Tyre test result ‘confirms success’ of Kenda’s European strategy

The performance of the Kenda Emera A1 in a summer tyre test conducted by Finland’s Test World is viewed by the manufacturer as a confirmation of the tyre’s competitiveness and validation of its aim to produce premium tyres for the European market. Test World evaluated 18 size 205/55 R16 tyres in March; Kenda states its satisfaction with the Emera A1’s ranking in the “upper midfield” of test results.

The Emera A1 is the first product from Kenda released under its ‘Focus on Europe’ strategy, and the tyre was specifically developed at the Kenda Europe Technical Center (KETC) in Germany to meet European market requirements. The tyre came to market in January.

The 18 tyres were tested for wet and dry weather performance, comfort and environment/efficiency at a facility near Marseilles in the south of France. A VW Polo served as test vehicle. The Emera A1 scored a total of 8.3 out of a potential maximum of ten points (the winning tyre, Nokian’s Hakka Blue 2, scored 9.2), which saw it finish the test in joint eighth place together with the Dunlop Sport BluResponse, Hankook Ventus Prime3 and Linglong GreenMax HP010. The Kenda tyre was praised for its high resistance to aquaplaning, however it lost points for rolling resistance; overall, it was considered a safe, good-performing tyre at an affordable price.
“The test shows that the Kenda strategy is successful,” comments Michael Andre, marketing and sales manager for Kenda Rubber Industrial Co. Europe. “Our engineers and developers have not only understood the requirements for the European market, but have also implemented them extremely well. With the Emera A1, we are proud to have developed a competitive product that can compete with well-known brands and whose excellent handling properties offer the buyer a high level of safety. This makes our product a real alternative – especially with regard to its excellent value for money.

“We are already looking forward to the next tests, because one thing is clear,” adds Andre: “Kenda can stand tall.”

The comparative evaluation conducted by Test World has been published by a number of European titles, including Aftonbladet (Sweden), Motor (Norway), Tekniikan Maailma (Finland), Tehnikamaailm (Estonia), Autocentre (Ukraine), Colesa.ru (Russia), and in Chinese trade publications such as Freecar, Orientauto, Auto Magazine and Car & Tire.