Kumho Tires Supplies OE Tires to Mercedes-Benz’s Sprinter Model

• Kumho Tires gains a foothold to rebuild its reputation through expanding Mercedes-Benz supply


• The company expects the supply leading to sales increase in RE tire market

Seoul, May 11th, 2010 — Kumho Tires, one of the world’s leading tire manufacturers, expands its partnership with world-renowned Mercedes-Benz of Daimler. The company announced today that it will supply original equipment (OE) tires to Mercedes-Benz’s Sprinter vans which will be sold in Europe and North America, starting from May.

Kumho Tires is the only tire manufacturer in Korea which supplies to Mercedes-Benz. Sprinter is the fourth model of Mercedes-Benz’s vehicles that Kumho Tires supplies tires for. Previously, the company has been supplying its tires for A-Class, Viano and Actros.

The supply for Sprinter displays that Kumho Tires proved its product quality again by continuously extending its supplies to one of the leading automobile manufacturers in the world, from A-Class and the high-end multipurpose van, Viano, from 2007, construction trucks and tractors, Actros, for korean market last year to commercial cargo vans, Sprinter, this year. Sprinter models equipped with Kumho’s OE Tires will hit the markets in Europe, North America and Asia.

The Sprinter is one of the best selling commercial vehicles in Europe, and also well known as ‘Benz ambulance’ in Korea as it is often converted to an ambulance. Kumho Tires expects that the supply for Sprinter will have a ripple effect on improving the company’s brand recognition as well as on increasing sales in replacement equipment (RE) market.

Kumho Tires plans aggressive sales to supply its tires to high-end automobiles and to continue to increase its competitiveness in OE tire market to keep pace with the growing premium tire market. Kumho Tires currently supplies OE tires to Big 3 automobile manufactures in North America and to Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen in Europe while the company aims to expand its partnership with more global automobile manufacturers.

A spokeperson of Kumho Tires said, “The reinforced partnership with Mercedes-Benz proves that Kumho Tires is being recognized for its technological prowess and quality in global market.”