Linglong plans to jointly establish Linglong (Brazil) with Sunset S.A. Comercial Industrial Y De Servicios (Sunset) in Brazil and carry out business activities. Linglong holds 70 per cent of the shares, and Sunset holds 30 per cent. The tyre manufacturer said it would adopt a combination of monetary and non-monetary investment to establish Linglong (Brazil) under the premise that Brazilian laws and regulations permit.
Tyres & Accessories has heard talk of Kumho investing in a European tyre production plant for almost two years. A year ago, reports surfaced publicly sharpening the focus on what Kumho is planning to do. Now, in mid-April 2025, executives have once again released details that both confirm the seriousness of the company’s investment plans but also reveal one or two changes in strategy along the way.
Yang Chi-Jen, chairman of Taiwan tyre manufacturer Kenda, recently told Taiwanese media that “the possibility of setting up a tyre factory in the United States in the future is not ruled out.”
Shandong New Continent Tire (SNCTIRE)’s investment plan in Malaysia was registered in March. Specifically, the Shandong-based tyre manufacturer plans to establish Jiafu Industrial Co., Ltd. in Malaysia and build a radial tyre production plant.
About a year ago, Kenda shared news of a 4.5-million-euro investment for its steel wheel factory in Beli Manastir, Croatia. This investment in automated technology and renewable energy is now complete, making the factory “perfectly poised to deliver even more responsibly produced products in higher volumes.”
On 22 February, Yanggu Huatai held a groundbreaking ceremony for its Thailand factory. The factory is scheduled for production in the first quarter of 2026. After reaching full capacity, it will be able to produce 30,000 tons of high-performance rubber additives per year, including 10,000 tons of rubber protective wax, 10,000 tons of rubber processing aids and 10,000 tons of high-performance silane coupling agents.
On 20 February, Toyo Tires’ Shanghai company issued a statement saying that the equity change of the Zhangjiagang factory only involves “changes in investment relations on the production side” and will not affect business operations such as the sales system. According to the announcement, Toyo Tires will continue to use the Zhangjiagang factory as a production base.
Exmile (Jiangsu) New Material Technology is a newly-established car tyre factory in Lianyungang, Jiangsu Province, China. Known for its industrial and construction tyres, the company’s latest manufacturing venture represents a step into the mass-market vehicle sector.
Cofo is building a manufacturing base in Vietnam with an annual output of 160,000 all-steel radial tyres and 800,000 semi-steel radial tyres. Li Shengfa, the company’s head, revealed in an interview with local media that “choosing to build a factory overseas will improve the supply of domestic and foreign markets to a certain extent, and will also help to absorb advanced technology and experience, to better develop and adapt to overseas markets”.
Following the news that Sumitomo Rubber USA is closing its Buffalo, New York state tyre factory, further details have emerged relating to the context of the closure. Arguably the most headline-grabbing news is the suggestion that the factory has been closed in order to move production “overseas” and therefore outside the USA, according to local news reports. Furthermore, prior to the closure, Sumitomo reportedly sought to sell the tyre plant. However, no buyers emerged, leaving closure as the only option.
Shandong Daye, a supplier of raw materials for tyres, has decided to invest 1.485 billion yuan (about £160 million; €190 million) to open a manufacturing centre in Morocco.
The Moroccan factory is planned to be carried out in two phases. The investment amount of the first phase project is 850 million yuan (about £92 million; €110 million), and it is planned to build a production line capable of producing 40,000 bead wires and 40,000 tons of steel cord per year in two years. The project’s first phase is scheduled to start construction in January 2025 and be completed and put into operation in December 2026.
In the first half of 2024, Jiangsu General’s revenue reached 3.07 billion yuan (about £333 million; €400 million), a year-on-year increase of 36.91 per cent. During the same period, the tyre company’s net profit was 290 million yuan (about £31 million; about €38 million), an increase of 393.32 per cent over the same period in 2023.
Qingdao, China-based tyre dealer, Sunset Tires Corp, is considering building a tyre factory in Brazil, according to local news reports. Specifically, the company reportedly plans to invest $256 million to produce XBRI brand passenger car tyres for the Brazilian and US markets.
At the end of August, Tyrepress China learned that Zhongyi Rubber, a tyre manufacturer in Guangrao, Shandong, plans to build a semi-steel radial tyre (PCR) production line. The new production line has a capacity of 12 million tyres, including 4 million ultra-high-performance tyres, 6.5 million tyres for new energy vehicles, and 1.5 million all-terrain and mud tyres.
The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd., is planning to invest 1,960 million yuan (roughly ¥36.7 billion; £212.8 million; 250.5 million euros; $269.7 million) in the construction of a new passenger car tyre factory to serve domestic Chinese demand. Production at the new plant is scheduled to start in the second quarter of 2026. The new plant will be located in the Qiantang New District of Hangzhou City, Zhejiang Province, and will have an initial annual production capacity of 9 million tyres, with further expansion “to be considered in the future”.
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