Global truck tyre sales recovering

ERJ staff report (DS)

Paris - Michelin has updated its website with tyre market data for the month of March. Once again latest figures show a continued recovery in demand in all markets, this month the European OE truck business also increased.

In the OE truck tyre segment, every market in the world rose in the month of March and every market, except Europe rose for the first three months. The site gives only percentage changes, not absolute numbers.

The year so far saw a modest 1.5 percent decrease in European sales, though the decline may have ended. March's sales actually grew by 22.2 percent year on year. The steady improvement in North American truck OE sales continued, with sales in the first three months up by 13.7 percent, though the growth in March was faster, at 26.1 percent.

The Brazilian market's sharp recovery also continued in March. The year to date showed growth of 53.3 percent, with the March figures up by 51.3 percent. Japan's markets continue to show huge growth, with sales in the year to date running 61.4 percent above the same period in 2009. Compared to last March, sales were up by 68.5 percent. China saw stronger OE sales in March, continuing the steady recovery, with OE sales up by 17.9 percent in the year to date, following a 22.9 percent improvement in the month of March.

Truck replacement tyres in March showed universal growth, as volumes increased around the world. European truck tyre markets grew by 38.9 percent in the first three months,and by 58.0 percent in March. North America grew by 18.3 percent in the year to March, again helped by an increase of 21.0 percent in the year-on-year figure.

In Brazil, a year-on-year increase of 24.6 percent brought the three-month figure to a healthy 32.8 percent growth. The recovery in Japanese replacement truck tyre sales continued in March, up by 11.2 percent in the year to date and up by 20.6 percent in the month of March. China sales for the month grew by 18.9 percent in March, making sales in the first three months 14.1 percent higher than a year before.

The OE car business continues to grow from last year's poor figures. Michelin said the total European OE market for car tyres in the three months to March 2010 was up by 30.8 percent, while the year-on-year figure for March increased by 12.6 percent. The North American market also grew strongly over a depressed market a year ago, with the equivalent figures showing an increase of 72.2 percent for the three-month period and a year-on-year increase in March of 60.0 percent.

China's OE demand was up by a massive 79.0 percent in the year to date and up by an incredible 61.6 percent in March.

In the replacement business, the steady growth in Europe accelerated. In March the three-month figures showed a growth of 9.5 percent while the one-month figure grew by 19.6 percent. In North America, the replacement market grew by 8.0 percent in the first three months, helped by an increase of 12.0 percent in the most recent month. Chinese replacement sales continued to grow, showing growth of 22.0 percent in the year to date helped by an increase of 22.9 percent in the most recent month.

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Press release from Michelin