European tire markets go flat

Brussels – EU tire markets have started to cool after significant year-on-year growth in the first two quarters of 2014, the latest quarterly figures from the European Tyre and Rubber Manufacturers Association (ETRMA) suggest.

Sales stabilised on the levels of 2013, with the exception of agricultural tires, where the market decreased 9 percent, ETRMA said in a review of its members’ sales in the third quarter of 2014.

Passenger car tire sales edged up by just 1 percent to around 57.6 million units, while truck and bus tires were virtually level on the prior year period at around 2.6 million units

Helped by the strong first-half performance, the first nine months of 2014 showed a general increase in sales, ETRMA concluded. The overall trend, it noted, was supported by increased new-car registrations during 2014.

ETRMA did not comment further on the third quarter trends but instead highlighted the publication of its statistical overview of the tire and rubber industry for the year 2013.

“This is the sixth edition of our statistics overview, which every year gives an accurate picture of where our industry stands, not only in terms of sales, but also of production and trade”, said Fazilet Cinaralp, secretary general of ETRMA.

The booklet, she added, goes beyond the realm of tires providing data on general rubber goods, as well as on the vehicle industry and the natural and synthetic rubber demand, consumption and trade.