BRUSSELS (July 15, 2016) — European tire shipment showed marked variations in the second quarter and first half of 2016, with strong gains in motorcycle and scooter tires but a sharp downturn in agricultural tires, according to the latest figures from the European Tyre & Rubber Manufacturers' Association (ETRMA).
Consumer and truck tires grew modestly for the quarter and the half, the ETRMA said.
Consumer tire shipments were up 1.5 percent for the second quarter to 49.3 million units vs. 48.6 million in the second quarter of 2015, the ETRMA said. For the first half of 2016, consumer shipments stood at 102.6 million, up 2 percent from the 100.6 million recorded for the same period last year.
Truck tire shipments inched up 0.4 percent for the quarter, to 1.41 million units from 1.4 million, the association said. First-half shipments in that sector increased 3.6 percent, to 3.7 million units from 3.6 million, it said.
Ag tire sales slumped 7 percent for the quarter, to 386,000 units from 415,000. For the first half, shipments were down 7.8 percent, to 784,000 units from 851,000.
The ETRMA noted ag tire shipments were “critically low and consistently decreasing.”
Conversely, motorcycle tire shipments grew 10 percent in the second quarter, to 2.7 million units from 2.4 million. Shipments in that sector were up 6.7 percent for the quarter, to 6.1 million tires from 5.7 million, according to the ETRMA.
The second quarter of 2016 was a less dynamic market generally for European tires than the first, the ETRMA said. This was demonstrated by a 2-percent drop in consumer tire shipments during June, it said.
ETRMA tire manufacturer membership includes Apollo Vredestein, Bridgestone Europe, Brisa, Cooper Tires, Continental, Goodyear Dunlop Tires Europe, Hankook, Marangoni, Michelin, Mitas, Nokian Tyres, Pirelli and Trelleborg Wheel Systems, the association said.
The national tire associations of Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain and the United Kingdom also are ETRMA members, the association said.
The European tire industry directly employs more than 360,000 and supports another 800,000 jobs in related sectors, the association said.