DETROIT — Ford Motor Co. has selected Shandong Linglong Tyre Co. Ltd. as a supplier of a full-size spare tire on the 2022 Ford Maverick compact pickup truck.
Shandong, China-based Linglong Tire is supplying Ford with its Atlas Priva C/S all-season tire, size 215/60R17 XL 100H, for the Maverick, which was selected as North American Truck of the Year earlier this year by journalists at the Detroit Auto Show.
According to Ford literature, the Maverick's standard tire fitment is 225/65R17 with an optional fitment of 225/60R18. Among the vehicle's OE tire fitments are the Continental ProContact TX and Falken Wildpeak A/T.
The Atlas Priva C/S is an all-season tire designed for CUVs, SUVs and compact trucks, Linglong said. It has a two-ply construction and features an asymmetric, 5-rib tread pattern with an all-season tread compound. It is manufactured at Linglong's plant in Rayong, Thailand.
Linglong said Ford requested a full-size spare for the Maverick program — rather than a temporary space-saver (T spare) — and specified the size for it. Nonetheless, the Atlas Priva offers weight and cost savings relative to having a spare that matches the vehicle's OE tires.
Ford launched the Maverick in June 2022 as the entry point into the Ford light truck brand. The four-door, five-passenger pickup sits on a 121-inch wheelbase and overall is 11 inches shorter than the Ford Ranger small pickup. It features a hybrid engine, which is expected to get fuel economy of 40 mpg city. It can haul up to 1,500 pounds, and it can tow up to 4,000 pounds with an optional EcoBoost gasoline engine.
The truck has been engineered on the same unibody front-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive C2 platform that underpins the Lincoln Corsair and Ford Escape and Bronco Sport crossovers. It's assembled at Ford's plant in Sonora, Mexico.
Founded in 1975, Shandong Linglong is considered the world's 13th largest tire maker, based on fiscal 2020 sales of $2.75 billion. It maintains a U.S. office in Medina, Ohio.
The company said it provides OE tires to 60 global vehicle makers, including BMW A.G., Ford and Volkswagen of America in the North American market.
