European replacement tire markets up and down in first half

Replacement tire demand throughout Europe was a mixed bag for the first six months of 2019, with passenger tires shipments down 3.7% and truck/bus tire shipments up 5.4%.

Replacement passenger tire shipments slid to 101 million units, according to the European Tyre & Rubber Manufacturers' Association (ETRMA), while replacement truck tire shipments grew to 5.16 million units, helped by 10% growth in the first quarter.

Demand for agricultural tires declined in the second quarter after a slight increase in the first three months of the year, resulting in a 4.4% drop in shipments for the first half of the year to 682,000 units. Shipments of motorcycle tires registered an increase for the second quarter, helping to drive up first-half shipment by 3.2% throughout the for the first half of 2018 to 6.15 million units. "The tire market provides a good picture of the general economic situation," Fazilet Cinaralp, ETRMA secretary general, said.

The dip in replacement sales of passenger car tires, she said, "mirror(s)" new car registrations in the European Union, which also declined in this first semester.

Earlier, the European Automobile Manufacturers Association reported that first-half new-car registrations fell 3.1% to 8.2 million.

The ETRMA's data refers to markets in 35 European countries, stretching from Ireland in the West to Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania and the Baltics in the East.