18-inch-plus tyres accounted for 53.9 per cent of total Hankook Tire car tyre sales in the first quarter of 2019, a 3.3 per cent increase versus the same period last year, showing Hankook’s strengthening position in premium segments. The manufacturer reported global sales of 1.64 trillion Korean won (1.28 billion euros), up around 2 per cent on Q1 2018, and operating profit of 140.1 billion won (109.6 million euros), which was 44.1 billion won (30.7 million euros less than in Q1 2018.