Kia Selects Nexen Tires for EV5

Kia has picked two Nexen tires, the Roadian GTX and the N'Fera Sport, to be original equipment on the Kia EV5 electric vehicle.

The Roadian GTX is an all-season SUV tire fitted on vehicles in the North American and Korean markets, according to Nexen officials, while the N’Fera Sport is a ultra high-performance summer tire tailored to the European market, but also available in the U.S.

"Nexen Tire has designed these products with electric vehicle-specific characteristics. They utilize a proprietary pattern design system to reduce torque steer, a phenomenon where high motor output pulls the vehicle to one side in the case of sudden acceleration.

"These products also optimize the distribution of stiffness ratios within each pattern block to maximize the road contact area and prevent wheel slip by loss of traction. Nexen Tire has applied an in-out multi-sequence design, where the arrangement of the tire blocks is intricately engineered to disperse driving noise effectively. This design approach is especially important for electric vehicles, as it ensures high levels of noise reduction."

"Supplying OE tires for the Kia EV5 proves that our products deliver reliable performance for the era of electric vehicles,” says John Bosco (Hyeon Suk) Kim, Nexen's CEO. “We will strengthen our global market position through an integrated production strategy and maintain our excellent performance without distinction between EVs and ICE vehicles.”