Hankook unveiling innovations at the IAA 2013

Hankook is aiming to innovate with premieres in the fields of green tyres, performance, safety and premium original equipment, award-winning hybrids design-concepts as well as a new generation of airless, almost entirely recyclable tyres at the Korean company’s IAA stand. The 65th IAA, runs from 12 – 22 September 2013 in Frankfurt, Germany.

One example is Hankook’s i-Flex, a non-pneumatic tyre that the company claims will help increase the overall efficiency of vehicles. And what’s more i-Flex, which is made from polyurethane synthetics is up to 95 per cent recyclable and manufactured in conjunction with its rim. The effect is said to be lower fuel consumption and noise emissions while simultaneously increasing vehicle safety.  

The eMembrane another example being showcased at the IAA. The Red Dot Design Award Winner 2013 is based on a so-called Smart Hybrid design: By changing the tyre’s inner structure, the eMembrane concept is capable of adapting the tread design and tyre footprint to the respective driving situation. For example whilst in eco-mode, the centre of the tread is raised and the contact area reduced, resulting in decreased fuel consumption with a corresponding reduction in rolling resistance However, this is said to be expected to be more of concept tyre than a production ready product.

Hankook’s AA label offering

Innovations for the 2014 season include the Ventus S1 evo² SUV – a street version of Hankook’s UHP flagship derived from motorsports for the popular genre of sporty multi-purpose vehicles. In addition, the brand new Ventus V12 evo² completes the premium manufacturer’s sports performance line-up with a particularly modern, high performance retrofit wide-base tyre.  

Hankook is also introducing new AA-labelled versions of its high-end comfort tyre Ventus Prime² and the fuel-efficient Kinergy eco. According to the company, they are already available in selected sizes for the upcoming European 2014 summer tyre season.