Sumitomo develops the Dunlop brand: a new slogan and the purchase of rights to the brand in three more countries

Sumitomo Rubber Industries, which after the recent deal with Goodyear owns the Dunlop brand almost worldwide, introduced a new brand slogan, which sounds like Taking You Beyond and promises consumers to open up new horizons for them. 

“All our products and services embody three core values: 'Confidence in overcoming any difficulties', 'Experience that exceeds expectations' and 'Overcoming boundaries', and we will continue to work to create positive emotions for consumers around the world,” the company noted. 

On January 1, 2026, Sumitomo will also become the owner of the rights to the Dunlop brand in Malaysia, Singapore, and Brunei, which will be purchased from Continental Tyre Malaysia (the brand's history is so confusing that currently, one of the owners of the rights is Continental). After that, in the tire segment, the brand will belong to Sumitomo in all countries except India, where the rights are owned by the local Ruia Group. The amount of the deal is not disclosed, and Nikkei estimates it at $6.5 million.

On December 3, Sumitomo held a presentation of its development strategy in Tokyo, where the company's president and CEO, Satoru Yamamoto, spoke, noting that “now the Dunlop brand, with a history of over 130 years, will become a true global premium brand”.

In the future, Sumitomo will retain its name, but in communications, the Dunlop brand will be used primarily, and the departments in various countries will also be renamed, and the head of the company promised that “we will return Dunlop to its former glory in the international market”.

According to him, Sumitomo plans to stand out from the competition, including through the Active Tread technology, which allows tires to adapt to weather conditions. The first tire with an “active tread” was the all-season Dunlop Synchro Weather, which has been available in Japan since 2024, and will also be released in the markets of Europe and North America in the future. Special additives in the rubber mixture react to contact with water and a decrease in temperature, increasing the elasticity of the tires, and Synchro Weather was able to pass the ice grip standards for Scandinavian-type winter tires. This potentially makes it the first all-season model for the northern climate, so maybe the Japanese will soon revolutionize the tire industry.

The Dunlop brand is named after the British veterinarian John Boyd Dunlop, who installed inflated rubber tubes (initially a garden hose was used) on his son's three-wheeled car, becoming the inventor of the pneumatic tire and the founder of the entire industry. 

At the presentation in Tokyo, one of the speakers was also Graham Mitchell, CEO of the British company Micheldever, which owns 184 trade and service centers across the country and has been part of Sumitomo since 2017. “One of Dunlop's strengths, especially in the UK, is a brand that continues to resonate with consumers who value tradition and history,” he said. “In Northern Ireland, Dunlop's invention occupies such an important place in the region's history [the tire was invented in Belfast] that its image is placed on banknotes”.

Mitchell added that “to revive the brand, we need to convey to consumers that the tires have improved performance characteristics and are produced using Japanese technologies”. “We will take care that Dunlop tires are perceived as a reasonable choice, and drivers know that their manufacturer creates products that exceed expectations, rather than just following trends,” he noted, adding that the marketing will also use “unique connections between Dunlop and motorsport”.

Another participant in the presentation was Marcus Bögner, president of the Falken Tyre Europe division, which is based in Germany and will be renamed Dunlop Tyre Europe from 2026. “I have been developing the Falken brand for 15 years, and we have managed to strengthen its position in the mid-range segment thanks to high ratings in magazine tests, supplies to the primary equipment sector, and the opening of a research and development center,” he said. “The addition of the premium Dunlop brand to our range will contribute to our future development, and working with two brands, we will be able to enhance our offer, meet the expectations of dealers, and strengthen our business structure, ensuring sustainable growth and improving our competitiveness”.

Bögner also emphasized the importance of working in the OE sector. “Our company has fully demonstrated its technological capabilities with the Falken brand, and we have already received requests from BMW and a number of other manufacturers regarding Dunlop tires,” he said.

Regarding the prospects of Synchro Weather, the manager noted that although the all-season tire segment is already established in Europe, the company is confident that the “unique Active Tread technology, which has no analogs among competitors, will allow the novelty to occupy a significant market share, as it is ideal for complex conditions with significant temperature fluctuations”.

“The strength of the Dunlop brand lies in its rich traditions and outstanding achievements in motorsport,” he said, adding that the company may return to the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans race. “Sumitomo will make strategic investment decisions to maximize market coverage, establish direct contact with end-users, and build a strong connection between them and the brand,” he concluded.

The last to speak was Darren Thomas, president and CEO of Sumitomo Rubber North America (SRNA), which will be renamed Dunlop Tires North America. Thomas has been working in the tire industry for over 30 years, and his career at Sumitomo began in 2002, when he became the marketing director of Falken Tire Corporation. 

“Although returning the Dunlop brand to North America will require significant efforts, given its widespread presence in motorsport, we intend to use this factor to strengthen our position in the market for passenger and light truck tires,” he noted. “We also have a clear goal - to start installing Dunlop tires on cars produced in the US”.

According to him, during the brand presentation in Las Vegas, many dealers expressed their willingness to sell premium Dunlop tires. “Ultimately, success is determined not only by the hype in the market but also by the product itself,” Thomas emphasized, adding that “the characteristics of the all-season Synchro Weather tires allow them to be sold in the market of cold regions of the northeastern United States and Canada, where SRNA did not have the opportunity to enter before”.

Currently, the ambassador of the Dunlop brand is the baseball player Shohei Ohtani, who plays for the Los Angeles Dodgers, and Thomas noted that “a world-renowned and influential athlete representing our brand will have a powerful impact. Dealers clearly understand that this is no longer the Dunlop brand it was 10 or 20 years ago”.

Photo: car.watch.impress.co.jp