Nexen supplying OE tires for Kia EV5

Seoul - Nexen Tire is supplying its SUV tire, the Roadian GTX, and its ‘ultra-high performance’ summer tire, the N’Fer Sport, as OE fitment for Kia’s core family electric SUV, the Kia EV5.

The Roadian GTX is an all-season SUV tire fitted on vehicles in the North American and Korean markets.

The N’Fera Sport is a UHP summer tire tailored to the European market, delivering “high-speed stability and braking performance.”

This supply strategy is "tailored to the driving environments and tire consumption patterns of each country," explained Nexen 13 Oct.

Nexen said it used its “proprietary pattern design system” – TSPD: torque steer pattern design – to reduce torque steer, a phenomenon where high motor output pulls the vehicle to one side in sudden acceleration.

The products also optimise the distribution of stiffness ratios within each pattern block to maximise the road contact area and prevent wheel slip by loss of traction.

Nexen has also applied an “in-out multi-sequence design”, where the arrangement of the tire blocks is engineered to disperse driving noise effectively.

This design approach is especially important for electric vehicles, as it ensures high levels of noise reduction.

The Korean tire maker said the OE fitment signified “recognition of the company’s technology and quality competitiveness.”

The company now provides OE tires across KIA’s key EV lineup, from the EV3 to the EV9.

“We will strengthen our global market position through an integrated production strategy, and maintain… performance between EVs and ICE vehicles,” said John Bosco (Hyeon Suk) Kim, Nexen CEO.