Yokohama Advan Sport V107 tyres are an approved original equipment fitment for the BMW X7 and the plug-in hybrid BMW XM. In total, Yokohama Rubber is supplying three size combinations for these SUVs: HL275/35R23 108Y (front) and HL315/30R23 111Y (rear) to both the BMW X7 and BMW XM, as well as 275/45R21 110Y (front) and 315/40R21 115Y (rear), and 275/40R22 107Y (front) and 315/35R22 111Y (rear) for the BMW XM.
Scheduled to arrive in the UK later in 2024, the new 250 Series Toyota Land Cruiser debuted in Japan and selected international markets this month. The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd. shares that it is supplying its Yokohama Geolandar X-CV (pattern number: G057) and Geolandar A/T G31 tyres as original equipment. The Land Cruiser is wearing the Geolandar X-CV in sizes 245/70R18 110H and 265/60R20 112H, and the Geolandar A/T G31 in 245/70R18 110H and 265/65R18 114V.
The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd., has entered into a partnership agreement with Mercedes-AMG Customer Racing’s Haupt Racing Team (HRT), under which it will supply Yokohama Advan racing tyres to the Mercedes-AMG GT3 that HRT enters into the Nürburgring 24-Hour Race and Nürburgring Langstrecken Serie (NLS). In dry conditions, the car will wear Advan A005 racing tyres in 300/680R18 (front) and 330/710R18 (rear), and in the wet will compete on Advan A006 tyres.
The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd. has announced plans to strengthen its capacity for supplying tyres to the North American market by building a passenger car tyre factory in Mexico. The company intends to invest up to US$380 million to build a plant with an annual production capacity of 5 million tyres.
Several tyre makers have sold their manufacturing operations in Russia since 2022; Yokohama Rubber has not. L.L.C. Yokohama R.P.Z. suspended operations at its Lipetsk passenger car tyre plant in March of that year due to issues with raw material procurement, resuming production in August 2022.
As of January 2024, the Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd. is a full member of the Global Data Service Organisation (GDSO) for Tyres and Automotive Components, an international non-profit association promoting standardisation and access to tyre-related data. As a GDSO member, Yokohama Rubber will comply with industry standards promoting individual tyre identification management.
In fiscal year 2023, Yokohama Rubber announced significant increases across key financial metrics, with revenue rising by 14.5% to reach 985.3 billion yen (£5.2 billion), operating profit increasing by 45.8% to 100.4 billion yen (£530.3 million) and profit attributable to owners of the parent company climbing by 46.4% to 67.2 billion yen (£354.9 million). These figures marked record-high full-year performance levels for Yokohama Rubber. The company also achieved its target of raising its ratio for business profit to sales revenue above 10% in line with the objectives it outlined in the YX2023 medium-term management plan.
Until recently, half a dozen companies in China produced counterfeit Yokohama Advan Racing alloy wheels, but their days of fakery are over thanks to the joint efforts of intellectual property rights holder Yokohama Rubber and the authorities in three cities. Yokohama Rubber speaks of a “successful completion of its efforts to eliminate counterfeit versions of the company’s aluminium wheels in China.”
Under its new YX2026 management plan, Yokohama Rubber intends to combat growing sales of budget consumer tyres with a strengthened focus on OE supply and also rapidly bring new and efficient plants online. Within the OHT segment, it will turn to mergers and acquisitions to bolster market share in specific areas. By fiscal 2026, the company aims for sales revenue of ¥1,150 billion (£6.1 billion), business profit of ¥130 billion (£688.9 million), a business profit margin of 11%, and ROE of more than 10%.
Yokohama recently joined the ranks of brands with a symbol denoting a tyre’s suitability for electric vehicles. This is the E+ sidewall marking, which Yokohama Rubber debuted on the Yokohama Advan Sport EV last year. The tyre maker is now extending the E+ mark to commercial tyres, initially on two Yokohama bus tyre models, one sold in the European market and one in Japan.
Numerous changes within the management of the Yokohama Rubber Co. Ltd. will take effect following the company’s general meeting of shareholders on 28 March 2024, including the appointment of Masataka Yamaishi as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. Shinji Seimiya will take over Yamaishi’s current remit as President, as well as the role of COO.
The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd. has spun off the sales unit of its Vietnam tyre production and sales subsidiary, Yokohama Tyre Vietnam Inc. (YTVI), into a new dedicated sales company. Yokohama Tyre Sales Vietnam Co., Ltd. will begin operations as an independent entity on 1 January 2024 with its headquarters in Ho Chi Minh City. YTVI will become a dedicated tyre production company.
Yokohama tyres are an original equipment fitment on the Lexus LBX. The compact SUV, which debuts in Europe, Japan and Asia in December 2023, will be available with Yokohama Advan V61 tyres in sizes 225/55R18 98H and 225/60R17 99H.
In addition to its already announced supply of Yokohama Advan V107 tyres for the Porsche Cayenne, Yokohama Rubber is producing its Advan V35 as original equipment for the SUV. It is shipping the Yokohama Advan V35 to Porsche AG in the front wheel size 285/40R22 110V and rear size 315/35R22 111V.
Tyres for electric vehicles made using renewable electricity. This is reality at Yokohama Rubber, whose Shinshiro-Minami plant in Japan has begun producing Yokohama Advan EV tyres with power from a new proprietary solar panel power generation system that officially entered operation in August 2023 and with renewable energy-generated electricity that the plant has been procuring since April.
If you would like the latest news from the Chinese tyre industry in Chinese, visit our partner site TyrepressChina.com. Or click below to continue on Tyrepress.