Hankook Tire America Corp. has high hopes for the Enfren Eco, the eco-friendly concept tire it previewed at last week's Global Tire Expo - Powered by TIA/Specialty Equipment Market Association Show.
The Eco will not hit the North American market until late 2011, but if it's successful, Bill Bainbridge, Hankook's director of brand communications, expects that Hankook will launch more tires under that name.
The Eco is designed for hybrid and other high fuel efficiency vehicles. It contains a center tread block and a special high-silica rubber compound for better steering and lower rolling resistance, according to Hankook officials.
"We recognized a couple of years ago that we needed to do something special" in terms of developing a high fuel efficiency tire, says Bainbridge. "We wanted to make sure that when we bring a tire here it's not 2% or 3% different. We want it to be substantially different."
