Kumho Tire has been presented with the Good Design Award (Japan) 2023 for its PorTran 4S CX11, a van and light commercial vehicle tyre specifically designed to accommodate the road and climate conditions of Europe and take advantage of the growing markets for all-season tyres in that region. It delivers stable driving and braking performance all year round by combining the strengths of the company’s much-praised all-season SOLUS 4S HA32 passenger car pattern and its existing winter specification van tyre, the PorTran CW51.
The CX11 has already demonstrated its competitiveness in terms of the European Tyre Labelling Regulations; achieving notable results for rolling resistance, wet grip, and external rolling noise. It also offers excellent durability, despite its lightweight construction, and complies with the strengthened European regulations for winter tyres, obtaining the Three-Peak Mountain Snowflake certification in recognition of its reliability in harsh winter conditions.
Recognising the fact that consumers sometimes fail to notice the degree of tread wear on their tyres, Kumho has introduced a customer-oriented feature called the ‘New Wear Indicator’. It contains a pattern which progresses through four different shapes according to the degree of wear, thereby allowing users to establish the remaining tread depth with ease.
Hosted by the Japanese Institute of Design Promotion, the Good Design Award is the most prestigious such international competition to emanate from Japan and, with a 66-year history, enjoys worldwide recognition. Kumho’s 2023 success came in the product category.
“With tyres, good design translates into good performance, and we are excited to have our design capabilities and driving performance recognised by this award,” said Cho Mansik, head of the R&D Division at Kumho Tire. “We will continue striving to develop good design features so our customers can enjoy the benefits of cutting-edge tyre technology.”
The winning entry will be displayed in the Good Design Exhibition 2023, which takes place in midtown Roppongi, Tokyo from October 25 to 29. No newcomer to receiving the Good Design Award (Japan), Kumho was also honoured with it last year for the Road Venture AT52 and for the ECSTA HS52 in 2021.