Hankook Tire, Lamborghini strengthen ties as chairmen set to meet

Cho Hyun-bum, chairman of Hankook & Company Co., the holding firm of South Korea’s largest tire maker Hankook Tire & Technology Co., is set to meet with Stephan Winkelmann, chairman and CEO of Lamborghini, during the latter’s visit to Seoul in early March.

The two leaders are expected to discuss collaboration opportunities, including the potential supply of Hankook tires for upcoming Lamborghini models, people familiar with the matter said on Friday.

The Korean tire maker is coordinating schedules for the Cho-Winkelmann meeting, sources said.

Winkelmann’s visit, slated for March 6, coincides with the launch of Lamborghini’s new plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV), the Temerario.

His Seoul trip marks his first visit to Korea since 2022.

During their meeting, Cho is expected to showcase Hankook Tire’s advanced technology and explore opportunities to supply tires for Lamborghini’s high-performance vehicles.

Hankook Tire has been the exclusive racing tire supplier for Lamborghini’s Super Trofeo series, providing its Ventus tires for all participating vehicles, since 2023.

Hankook Tire said it gathers data from the racing events to develop ultra-high-performance tires for commercial supercars.

YET TO SUPPLY LAMBORGHINI WITH NON-RACING CAR TIRES

Hankook has yet to secure a supply deal for Lamborghini’s non-racing, mainstream production models.

During his visit, Winkelmann will also likely meet with key Korean auto parts suppliers, sources said.

His itinerary includes a new model launch event and a media briefing to announce Lamborghini’s electrification strategy, they said.

Last year, the Italian supercar maker sold 487 Lamborghini cars in Korea, surpassing the brand’s Italian sales of 479 units.

Hankook Tire has been actively expanding its partnerships with global supercar brands.

The Korean tire maker supplies its tires to automakers for sports car models such as Porsche’s Cayenne, Taycan and Panamera, as well as high-performance variants from Audi’s RS lineup and BMW’s M series.

Write to Gil-Sung Yang at vertigo@hankyung.com

In-Soo Nam edited this article.