Nokian withdraws winter tyre label
Nokian Tyres withdrew its self-produced “winter grip label” on 21 November following pressure from European tyre manufacturer’s organisation ETRMA and some competitors. The company reports that the label had not been and was not planned to be distributed outside Nordic countries. The news is set against the backdrop of the introduction of mandatory tyre labelling on 1 November 2012.
According to Nokian Tyres representatives Nokian’s label was launched in Finland, Sweden, and Norway in October. The intention was for this label to be applied only to non-studded Nokian Hakkapeliitta R tyres for use in dealer showrooms. The label was based on Nokian Tyres’ own criteria and was designed without the EU flag and reference numbers. Nokian reports that the launch was accompanied by press announcements underlining the company-specific character of the initiative.
The motivation for the introduction of this voluntary information was to redress the perceived imbalance against winter tyres created by the mandatory European label. The problem is that this label tests tyres at ambient temperatures way above those for which winter tyres are designed and therefore do not give a fair representation of their performance. There have even been unconfirmed reports of some manufacturers mishandling the labelling system by marketing products as winter tyres despite the fact that they have compounds more suited to summer conditions in order to achieve higher label ratings. In order to defend its winter-heavy market position and in order to offer consumers “a more balanced picture of its products” Nokian Tyres felt that it was its “duty” to give consumers extra information.
Nokian representatives report that the company “has been and still is very concerned that the information provided in the EU-label is limited and does not take into account especially the Nordic winter weather.” The fear is that consumers in the colder European markets could purchase highly label-rated summer tyres thinking they will perform better in winter than products specifically designed for these conditions that also happened to have scored comparatively badly on the current label scale.
As you can imagine Nokian Tyres continues to push for winter grip grading on winter tyres especially in the Nordic markets. And what’s more the company points out that it is concerned that these improvements to the official EU label material will take several years. So far no official dates or any indication of a schedule have been published.
Current label could be misleading to winter tyre consumers
Nokians view that the current label could be perceived as misleading is support by research the manufacturer conducted earlier this year. According to a YouGov study in Sweden, Norway and Finland (which sampled 3014 respondent and reportedly offers a 95 per cent confidence level), the new EU tyre label information can be misleading for consumers buying winter tyres in the Nordic countries. Even though the majority of the drivers understand that Nordic winter roads have special requirements, 21 per cent of respondents in Finland, 13 per cent in Sweden and 24 per cent in Norway thought a winter tyre with a good wet grip performs well on icy roads. And, perhaps as a result, 76 per cent said they would buy tyres with a good wet grip rating.
ETRMA acknowledged the Finnish company’s decision to withdraw its winter label, adding: “ETRMA and all its members have long committed to developing…proper consumer information on ice and snow as soon as a robust and reliable test method is available; industry will continue pursuing this objective.” However, it is likely that companies specialising in winter tyres, like Nokian, will want assurances relating to the introduction of an official winter tyre label in exchange for their compliance.
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