Ice Blazer WSTX winter tire newest Sailun innovation

MONTREAL — Sailun Group Co. Ltd. believes it has established itself as a respected value-tier brand and, therefore, growth must come through innovation. Examples include its automated, state-of-the-art facility in Cambodia and the purpose-built electric vehicle tire, the EVRange.

In Canada, the company is promoting its new winter tire, the Ice Blazer WSTX, as the product it believes can offer comparable top-tier performance at a value-tier price.

"From concept to reality, developing our product line and launching a new product, we want to ensure we're exceeding expectations," David Pulla, Sailun Tire Americas (STA) manager of national sales for passenger/light truck, told tire dealers during an event in February at ICAR Mirabel motorsports complex in Mirabel, Quebec.

"We have our own rubber plantations, we have invested into natural resources, our R&D facilities. Everything that we're going to do is going to continue to drive the products' quality and the performance of our tires."

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STA, the Chinese company's North American arm based in Toronto, launched the tire in time to sell in 2022, promoting it as "Designed in Canada for Canada." The Ice Blazer WSTX was designed by STA engineers in Toronto and tested on roads throughout the country.

The Ice Blazer WSTX is a studdable winter tire designed for optimal traction in ice, snow and slush. It is available in 62 sizes with fitments covering 14- to 20-inch rim diameters.

The directional design features a one-pattern concept for cars and SUVs with lateral grooves to push snow outward, zig-zag grooves to improve stability and 3D siping that delivers an "edge effect" for "confident" handling and traction, the company said. The shoulder blocks enhance handling and stability at highway speeds.

Sailun upgraded its compounding technology to produce a "blend" that performs well and stays pliable in cold conditions.

The Ice Blazer WSTX carries the Three-Peak Mountain Snowflake (3PMS) symbol, which was evaluated through third-party testing, the company said.

"This tire is capable of handling the harshest of terrains that your consumers are going to be driving in," Pulla said.

The Ice Blazer WSTX replaces the WST1 for cars and SUVs.

The Sailun winter tire lineup also includes the:

• Ice Blazer WSL2, a studless "entry level" winter tire for cars and crossovers;
• Studdable WST2 for light trucks and SUVs;
• Atrezzo 4Season, an all-weather for cars; and
• TerraMax A/T for light trucks and SUVs.

The tires come with Sailun's upgraded two-year road hazard replacement program.

Sailun is pushing its awareness in Canada with a campaign celebrating 1 million Canadian vehicles fitted with tires from the Ice Blazer line.

"We sell a lot of Sailun. Initially, I think it was because it's a price-point tire to begin with, but we sell them now, today, because people are coming back and asking for those tires. They perform excellent," Jesse Cords, owner of a Fountain Tire store in Brandon, Manitoba, said.

"I've always sold on the fact that I truly believe they perform competitively compared to higher-end tires. They don't necessarily last as long, but it's a great product.

"(And) they back us up on the manufacturing side, which is huge for me," Cords said. "I need to know that if we ever do a warranty, they will stand behind me."

Along with price and performance, Pulla said a key is making sure dealers have confidence in selling and installing a product.

"If we can ease that process, make sure a tire is going to balance well, install well, have excellent ride comfort and provide the safety that winter tires need to provide, then we kind of hit a home run. And I believe we've done just that (with the WSTX)."

The winter tire market in Canada is slowly growing. Tire and Rubber Association of Canada (TRAC) data show 69% of Canadians (living outside Quebec where winter tires are mandatory) used winter tires in 2021. That is up 3% since 2020.

Pulla said winter tire adoption is growing on average about 2% a year in Canada.

The tire is available only in Canada, although Sailun said it could come to the U.S. if market demands change.

In the U.S., data show "winter/traction" replacement tires make up less than 2% of the overall U.S. tire market, according to the U.S. Tire Manufacturers Association, versus 78% for all-season tire designs.

Also, since the tire is produced in China, it would face elevated duties to import them into the U.S.

Despite being built in China, Sailun said the WSTX is really a Canadian tire.

"It's not really about the country of origin anymore. It's about the manufacturer. So, who's building the tire?" Jamie McIntyre, vice president of sales, Canada, said. "If you're a quality manufacturer, it doesn't matter where you build it. It's going to be a good product."

Sailun sells tires in more than 135 countries. Globally, Sailun said it accounts for 1.5% market share in passenger/light truck aftermarket sales and 3.5% of all truck/bus tire sales.

The company is ranked as the No. 15 largest tire maker in the world with 2021 sales of $2.6 billion. It was ranked No. 17 the year before.

Sailun opened its Cambodia plant, where 99% of the machines are automated, last November. Pulla called it a sight to see, adding "you could eat off the floors."

Automation, he said, means less downtime on machinery and less risk in terms of product quality and performance. All products must meet "strict and demanding" protocols before they leave the facility, Pulla said.

Outside of the Ice Blazer WSTX, all new Sailun-branded products will be built in Cambodia, including the Atrezzo SH408, Inspire lineup and TerraMax HLT.

Sailun also will build its next new product, the TerraMax R/T, at the facility, though a launch date has yet to be announced.

Over the next two to three years, the Sailun tire lineup will transition to Sailun's factories in Vietnam and Cambodia from China, the STA execs said. In all, Sailun operates six tire plants, including four in China.

"We continue to analyze the market, be forward thinking, and we're going to ensure that all of our product assortment are reflecting the demands that are in the market today and tomorrow," Pulla said.