Nokian Tyres is celebrating the 90^th year of its signature winter tire line, the Hakkapeliitta, with the launch of a new product, the Hakkapeliitta 01.

The tire will be available to tire dealers this fall.

"The Hakkapeliitta product family is an iconic part of our heritage and continues to play a central role in our strategy,” says Nokian President and CEO Paolo Pompei. 

Nokian rolled out its first Hakkepeliitta tire in 1936. The debut product was called the Lumi-Hakkapeliitta and it featured a transverse tread pattern and suction-pad-style grip that made it a breakthrough in winter mobility, according to Nokian officials, who say that it "was also the first winter tire made especially for passenger cars."

The first studded Hakkapeliitta, Kometa-Hakkapeliitta, was introduced in the 1960s.

The product family gained global recognition in the 1950s and 1960s by dominating the Monte Carlo Rally, "cementing the brand’s association with extreme weather performance." Forty years ago, Nokian opened a test facility in Ivalo, Finland, "to help the tire withstand winter’s most challenging driving elements."

The facility is "a diverse winter tire testing environment, with temperature variations of up to 40 degrees possible in a single week.

"Winter tire innovations continued in the next millennium. From 2000 onward, all new Hakkapeliitta tires feature the Driving Safety Indicator, an easy-to-read number molded into the tire that indicates how much tread life remains.

"During the last few decades, Nokian Tyres has introduced innovations to studded Hakkapeliitta winter tires such as the square stud, Bear Claw technology and Double Stud technology. Non-studded Hakkapeliitta tires achieve responsive ice performance courtesy of innovations such as Arctic Grip Crystals.

"Today, studded and non-studded Hakkapeliitta winter tires can be found on passenger cars, SUVs, commercial vehicles and heavy equipment used in forestry, agriculture, mining and more."

Nokian officials say the new Hakkapeliitta 01 "represents a step forward in that rich legacy – a winter tire that comes with On-Demand Grip. To demonstrate Nokian Tyres’ commitment to continuous development, this is the second time in the tire series’ history that the company reset its numerical naming convention – this time to '01.'

"The new number represents the new tire’s core feature – the ability for studs to enter 'off' and 'on' modes in response to driving conditions. When roads are icy and snowy, the (tire's) studs are pressed out by an adaptive base layer beneath the tread and stay out while driving. When roads are dry or damp, the compound softens and produces less force on the studs, allowing them to sink deeper into the tire.

"The result is a tire that reduces road wear by up to 30% compared to its predecessor, the Nokian Tyres Hakkapeliitta 10. Ice grip improves by up to 10% and wet grip up to 5% compared to the Hakkapeliitta 10. At the same time, the Nokian Tyres Hakkapeliitta 01 reduces noise levels by as much as one decibel compared to its predecessor, making the Hakkapeliitta 01 a victory of safety and comfort."

The tire will be available in North America.