Hankook Tire America Corp. unveiled its fifth-generation TBR tire line-up at the TMC Show and shared an update on U.S. TBR tire production.
The company noted it will begin phase three construction at its plant in Clarksville, Tenn., by the end of this year. This expansion at the plant will enable Hankook to manufacture TBR tires there.
The TMC Show is taking place this week in Nashville, Tenn.
"TMC provides a great opportunity to showcase the many innovations and exciting updates happening on the TBR side with Hankook,” says Rob Williams, president of Hankook Tire America Corp.
“With advanced, new tech-forward products and the promise of a significant expansion of our TBR manufacturing capacity, we look forward to continue our growth and industry leadership, especially in such an innovative sector."
Aligning with the planned plant expansion, the new additions to Hankook’s TBR family — and all future truck and bus tire products — will be brought to market under the Hankook Smart Brand.
Smart Brand tires utilize Hankook’s Smartec technology philosophy, integrating innovations such as Self-Generated 3D Sipe technology and new tread compounds.
The new tires being showcased at TMC include the Smart Flex AH51, DH51 and DH52.
The AH51 and DH52 will be available in the second quarter of 2025 while the DH51 will be available in quarter three of this year.
Also showcased is the Smart Line Tl52, a smart trailer tire for long-haul performance coming out later this year. And the Smart Line AL52 and DL52 long-haul tires that were unveiled at last year’s TMC show.
And the eSmart City AU56, which is an exclusive electric commercial vehicle tire with high load capacity, is coming out in the third quarter of the year.
The Clarksville plant is currently undergoing phase two to expand consumer tire production.
Upon completion of the expansion plan, the facility will employ approximately 2,200 people, achieve an expected annual production capacity of 10 million PLT tires and one million TBR tires, and become one of the largest tire plants in North America, according to Hankook officials.
