The Tire Cologne 2024: Step on it!

Radiant blue sky, bright halls, many visitors: The sun shone over The Tire Cologne, even though many "big names" stayed away: Among the well-known premium brands, only Continental, Falken, Hankook, Kumho, and Pirelli participated; Goodyear-Dunlop was present only indirectly through services, and Michelin also skipped Cologne this year.

Chinese brands are becoming stronger here too

Nevertheless, there were more exhibitors compared to the last edition, and here too, the trend was noticeable: Asia, especially China, is on the rise. Several Chinese brands have now made the jump from no-name budget to mid-range manufacturers, supported by significantly higher quality products and correspondingly elegant booth constructions: Linglong even presented a VW Tiguan, which they now equip from the factory, but only if you order the 19-inch tires in 255/45 R19 100 V. And: The tires then always come from the factory in Serbia, which is currently being expanded. Accordingly, Linglong also exhibited in "Wolfsburg Wolfs green".

More quality, more environmental awareness

But Stephan Cimbal, Director of Marketing at Sailun Group, also told us that his brand is on the "verge" of attracting new customers. With higher quality, more expensive products. A few meters further, West Lake also demonstrated with the Zuper Ace EV that they are striving for higher quality – even if the design and profile still remind one very much of their Korean competitors.