Michelin, Bridgestone, Goodyear, Continental, Pirelli, Hankook, Yokohama, Sumitomo Rubber, 8 giants analysed across 4 angles: financial, stock-market, operational, ESG. Public data FY2025 and H1 2025.
US tariffs, EV transition, premium ≥18-inch shift: the $200B+ tire industry is going through a deep transformation where the rules of the game are being rewritten.
Volumes are declining, but value holds up. In 2025, most Western majors saw their volumes drop, hurt by weaker OE demand in North America and US import tariffs (25% on all imported tires since April 2025, 150% on Chinese tires). Yet profitability is holding, and even improving, thanks to a premium product mix (≥18-inch tires, EV tires) and remarkable pricing discipline across most players.
Two structural events are reshaping the map in 2025. First: the Continental Aumovio spin-off (automotive/ADAS) in September 2025, the group becomes a tire-led entity (Tires + ContiTech), with a future ContiTech separation under review. Second: the transfer of Dunlop rights outside the US from Goodyear to Sumitomo Rubber (~$0.7B, closed in 2025), redistributing a major brand asset between two top-10 players.
Asia is gaining ground. Hankook, Yokohama and the Chinese players (ZC Rubber, Linglong, Sailun) are gaining market share, especially in the replacement segment. Hankook has completed the rebuild of its Daejeon plant after the 2023 fire and continues investing in EV-tire capacity in the US (Tennessee). Yokohama is digesting the Goodyear OTR acquisition (2023) with synergies materialising.
Western leader in transition, quiet Japanese champion, US turnaround, German spin-off, Italian ultra-premium, Korean premium push, Japanese OTR consolidator, strategic Dunlop buyer: the panel covers the full global dynamic.
You have read 2 sections out of 9. The full benchmark includes the quantified comparison of all 8 players across every critical dimension: