USA: Tyre makers’ association forecasts 4.1% rise in shipments

The trade association representing manufacturers producing tyres in the USA, the U.S. Tire Manufacturers Association (USTMA), projects that its members will ship a total of 315.7 million tyres this year, compared to 303.2 million units in 2020 and 332.7 million units in 2019. This projected 4.1 per cent year-on-year increase in unit tyre shipments continues a positive trend seen in recent months – the USTMA reports that its members’ actual USA tyre shipments in 2020 turned out to be 4.9 million units, or 1.6 per cent, higher than the projected annual total it announced last November.

According to the latest forecasts, the USTMA expects original equipment shipments for passenger, light truck and truck tyres will increase by 10.7 per cent, 3.6 per cent, and 20.0 per cent respectively, a total increase of 5.1 million units. The association projects that replacement passenger and truck tyre shipments will increase by 3.5 per cent and 2.9 per cent respectively, with light truck tyre replacement shipments showing a slight decline of 0.4 per cent. The USTMA anticipates that its members will ship an additional 7.4 million replacement in total.