Next Century Ventures (NCV), Nexen Tire’s venture capital arm, has invested in Automotus, a curbside management technology company. Nexen representatives described the investment as a way of meeting “NCV’s goals to revolutionize the mobility industry”. No financial details have been released.
Nexen Tire reports that Audi A3 models sold in Europe are available with factory fitted Nexen N’Fera Sport and N’Blue 4 Season tyres. The fourth generation A3 wears the N’Fera Sport in size 225/40R18 92Y XL and the N’Blue 4 Season in 225/45R17 94V XL.
Nexen Tire has entered into a further sporting partnership, this time with US ice hockey team the Chicago Blackhawks. Beginning with the 2022–23 season, the tyre maker will feature on a variety of physical and digital marketing assets, including signage at the Blackhawk’s home rink, Fifth Third Arena.
Purge any thought that Hankook Tire has a monopoly when it comes to tie-ups between the tyre and fashion industries, even in the Korean Peninsula. Rival firm Nexen Tire is collaborating with French-born outdoor wear brand Eider to release four types of hiking shoes and boots. All feature soles containing tyre compounds.
Two Nexen concept tyres, the Conqueror and Pureback, have been named finalists at the 2022 International Design Excellence Awards (IDEA) in the United States. These tyres were developed through a joint industry-academic collaboration with design students, Nexen Tire and The Korea Design Membership Plus (KDM+). Nexen says the partners’ focus was to create concept tyres that “can combat tough climate conditions and environmental challenges.”
Nexen Tire has become an original equipment supplier for the third-generation BMW X1 and the all-electric iX1. The tyre maker’s plant in Žatec, Czech Republic will manufacture a version of the Nexen N’Fera Sport tailored to meet BMW’s requirements for the compact SUVs. Nexen has not specified the tyre sizes it is supplying to BMW.
Promoted as the “first step in Alfa Romeo’s electric journey”, Tonale is the Italian brand’s take on “reinventing the SUV”. This new addition to the Alfa Romeo line-up is initially available as a petrol mild hybrid, with a plug-in hybrid arriving at a later date.
The recently announced continuation of its partnership with Manchester City F.C. isn’t the only football activity that Nexen Tire is maintaining during the current season. The tyre maker has announced an extension of its sponsorship of German Bundesliga club Eintracht Frankfurt e.V. The freshly-reaffirmed partnership will continue through to the 2024/25 season.
The Premier League begins its 2022/23 season today, and Nexen Tire has confirmed that it will continue its sponsorship of Manchester City F.C. When players take to the field in their encounter with West Ham United on Sunday, the tyre maker’s logo will once again proudly feature on shirt sleeves, as it has since 2017. Nexen Tire first became a Manchester City partner in 2015.
BMW has selected Nexen as an original equipment fitment for its second-generation 2 Series Active Tourer. The MPV will be available with Nexen N’Fera Sport tyres in size 205/65 R16, a dimension that lower spec models wear in some markets.
Nexen Tire has invested in US autonomous driving start-up May Mobility. Conducting the transaction via its Silicon Valley-based initiative Next Century Ventures (NCV), the Korean tyre maker participated in May Mobility’s US$111 million C Series funding.
When Nexen Tire first threw its hat into the ring of Europe’s all-season tyre market a decade ago, most motorists – and most tyre makers – considered these products best suited to smaller cars with just a handful of horses under the bonnet. Product development has brought all-season tyres a long way since then, and attitudes have changed too. So it was that when Nexen recently launched its latest tyre for this segment, there wasn’t a single dimension for runabouts or city cars to be seen.
This year is Nexen Tire’s 80th anniversary, and the Korean tyre maker has unveiled a commemorative logo. According to the tyre maker, this new design incorporates its “legacy and history” and symbolises the “importance of the company’s long-term commitment to its consumers.”
Red Dot isn’t announcing its Product Design 2022 winners until 20 June, but Nexen Tire have let us in on the secret that two of its products are awardees. The Nexen N’Blue 4 Season 2 and N’Blue 4 Season Van are winners in the Product Design category this year.
Professors from two South Korean universities have collaborated with Nexen Tire to develop a technology that utilises artificial intelligence (AI) technology to predict tyre performance. The resulting application employs machine learning technology during the tyre concept design stage to more quickly and precisely anticipate real-world properties such as fuel efficiency, noise and handling characteristics.
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