MOMO adding branded tire line to U.S. portfolio

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — MOMO Automotive Group, known to North American consumers principally for its wheel and/or steering wheel products, is bringing a line of performance-oriented Momo-brand tires to North America.

Launched in Europe in 2012, the tire line covers passenger cars, light trucks and SUVs. MOMO has set up a sales office in Irvine, Calif., to oversee the launch and distribution strategy and hired Gianluca Grioni, a tire executive with more than 20 years of industry experience — including several years with Pirelli Tire L.L.C. — to head up the new business.

MOMO Automotive, a business unit of Cisneros Corp., is a sister company of Weld Racing L.L.C., which Cisneros acquired in January in what it said at that time was a move to create a global portfolio of "storied high-performance brands" and product lines.

MOMO will display its line of tires — which comprises a dozen all-season, winter and summer patterns — on the Weld booth at the upcoming Specialty Equipment Market Association Show in Las Vegas.

MOMO said the tires are engineered and tested in Europe. The tires, for the most part, are built in China by Shandong Jinyu Industrial Co. Ltd., according to the Department of Transportation identification symbol on the sidewall of products displayed on the momotires.com website.

"It has been an exciting year for MOMO," said Norm Young, president and CEO of MOMO Automotive Accessories.

"The introduction of such a prestigious tire line expands our position as a leader in the automotive industry. No other company has such a comprehensive offering of high performance tires, wheels and racing accessories."

Coral Gables, Fla.-based Cisneros Corp. recently shored up its North American wheel business, buying Forgestar Performance Wheels, the Anaheim, Calif.-based producer of one-piece flow-formed wheels.