Nexen began using the driving simulator

Nexen announced its intention to use a "highly dynamic" driving simulator during tire development in July last year, and on August 27, 2025, it was announced that the new equipment had officially started operating at the THE NEXEN UniverCity research center in Seoul. Nexen became the first Korean tire manufacturer to use such technologies, and the company emphasizes that this is an "important turning point in the development of the tire development process".

The driving simulator simulates real-world conditions in a virtual environment, allowing for the evaluation of various tire characteristics, such as traction, braking efficiency, driver reaction, and so on. Since the need for prototyping and testing on proving grounds is reduced, the company can accelerate the release of new products to the market while reducing its expenses. In addition, Nexen will be able to faster and more efficiently fulfill the requirements of automakers during the development of tires for the original equipment segment.

Nexen expects that the introduction of the new equipment will strengthen ties with automotive companies, and in addition, the reduction in the number of physical prototypes and tests in real-world conditions will contribute to reducing resource consumption and achieving the ESG goals of the tire manufacturer.

The company notes that currently, global automakers are rapidly adopting virtual product development technologies, which saves both time and resources, and the largest European premium-level automakers already use driving simulators, while their Korean competitors are also expanding their capabilities in this area.

As John Bosco (Hyun Suk) Kim, CEO of Nexen, stated, the purchase of a driving simulator is a "strategic investment that will allow the company to become a leader in the field of future mobility", and by combining virtual reality and artificial intelligence technologies, the manufacturer will increase the efficiency of the new product development process and strengthen its competitiveness in the global market.