Hankook Tire & Technology, commonly known simply as Hankook, is a South Korean tire manufacturer and one of the world’s major tire companies. Founded in 1941, it has evolved from Korea’s first tire manufacturer into a global mobility-technology company whose core business remains passenger-car, SUV, commercial-vehicle, truck-and-bus, electric-vehicle, and motorsport tires.

The brand positions itself as a premium, technology-focused global manufacturer, with particular emphasis today on high-performance tires, electric vehicles (EVs), motorsport, and future mobility solutions.

Hankook states that it currently supplies products to more than 160 countries, produces approximately 100 million tires annually, and employs more than 20,000 people worldwide.

Hankook (한국, 韓國) is the Korean word commonly used for Korea. Unlike many automotive brands that use invented names, Hankook is essentially a national-name reference.

The company’s original name was Chosun Tire Company, established in 1941. It subsequently went through several corporate names before adopting the Hankook Tire name. The company officially changed its name to Hankook Tire Manufacturing in 1968. 1

Early Years (1941–1970s)

Hankook’s story began in 1941, when it was founded as Chosun Tire Industrial. It was one of the earliest tire manufacturers in Korea and eventually became the country’s first major tire manufacturer. After the Korean War, the company rebuilt and expanded its manufacturing capabilities.

Key early milestones include:

• 1941: Company founded as Chosun Tire Industrial
• 1953: Corporate name changed
• 1962: Began exporting tires overseas, initially to Pakistan
• 1968: Officially renamed Hankook Tire Manufacturing
• 1974: Developed Korea’s first passenger-car radial tire
• 1979: Completed the Daejeon manufacturing plant

The development of radial tires was particularly significant because radial construction eventually became the dominant technology for modern passenger vehicles.

International Expansion (1980s–1990s)

During the 1980s and 1990s, Hankook transformed from a domestic manufacturer into an international tire company. Major developments included:

• 1981: Established a U.S. subsidiary
• 1982: Established its dedicated R&D center
• 1985: Built Korea’s first dedicated tire-industry driving test track
• 1992: Established the America Technical Center
• 1997: Established the Europe Technical Center
• 1998: Established the China Technical Center
• 1999: Completed plants in Jiaxing and Jiangsu, China

This period established the foundations of Hankook’s current global manufacturing and research network. 2

Premium Positioning (2000s–Present)

In the 2000s and 2010s, Hankook shifted focus from competing solely as a lower-cost Asian manufacturer to pursuing premium positioning and original-equipment (OE) contracts with major automobile manufacturers. Important milestones include:

• 2001: European Distribution Center completed
• 2005: T’Station retail network launched
• 2008: Hungary plant completed; became official Audi tire supplier
• 2011: Became official DTM tire supplier
• 2012: Began official UEFA Europa League sponsorship
• 2013: Began supplying Mercedes-Benz S-Class
• 2014: Introduced Laufenn brand
• 2015: Began supplying Porsche Macan
• 2016: Completed Hankook Technodome R&D center
• 2017: Completed Tennessee plant in the United States
• 2018: Acquired Reifen-Müller in Germany; expanded EV-tire development
• 2019: Renamed Hankook Tire & Technology Co., Ltd.
• 2020: Began supplying Porsche Taycan
• 2021: Ranked sixth globally in tire sales according to company materials
• 2022: Introduced the dedicated iON EV tire family

This era marked a substantial change in Hankook’s image, associating the brand increasingly with premium automakers such as BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Audi, and Porsche.

Hankook is now part of the broader Hankook & Company Group. It is important to distinguish between the group and the specific tire entity:

• Hankook & Company Group: The wider corporate group has interests extending beyond tires, including automotive batteries, thermal-management systems, precision manufacturing, and IT businesses.
• Hankook Tire & Technology: This is the tire-focused company responsible for the Hankook tire business and its global R&D, manufacturing, sales, and brand operations. 3

Hankook’s product range covers various vehicle segments and performance needs.

Ventus

The Ventus family is Hankook’s performance-oriented range, associated with high-speed driving, sporty handling, premium vehicles, and ultra-high-performance applications. Examples include the Ventus S1 evo family.

iON (Electric Vehicles)

One of Hankook’s most strategically important developments is iON, its dedicated EV tire family. Launched in 2022, iON is described as a full-line EV-specialized tire brand. EV tires require different engineering due to higher instantaneous torque, vehicle weight, low drivetrain noise, strong acceleration, and regenerative-braking loads. By 2025, EV tires represented 27% of Hankook’s passenger-car/light-truck tire sales, according to the company.

Dynapro

Dynapro is Hankook’s SUV and pickup-oriented family, focusing on road comfort, durability, traction, and all-terrain capability depending on the model.

Kinergy

Kinergy represents Hankook’s comfort-oriented touring products, emphasizing quietness, ride comfort, everyday handling, fuel efficiency, and all-season usability.

Vantra

Vantra is aimed primarily at vans and light commercial vehicles, prioritizing load capacity, durability, mileage, stability, and commercial use requirements.

Smart

Smart covers Hankook’s commercial truck-and-bus tire products, designed for high mileage, load carrying, rolling resistance, durability, and fleet operating cost efficiency.

Winter i*cept

Winter i*cept is Hankook’s winter-tire family, designed for snow, ice, cold/wet roads, winter braking, and low-temperature grip. Hankook operates winter-testing facilities in severe climates, including its Technotrac facility in Ivalo, Finland, within the Arctic Circle.

Hankook Tire & Technology operates several global tire brands to cover different price points and markets:

• Hankook: The principal premium brand.
• Laufenn: Introduced internationally in 2014, designed as a more accessible global tire brand.
• Optimo: Covers products such as touring, all-weather, and winter applications. 4

A key indicator of Hankook’s technological credibility is its OEM/OE business. “Original Equipment” refers to tires supplied to automobile manufacturers for installation on new vehicles at the factory, distinct from replacement tires bought at retail shops.

Hankook currently supplies OE tires to approximately 40 global automotive brands and around 300 vehicle models, according to its 2025 results. 4 Its OE relationships include manufacturers such as Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Volkswagen, Hyundai, Kia, CUPRA, and Lucid. Notable vehicles using Hankook OE tires include the Porsche Taycan, Porsche Macan, various Audi and BMW models, and multiple EVs. 5

Automakers generally require extensive testing and validation before approving a tire as factory equipment.

Technology is central to Hankook’s modern brand identity. The company operates a global R&D network including:

• Hankook Technodome in Korea
• America Technical Center
• China Technical Center
• Japan Technical Office
• Europe Technical Center
• Winter-testing facilities in Finland

R&D areas include tire compounds, tread design, aerodynamics, rolling resistance, braking, wet grip, handling, noise reduction, EV-specific tire technology, high-performance tires, and sustainability. The company completed the Hankook Technodome as its central R&D facility and subsequently expanded its international testing capabilities.

Testing Infrastructure

Hankook operates dedicated proving grounds to evaluate tires under controlled conditions. Key facilities include:

• G’Trac: Near its Geumsan plant, established after the 1985 milestone of building Korea’s first dedicated tire-industry driving test track.
• Technoring: A major proving ground in Taean, Korea.
• Technotrac: Winter-testing facility in Ivalo, Finland.

These programs evaluate dry/wet handling, braking, high-speed stability, ride comfort, noise, durability, and winter traction.

Motorsport is integral to Hankook’s technological and marketing strategy. The company has supplied tires to racing series including DTM, Formula E, Lamborghini Super Trofeo, and the World Rally Championship (WRC).

Hankook became the exclusive technical partner and tire supplier for Formula E beginning with the 2023 era. Motorsport serves as a laboratory for developing technologies involving extreme temperatures, high cornering forces, braking, energy efficiency, high-speed durability, and EV-specific tire engineering.

EVs have become a critical strategic area for the company. Electric vehicles impose different engineering challenges compared to conventional cars, including higher weight, instant torque, quiet powertrains (making tire noise more noticeable), regenerative braking characteristics, and strict efficiency requirements regarding rolling resistance.

Hankook responded with the iON family and pursued OE contracts with EV manufacturers. Its 2025 results show that 27% of passenger-car/light-truck tire sales were EV tires, while 18-inch-and-larger tires represented 47.8% of those sales. 6

For 2025, Hankook Tire & Technology reported:

• Consolidated revenue: KRW 21.2022 trillion
• Operating profit: KRW 1.8425 trillion
• Tire-business sales: KRW 10.3186 trillion
• Tire-business sales increased 9.6% year over year

The company reported that its tire business exceeded KRW 10 trillion in annual sales for the first time. 7 Note that the consolidated figure includes the broader business structure, while the KRW 10.3186 trillion figure refers specifically to the tire business.

Hankook maintains a genuinely international manufacturing network with plants in:

• 🇰🇷 South Korea
• 🇨🇳 China
• 🇭🇺 Hungary
• 🇮🇩 Indonesia
• 🇺🇸 United States

The U.S. manufacturing presence became particularly important after the completion of the Tennessee plant in 2017. 8 This global production network allows Hankook to supply different regions while reducing dependence on a single manufacturing location.

Historically perceived as a mid-market Asian tire manufacturer, Hankook now presents itself as a premium, technology-driven mobility brand. Its logo and corporate identity emphasize movement, tire tread, and technological innovation, using orange and black as principal colors.

Sustainability is a major part of Hankook’s strategy, with investments in lower rolling-resistance tires, EV efficiency, sustainable materials, environmentally certified production, greenhouse-gas reduction, and sustainable manufacturing. For example, Hankook’s Hungarian plant has received ISCC PLUS certification.

The company’s current corporate concept revolves around “Driving Emotion,” and its vision is described as “The Future Driving Innovator.” This reflects an attempt to position Hankook less as a traditional tire manufacturer and more as a future-mobility technology company.

Hankook is one of South Korea’s most internationally successful automotive brands. What started in 1941 as a Korean tire manufacturer has become a global company with roughly 100 million tires of annual production, operations in more than 160 countries, international R&D centers, major OEM relationships, and a growing focus on electric vehicles and future mobility. 9 10

Its evolution can be summarized as:
Korean tire manufacturer → international tire exporter → global tire manufacturer → premium OEM supplier → high-performance & motorsport brand → EV tire technology leader → broader future-mobility technology company.

Today, Hankook is no longer simply a “tire brand”; it is a major Korean mobility-technology company whose most visible consumer product remains the tire.

1. Hankook
2. About us – Hankook & Company Official Website
3. Company / Hankook Tire Media Center & Press Room – Europe & CIS
4. Hankook Tire & Technology – Wikidata
5. gt-20251231
6. Pressmeddelande Formula E / Hankooktire Motorsport Mediacenter
7. Category:Hankook Tire – Wikimedia Commons
8. HANKOOK TIRE & TECHNOLOGY/Annual Report/2025.03.18
9. Inside Hankook | Hankook Tire Global official site
10. Why Hankook | Hankook Tire US official site