– NEXEN to strengthen tire performance verification and R&D in extreme climate conditions
– Company to secure competitiveness in the global market through strategic investment in winter tire technology
SEOUL, South Korea, April 9, 2025 – NEXEN TIRE, a leading global tire manufacturer, announced the establishment of a dedicated winter tire testing center at UTAC proving ground in Ivalo, Finland. The new testing center will serve as a foundation for winter tire performance testing and research and development.
With the launch of this testing center, NEXEN TIRE plans to intensify performance testing and research and development for winter tires. Winter tires must operate consistently on snowy and icy roads, which can be up to eight times more slippery than conventional roads. Rubber hardens at low temperatures, limiting grip, necessitating the use of specialized rubber compounds and customized tread patterns. As a result, rigorous testing in specialized facilities is critical, and the new testing facility serves as a foundation to bolster these efforts.
NEXEN TIRE has been using the UTAC testing facility in Finland under short-term contracts. However, with rising demand for test site reservations, securing sufficient testing time has become challenging. To address this, the company built a dedicated testing center, ensuring stable winter testing throughout the season. This expansion extends the winter tire testing period from one month to up to four months. NEXEN TIRE intends to expand its R&D skills by establishing dedicated test tracks.
Located within UTAC, Europe’s premier automotive testing company and the region’s largest test facility, the center is situated 300 kilometers North from the Arctic Circle, offering an ideal environment for testing tire performance under extreme winter conditions. The facility features research and development offices, workshops, and snow and ice tracks spanning an area equivalent to 20 football fields (approximately 2,000 meters in length). UTAC will oversee the construction and operation of the center, which is expected to begin full operations in December 2025.
The center will also conduct tests to obtain the 3PMSF (Three-Peak Mountain Snowflake) label, which is the standard certification for winter tires in Europe. This capability will further enhance NEXEN TIRE’s competitiveness in the European market. NEXEN TIRE also operates winter tire testing centers in Taebaek, South Korea, and Wanaka, New Zealand, where tire tests are conducted under various winter conditions throughout the year. Leveraging this technology and expertise, NEXEN TIRE supplies its winter tire model ‘WINGUARD SPORT 2’ to premium vehicle brands as Original Equipment (OE) tires.
The establishment of this test center is expected to play a critical role in maximizing the efficiency of NEXEN TIRE’s online and offline testing systems. NEXEN TIRE introduced the ‘High Dynamic Driving Simulator’ in July of last year, making it the first in the domestic tire sector. This technology uses a virtual environment to analyze the best material combination and tread patterns. Based on these findings, performance is repeatedly tested on actual tracks to reduce the gap between simulations and real-world tests.
“As winter tire standards continue to strengthen, this investment is a crucial step to secure our technological competitiveness,” said Travis Kang, Global CEO of NEXEN TIRE. “The testing center will not only reduce our development periods but also enhance the performance of our winter tires through core technology research, reinforcing our presence in key markets while laying the groundwork for future growth in global markets.”
We are delighted to welcome NEXEN TIRE to have their own establishment at our Finnish proving ground,” said Connor McCormack, CEO of UTAC. “We have a long-lasting partnership now and we are proud to support the development work of NEXEN TIRE and their participation to leading mobility towards a safer future”.
