Hyundai, Kia join hands with Michelin to develop next-generation tyres

Seoul [South Korea], November 27 (ANI): Hyundai Motor and Kia have teamed up with global tyre maker Michelin to build next-generation tYres that aim to improve driving performance, fuel efficiency and safety, according to a report by Pulse, the English service of Maeil Business News Korea.

As per the report, Hyundai Motor and Kia under Hyundai Motor Group signed a memorandum of understanding at Hyundai Motor Group's Namyang research center in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province. The agreement sets up a three-year plan starting next year for joint work on new tyre technologies. Their main goal is to lower rolling resistance to help cars use less fuel and to improve handling and braking so vehicles can respond better while driving.

Hyundai Motor Group and Michelin earlier worked together in 2017 and 2022 on advanced tyre research. Those efforts included developing tyre specifications for rear-wheel-drive electric vehicles and studying tyre wear. The new plan builds on those earlier projects and aims to push the research further by adding virtual simulation tools to the process.

"Through the third phase of technological collaboration with Michelin, we expect to achieve tyre technology innovations that will lead the future mobility market," the report quoted Shin Yong-suk, vice president and head of Genesis Engineering Design Center at Hyundai Motor Group. "By leveraging the specialized capabilities of both companies in mobility and tyre technologies, we will create a synergistic effect that will ultimately translate into improved driving performance."

Hyundai Motor Group has been trying to secure stronger tyre technology as part of its wider strategy to raise the value of its premium vehicles. The report noted that the group recently secured core technology for ultra-low-rolling-resistance tyres, known as ULRR tyres. These tyres help a vehicle move forward with less wasted energy.

Hyundai's technology division worked on tyre development for the facelifted Kia Sorento hybrid model over three years from 2022 and reached a rolling resistance coefficient of 5.5, which the report said represents leading mass-production technology.

Better tyres can also help electric vehicles run longer on a single charge, a key point as global demand for EVs grows. (ANI)

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