Press Release

  • Car / SUV

Fast and safe on Hankook tyres – the ABT RS4-R is the new "TUNE IT! SAFE!" campaign vehicle for 2020

On the press day of the Essen Motor Show 2019, the latest campaign vehicle of the TUNE IT! SAFE! Initiative is unveiled in the traditional police car design, supported by the BMVI alongside partner and main sponsor Hankook. The RS4-R, further developed by ABT Sportsline, is based on the recently developed model-maintained Audi RS 4 Avant and rolls into the new decade on the latest ultra-high performance Ventus S1 evo 3 tyres in the 20-inch dimension. The unveiling of the vehicle took place on the press day together with TUNE IT! SAFE! Since 2005, the founding year of the initiative, Hankook has been the exclusive tyre partner for safe and legal tuning.
Fast and safe on Hankook tyres – the ABT RS4-R is the new

Essen, Germany, 29 November 2019 – Once again the curtain falls on the Essen Motor Show. Premium tyre maker Hankook and the "TUNE IT! SAFE!" initiative unveiled the new police vehicle of the campaign for safe and legal tuning at the VDAT stand in the presence of Hankook management. Following the BMW i8 Coupé from last year, the upcoming campaign vehicle once again comes from a German manufacturer. The more than 500 HP sports car is equipped with Hankook’s Ventus S1 evo 3 ultra-high performance tyres in size 275/30 ZR20.

"Since 2005, the founding year of TUNE IT! SAFE!, Hankook has been a successful main sponsor and exclusive tyre partner for road safety and tuning. With the Ventus S1 evo 3, the ABT RS4-R has the right ultra-high performance tyres to enter the campaign year 2020 in a sporty yet responsible way," says Roland Hehner, Head of Product and Tuning at Hankook Reifen Deutschland.

The ABT RS4-R impresses with its uncompromising sporty design. The Audi RS 4 Avant with 450 horsepower already has a significant amount of power. In the further developed ABT version, the vehicle has another 80 HP more under the bonnet, which allows it to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 3.8 seconds. For the tuning community, ABT has also implemented optimised aerodynamics, sports rims, exhaust and chassis technology and an interior in RS4-R design especially for the campaign vehicle.

The tyre is always at the top of the tuning list, which is why Hankook, as a tyre maker, has been particularly interested in the initiative since the beginning of the TUNE IT! SAFE! campaign, which starts with a tuned police car for the 15th time. Launched in spring 2019, the Hankook Ventus S1 evo 3 is a completely new development that systematically continues the success story of Hankook ultra-high performance tyres. The tyre has increased sidewall strength thanks to bead packing, the use of a special nylon material in the sidewall area. The blocks of the stiff and extra wide outer rib of the asymmetric tread pattern have been further reinforced with additional connecting bars for precise and stable cornering handling.

In the Auto Bild summer tyre test 2019, the tyre immediately achieved a top position among 53 brands. Like its predecessors, it offers a very safe, sporty and comfortable driving experience in both dry and wet conditions. Consequently, the new Ventus S1 evo 3 outperformed all other tyres tested, including during wet braking, which was probably the most significant test criterion from a safety point of view. However, the ABT RS4-R was not the only vehicle fitted with Hankook tyres at the Essen Motor Show. The company had already equipped two different Audi RS models with the predecessor Ventus S1 evo 2. The new Ventus S1 evo 3 SUV has also been successful in its SUV version on the Audi Q8 and Porsche Cayenne as original equipment this year.

Caption:

From left to right: Roland Hehner, Head of Product and Tuning at Hankook Reifen Deutschland; Oliver Klöckner, Representative of BMVI;  Deutschland, Constantin Buschmann, CEO of VDAT; Dietmar Olbrich, Vice President of Sales & Marketing at Hankook Reifen Deutschland.

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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Fast and safe on Hankook tyres – the ABT RS4-R is the new

From left to right: Roland Hehner, Director of Sales & Tuning at Hankook Reifen Deutschland; Oliver Klöckner, Representative of BMVI; Deutschland, Constantin Buschmann, CEO of VDAT; Dietmar Olbrich, Vice President of Sales & Marketing at Hankook Reifen Deutschland.

File size: 11 MB

Fast and safe on Hankook tyres – the ABT RS4-R is the new

Hankook and the "TUNE IT! SAFE!" initiative unveiled the new police vehicle of the campaign for safe and legal tuning at the VDAT stand in the presence of Hankook management.

File size: 11 MB

Contacts

Sabine Riedel

PR Manager Marketing Communications

 +49 (0) 6102 8149-178

Sabine Riedel

PR Manager Marketing Communications

 +49 (0) 6102 8149-178

Lisa Schmid

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+49 (0) 6102 8149-172

Alexander Nevinny-Stickel

PR Manager Marketing Communications

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Annika Malcherek

Annika Malcherek

Digital Lead Marketing Communications

+49 (0) 6102 8149-176

Stefan Prohaska

Stefan Prohaska

Digital Marketing Communications

 +49 (0) 6102 8149-171

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