Hankook Tire starts to supply tyres for the MINI



Hankook Ultra High Performance Tyres as Original Equipment for the Cooper S
All new “Ventus Prime²” deployed for the first time
Hankook Tire continues on the road to sustainable growth
Neu-Isenburg, Germany, 31 May 2011 – Hankook Tire has been selected as new original equipment
manufacturer for the BMW Group. The successful current version of the legendary MINI, often praised for
its direct handling characteristics, will be factory equipped with Hankook tyres. Initially, the all new ultra
high performance tyre Ventus Prime2 has been tested by the car manufacturer and will now come factoryinstalled in the dimension 195/55 R 16 V, the size which is originally fitted to the particularly sporty
Cooper S models. In addition, Hankook Tire will deliver the Ventus Prime2 in the same size as an optional
tyre set to the assembly lines at the MINI factory in Oxford, England for the One, Cooper, and Cooper D
models.
The tyre delivery for the “new MINI” marks a further milestone on the successful road to growth for the
company in Europe. “The BMW Group is known around the world for its cars with highest technical
standards as well as for its long tradition of sporty, dynamic automobiles. We are very pleased to be able to
now support the company with Hankook tyres as original equipment,” says Jin-Wook Choi, Executive Vice
President and European head of Hankook Tire. “The BMW Group stands for perfection and innovation in
automobile manufacturing. Hankook most certainly shares this passion. I’m therefore convinced that this is
the beginning of a long and successful partnership.”
The brand new Hankook Ventus Prime2 really distinguished itself during its thorough test phase,
particularly through its dynamic handling characteristics. In connection with a new kind of silica tread
compound for an exceptional degree of traction on wet surfaces, the specially developed tyre contour offers
a significant reduction in rolling resistance compared to its predecessor. In addition, the tread profile
created in Bionic-Design also ensures driving comfort and low noise levels through the company’s new
“Grip-Tech” and “Quiet Ride” technologies, which have been implemented in a Hankook tyre for the very
first time.
The MINI’s sporty chassis places particularly high demands on the tyres, which have to perfectly transfer
the vehicle’s performance to the road. “We have shown that our new Ventus Prime2 provides the perfect
dynamic for the agile MINI without compromising on important safety and environmental parameters such
as wet traction or rolling resistance,” explains Stefan Fischer, responsible Hankook engineer for tyre
development for the BMW Group and head of Hankook Tire’s German-based European research and
development center (ETC). At present, approximately 40 engineers and technicians here at Langenhagen
near Hannover, Germany are involved in designing, developing and testing tyres for the European car
industry.
Currently, the tyres for the MINI are being produced at Hankook’s head plant in Geumsan, South Korea.
Specially designed for the manufacture of ultra-high performance tyres, the manufacturing facility was
recently expanded to include a new production area for high-end tyres and represents the absolutely most
modern facility. In addition to the tyres for the MINI, the facility also exclusively manufactures the
company’s flagship product and winner of numerous awards, the “Ventus S1 evo.”
Technical specifications for the Hankook Ventus Prime² (K115):
1. Optimised ground pressure distribution for high wet grip
- The Multi-Tread Radius Technology guarantees best possible road contact for top handling and high
braking power, particularly in wet conditions and for extreme cornering, as well as at very high speeds.
2. Ideal handling and longer life span
- The Hankook-patented SCCT Technology (Stiffness Control Contour Theory)
helps to achieve a very even ground pressure distribution for less wear.
3. Bionic design and asymmetrical tread design
The asymmetrical tread design combines excellent aquaplaning values with top handling
performance and an exact steering response.
The block-edge design of the outer profile ridges, which were inspired by the teeth of a predatory cat,
dovetails with the road surface, thus guaranteeing a constantly optimised traction, as well as a
significantly improved cornering stability in both wet and dry conditions.
4.
-
Improved wet and environmental capacities
The use of a hybrid silica tread compound with novel hybrid polymer chains and nano particles in the
production of the Ventus Prime2 maximizes wet grip, tread and fuel efficiency.
5. Available sizes
- The Hankook Ventus Prime² is available in 42 dimensions from 15 to 18-inch (series 65 to 45) for
vehicles of the lower middle to luxury classes in profile widths of 185 to 255 mm (speed index H-W),
mainly as an especially stable Extra Load (XL) model. It is, however, also available as a Run Flat
version with emergency running properties (as HRS-Hankook Run Flat System).
* Kontrol Technology
Derived from the English terms Kinetic (for movement) and Control (for control), Hankook Tire Kontrol
Technology reflects the best possible controllability of the interaction between the driver, the vehicle and
the road by the tyres during the journey. Kontrol Technology has been developed in order to provide the
vehicle driver with all currently available benefits of the latest Hankook tyre technology in terms of safety,
driving characteristics, comfort and environmental compatibility.
###
About Hankook Tire
Hankook Tire is one of the world's largest and fastest growing tyre manufacturers for innovative, highquality and high-performance radial tyres for passenger cars, light trucks, SUVs, RVs, trucks, and buses as
well as motorsports (circuit racing/rallies). The company invests some five percent of its revenues in R&D
every year. Their five Research and Development labs in Korea, Germany, USA, China and Japan develop
the very latest in market-specific, customised and innovative technologies. They greatly contribute in
providing optimal tyre solutions designed to meet the regional requirements and demands of their
customers. Hankook Tire employs more than 14,000 employees worldwide and sells its products in more
than 180 countries. Internationally leading car manufacturers rely on tyres made by Hankook Tire for their
original equipment. About 70 percent of Hankook's income is generated by sales outside Korea.
Hankook Tires European headquarters are located in Neu-Isenburg near Frankfurt am Main. The company
has branches in Germany, Great Britain, France, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Hungary, Russia, Turkey,
Sweden and Poland. Hankook products are sold directly through regional distributors in other European
countries. The importance that Hankook Tire attaches to the European market is reflected in its decision to
invest more than 500 million Euros in the construction of a production facility in Hungary, which went into
operation in June 2007. Here, more than 1,300 employees produce 15,000 tyres a day (this amounts to more
than five million tyres a year) for passenger cars, SUVs and light trucks in more than 300 different sizes.
The state-of-the-art facility produces customised products and original equipment tyres for the European
market in line with the specifications of leading European automobile manufacturers. Following the second
stage of expansion which started in 2009, the Hungarian facility should be able to produce more than ten
million tyres per year when operating at full capacity.
For more information please visit www.hankooktire-press.com
Contact:
Felix Kinzer
Director Public Relations Europe
Hankook Tire Europe GmbH
Siemensstr. 5a
D-63263 Neu-Isenburg
Fon: +49 (0) 61 02 8149 – 170
Fax: +49 (0) 61 02 8149 – 200
f.kinzer@hankookreifen.de
Stefanie Weinelt
Public Relations
Hankook Tire Europe GmbH
Siemensstr. 5a
D-63263 Neu-Isenburg
Fon: +49 (0) 61 02 8149 – 171
Fax: +49 (0) 61 02 8149 – 200
s.weinelt@hankookreifen.de