BRUSSELS (Nov. 4, 2016) — European tire shipments were flat or slightly down in all categories in the third quarter of 2016, according to the latest figures from the European Tyre & Rubber Manufacturers Association (ETRMA).
Results for the nine-month period were mixed, down 6 percent in agricultural tires but up slightly in other areas, the ETRMA said.
Passenger tire shipments were up only 10,000 in the third quarter, to 57.3 million units, according to the ETRMA. For the nine months, passenger shipments were up 1 percent, to 159.9 million units.
Truck tire shipments decreased 3 percent in the third quarter, to 2.69 million units. For the nine months, truck tire shipments rose 1 percent to 7.23 million units, the association said.
Agricultural tire shipments fell 4 percent in the quarter to 354,000 units, according to the ETRMA. Nine-month sales fell to 1.14 million units from 1.22 million, it said.
Motorcycle and scooter tires were virtually unchanged for the quarter, at 1.81 million,, the ETRMA said. Nine-month sales rose 5 percent to 7.91 million tires from 7.53 million, it said.
“The outlook for end-of-year results looks grimmer than it did after the first quarter, but a lot hangs on the results of October, usually one of the most telling months of the year,” ETRMA Secretary General Fazilet Cinaralp said in a press release.