hankook Tire & Technology will supply its tires to Chinese electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer Nio.

Nio's ES6 SUV [HANKOOK TIRE & TECHNOLOGY]

Hankook Tire & Technology will supply its tires to Chinese electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer Nio.

Hankook Tire tires will be used on Nio’s flagship ES6 SUV and EC6 SUV Coupe.

Nio is a Shanghai, China-based electric vehicle company founded in 2014. It sold 43,000 vehicles in 2020, a twofold jump from the previous year.

Two models will use Hankook Tire & Technology’s Ventus S1 evo2 SUV, a tire dedicated to high-performance SUVs.

The ES6 SUV has a maximum horsepower of 544 and can reach 100 kilometers per hour within 4.7 seconds. Its drive range is 610 kilometers (380 miles) per charge when installed with a 100 kilowatt-hour battery.

"The latest partnership is meaningful because it took place in China's EV market which has been expanding at a rapid pace," the tire company said in a statement Monday.

"Even before EVs were commercialized, Hankook Tire has been accumulating technology related to various segments of EVs."

Last year, Hankook Tire & Technology was chosen as sole tire supplier for Formula E, a motorsports championship dedicated to EVs, from its 2022/23 season.

The company is Korea's biggest tire supplier and the world's seventh.

BY JIN EUN-SOO [jin.eunsoo@joongang.co.kr]