Lee Hyo-sik is Finance Desk editor at The Korea Times. He manages finance-related stories on macroeconomics, banks, stocks, bonds, crypto etc. He is passionate about covering what's happening in Korea's financial industry and explaining it to both Korean and non-Korean readers. You can reach him at leehs@koreatimes.co.kr. Your insights and feedbacks are always appreciated.
Kumho Tire's design recognized
Kumho Tire won the Red Dot Design Award 2015 in early March for three of its tires. From left are the Ecsta HS51, Cruzen HP91 and Sealant Tire. / Courtesy of Kumho Tire
By Lee Hyo-sik
By Lee Hyo-sik
Kumho Tire, Korea’s major tire manufacturer, has won numerous international awards over the years for its superb tire designs because the company makes every effort to produce fuel-efficient, eco-friendly and safe products.
Early this month, Kumho won the Red Dot Design Award 2015 for three of its tires: the Ecsta HS51, Cruzen HP91 and Sealant Tire.
It won the internationally acclaimed design award for four consecutive years since 2012, becoming a global leader in tire design.
The award in Germany is one of the three major design awards, along with the International Forum (iF) Design Award and the Industrial Designers Society of America (IDEA) Award.
“Kumho and other domestic tire makers have won international design awards over the past few years, proving that Korean firms have reached a world standard in design excellence,” a Kumho Tire official said. “Kumho has been making all-out efforts to meet increasingly high standards from automakers and motorists.”
The official said design has become an important criterion when motorists choose tires, stressing that the company will invest more in design to differentiate its products from those of its competitors, and produce the ones that best meet consumer expectations.
Designed as an eco-friendly product, the Ecsta HS51 demonstrates its excellent performance. The tire enables vehicles to boost dynamic driving and driver comfort.
The Cruzen HP91 is designed to help boost the performance of sports utility vehicles. The tire contains silica, an element that increases surface traction and reduces rolling resistance, improving drive stability and comfort.
The Sealant Tire, which was introduced to the market in January 2014, has been attracting keen attention from automakers. The tire, dubbed the “self-healing tire,” repairs itself when the tread is penetrated by sharp objects, according to the company.
“The tire contains sealant gel, which repairs damaged areas by itself. The product well shows our technological prowess and has been appealing to safety-conscious consumers,” the official said. “Kumho began imprinting its own identity on the sidewall of its flagship tires in 2013 in its efforts to improve product quality and differentiate them from others produced by other firms. The company will continue to foster its own brand identity.”