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  • Corporate

Hankook Tire, Grupo Soledad and Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona finalise the agreement on bus tyre supply

Premium tyre maker Hankook and its Spanish vendor Grupo Soledad recently reached an agreement with Spain’s biggest transport company in the region of Catalonia, Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona (TMB). The tyre maker is now supplying its state-of-the-art city bus tyre line “SmartCity AU04+” for the TMB fleet.
Hankook Tire, Grupo Soledad and Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona finalise the agreement on bus tyre supply

Neu-Isenburg, Germany, 21 May 2019 – Tyre maker Hankook will supply its tyres for over 1,100 buses from Barcelona’s most prominent urban bus transportation company, Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona. Principally the size 275/70R22.5 for the Hankook city bus line SmartCity AU04+ will be incorporated. This model line is especially designed for urban transportation, fulfilling the increasing customer demands for tyre solutions, also specifically for battery-powered urban buses. As these vehicles are generally heavier than conventional buses due to their energy storage units, the tyre-models also have an increased load index. The tread of the SmartCity AU04+, which has been designed as an all-year tyre, is suitable for all wintry conditions without restriction and sports the snowflake symbol (3PMSF). The new city bus tyre line-up is equally suitable for city buses with conventional drive concepts.

Han-Jun Kim, President of Hankook Tire Europe, states: “The agreement with one of Europe’s biggest urban transport companies makes us very proud; especially because it’s an agreement on the usage of our future-oriented technology. This will put the SmartCity AU04+, our first bus tyre line for electric-powered buses, on large-scale level on the road. We look forward to expanding our fleet cooperations in Europe, being always on track with new mobility trends.”

In the context of their shared environmental and economic responsibility, Hankook, Grupo Soledad and TMB agreed to use worn tyres after the first life cycle for a second as retreaded Hankook Alpha-Tread profiles. In this way, considerable amounts of fossil raw materials and CO2 can be saved for active environmental protection.

On the meeting day of the agreement Ramón Bacardí, the Director of TMB, stated: “The impeccable maintenance of our fleet is very important to keep the urban bus transportation in Barcelona running on the best level. Especially in regards to the tyres, it was important to find a reliable partner. With our business now mounted on Hankook tyres our technicians and workshop managers have found the first choice to maximize the performance of our fleet. At the same time, we have optimised the respective Total Cost of Ownership.”

The Commercial Director of Grupo Soledad, Manuel Pérez, added: “We are thrilled to have brought up this new cooperation with Hankook and TMB. Like us, both companies are constantly investing into new mobility concepts, materials and operation facilities. The cooperation thus perfectly underlines our commitment to sustainable transport solutions.”

 

Caption:

From left: Manuel Perez, Commercial Director of Soledad Group; Ramón Barcardí, Director of Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona (TMB) and Yang Hun Kim, Managing Director of Hankook España

Hankook Tire manufactures globally innovative, award-winning radial tyres of proven superior quality for passenger cars, light trucks, SUVs, RVs, trucks, and buses as well as motorsports (circuit racing/street circuits/rallies).

Aspiring to bring consumers the utmost excellence in product quality, technological excellence and driving satisfaction, Hankook Tire continuously invests in research and development maintaining five R&D centres and eight production facilities around the world. Bespoke tyre solutions for the European markets as well as European Original Equipment according to the requirements of leading premium car manufacturers, are developed in the company’s regional Technical Centre in Hanover/Germany. Production for the European region is taking place in the state-of-the-art manufacturing site in Rácalmás/Hungary which was inaugurated in June 2007 and is continuously being expanded.

Hankook Tire’s European headquarters are located in Neu-Isenburg near Frankfurt am Main in Germany. The manufacturer operates further branches in several European countries and sells its products through regional distributors in other local markets. Hankook Tire employs approximately 20,000 people worldwide and sells products in over 160 countries. The company has been the technical partner and exclusive tyre supplier of the Generation 3 for the FIA ABB Formula E World Championship since 2023. Internationally leading car manufacturers rely on tyres made by Hankook for their original equipment. Approximately 38 percent of the company's global sales are generated within the European region.

For more information please visit www.hankooktire-mediacenter.com or www.hankooktire.com

Hankook Tire Europe GmbH | Marketing Communications Europe | Siemensstr. 14, 63263 Neu-Isenburg | Germany

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Hankook Tire, Grupo Soledad and Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona finalise the agreement on bus tyre supply

Hankook will supply its tyres for over 1,100 buses from Barcelona’s most prominent urban bus transportation company, Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona.

File size: 3 MB

Hankook Tire, Grupo Soledad and Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona finalise the agreement on bus tyre supply

Principally the size 275/70R22.5 for the Hankook city bus line SmartCity AU04+ will be incorporated.

File size: 757 KB

Hankook Tire, Grupo Soledad and Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona finalise the agreement on bus tyre supply

From left: Manuel Perez, Commercial Director of Soledad Group; Ramón Barcardí, Director of Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona (TMB) and Yang Hun Kim, Managing Director of Hankook España

File size: 4 MB

Contacts

Sabine Riedel

PR Manager Marketing Communications

 +49 (0) 6102 8149-178

Sabine Riedel

PR Manager Marketing Communications

 +49 (0) 6102 8149-178

Alexander Nevinny-Stickel

PR Manager Marketing Communications

+49 (0) 6102 8149-173

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