Goodyear targets 20% turnover increase

US tyre maker Goodyear predicts a 20% increase for its Romanian sales this year, after turnover exceeded 20 million euros last year in Romania.
“Our increase will be supported by the premium brands (higher performances and, implicitly, higher prices, i.e.) – Dunlop and Goodyear,” said Razvan Bosomoiu, marketing manager of Goodyear Romania. According to Bosomoiu, the Romanian tyre market is currently maturing, as consumers are obviously turning to quality products.
“Still, Romanians should know more about tyres. It is normal for the market to be dominated by cheaper, low quality products, considering the people’s low purchasing power. However, I’ve seen expensive cars geared with very low quality tyres, which clearly shows a lack of culture in this department,” Bosomoiu added.
Premium products account for less than a quarter of the two million tyres sold annually in Romania, whereas their market share exceeds 50-55% in Western Europe.
“The premium segment has boomed on the Romanian market in the first months of the year. This trend naturally follows the increase in imports of new automobiles, as every new car needs new tyres after a certain interval,” the Goodyear Romania official believes.
According to the Association of Romanian Carmakers and Importers (APIA), car imports have been on the increase for the past few years. Whereas less than 18,000 autos were sold in 1998, their number skyrocketed to 45,000 units in 2002.
SUV owners are the next target of the American company, which has launched a new tyre in Europe, especially designed for this type of vehicle: Wrangler HP All Weather 4×4.
“Some 89% of SUV owners want their tyres to perform well in any season, without having to use special tyres for summer and winter,” Razvan Bosomoiu claims.