In Europe, tire sales are declining

The European Tyre and Rubber Manufacturers' Association (ETRMA) has released the sales results of its members on the European secondary market for the second quarter and the first half of 2025. According to the results of the first half of the year, sales decreased in both the consumer sector (tyres for passenger and light commercial vehicles) and the truck/bus and agricultural tyre sectors, while growth was recorded only in the motorcycle and scooter tyre market.

According to ETRMA Secretary General Adam McCarthy, "the second quarter figures confirm that the complex economic and geopolitical situation persists", which has a negative impact on market participants' sentiment and investment volumes.

In the first five months of 2025, the import of passenger and light commercial tyres (PCLT) continued to grow in Europe (27 countries plus the UK), increasing by 15% compared to January-May 2024. The largest suppliers are China and South Korea (with a share of 71.9% and 11.7% of imports, respectively), and China increased supplies by 15% (currently, an anti-dumping investigation is being conducted in the EU regarding PCLT from China, so the situation may change).

Imports from Thailand also increased by 17%, and Vietnam rose to fifth place in the ranking of the largest suppliers, overtaking India and Indonesia. Although Vietnamese PCLT imports are still relatively small (1.4 million units), they grew by 555% and now already exceed the figure for the entire last year (0.7 million units) by half.

Imports of truck/bus tyres increased by almost 15%, and Thailand remains the main supplier with a share of 30.3%. Vietnam follows with a share of 26.5% of import volumes, and China has fallen from second to third place. South Korea has increased its supply volumes, but they are still significantly lower compared to the pre-COVID-19 level of 2019.