Different name, same tyres, claims former Nokian Tyres Russia boss

According to Andrey Pantyukhov, who until last year headed the Russia and Asia business area for Nokian Tyres, tyres made in the Finnish firm’s former plant in Russia are, technically speaking, “exactly the same” as those produced under Nokian Tyres ownership. Pantyukhov, now chief executive officer of Tatneft-owned business Ikon Tyres, claims “the only difference is the name.”

Speaking with Russian publication the Expert (Эксперт), Pantyukhov states that Ikon Tyres is manufacturing “on the same equipment, using the same technologies” and utilising the “same raw materials.” He says that although the company needed to “revise some logistics chains” it has “kept the same raw material base.” The only technical difference that customers will see in autumn 2023, he adds, is a slight modification to the studs shipped with Ikon Nordman 7 and Nordman 8 tyres – a change required as part of the acquisition deal.

While the products are allegedly fundamentally unchanged, the same can’t be said for production volumes. Pantyukhov speaks of these being “far from the maximum figures of previous years,” primarily due to the loss of export markets in Europe and North America. Ikon Tyres is currently focusing on the Russian domestic market as well as exports to Belarus and Kazakhstan. But in spite of a huge drop in volumes, the chief executive officer says the Vsevolozhsk plant near St Petersburg still operates “24 hours a day, seven days a week.”

All tyres produced after March 2023 carry the Ikon name on the sidewall instead of Nokian, but Ikon Tyres will sell a mixture of both in winter 2023/24. All tyres will be branded as Ikon from summer 2024, with former Nokian products known as Ikon Autograph and Nordman tyres as Ikon Character.