Treble iF Design Award win for Hankook

Hankook Tire has gained a trio iF Design Award 2022 accolades. Judges singled out Hankook Dynapro XT, Dynapro AT2 Xtreme, and Winter i*cept RS3 for the ‘Winner’ title in the Product category.

“Receiving awards for winter, all-terrain, and off-road tyres, Hankook once again proved its design competency all around,” says Sooil Lee, president and chief executive officer of Hankook Tire & Technology. “Through technological advancement, we are innovating design quality in our tyres. With the honourable recognition, we will continue exploring explore innovative designs and enhancing our design capabilities.”

Dynapro XT

Launched last year, Dynapro XT is Hankook’s first rugged terrain product. It features high-rigidity polygonal blocks and wide zig-zag grooves that reportedly offer excellent off-road traction. Hankook says its aggressive saw-toothed sidewall design provides protection against punctures. Dynapro XT is 3-Peak Mountain Snowflake rated, delivering winter performance on a snow-covered road.

Dynapro AT2 Xtreme

The second 4×4/SUV tyre awarded is the Dynapro AT2 Xtreme. Hankook describes this product as a high-mileage low-noise all-terrain tyre that provides excellent performance both on and off the road. Built with multi-directional sipes that enhance braking performance in wet and severe snow conditions, Dynapro AT2 Xtreme also comes equipped with a 3-Peak Mountain Snowflake rating.

Both Hankook Dynapro XT and Dynapro AT2 Xtreme were also ‘Winners’ at the Good Design Award in 2021.

Winter i*cept RS3

This Hankook winter tyre is said to provide drivers with reliable handling on all conditions of roads including snow, wet and dry roads. In particular, small slots moulded into the edge of main groove increase the tyre’s contact surface with the ground, and thus give better grip even when cornering on snowy curves.

Braking performance is supported by an inverted V-shaped tread pattern engraved in the direction of the main groove angle. Adopting of high-grip silica, a natural compound, and water drainage technologies reduce the risk of aquaplaning, and allows excellent braking particularly on wet or slush-covered roads.

11,000 submissions for 2022 awards

The iF Design Award is presented by the International Forum Design, a German marketing consulting firm, since 1953. Hankook Tire considers it one of the top three most reputable international design awards, alongside the Red Dot Design Award and the International Design Excellence Award (IDEA).

This year, 75 design experts came together to select the iF Design Award winners from approximately 11,000 submissions from 57 countries and regions. Winners were chosen from nine categories – Product, Packaging, Communication, Interior Architecture, Professional Concept, Service Design, Architecture, User Experience (UX) and User Interface (UI). The contributions are evaluated on the basis of five criteria of idea, form, function, differentiation and social impact.