In the fourth quarter of 2021, even greater increases were recorded: in the segment of passenger tyres +44%, SUV +37%, vans +65%, trucks +3%, agricultural +1%, motorcycles +12.4%, and industrial +18%.
– The last year was a record year for producers and importers. Demand for tyres of all segments even exceeded the data from 2019. Despite the difficulties on the market of first assembly – caused by problems with the production of cars, the secondary market more than compensated for these problems. Greater by more than 7 percent. the number of car registrations also translated into the tyre market. This was also combined with the difficult year 2020, after which the market had to rebuild. All factories in Poland and Europe worked at full capacity to respond to the market demand. Importantly, premium tyres sold very well – both in the passenger car and truck segment – points ou Radosław Bółkowski, President of the Management Board of the Polish Tyre Industry Association (PTIA). – These are very important elements not only for driving economy and tyre life, but above all for road safety. In the truck tyre segment, premium tyres are the most popular, with a market share of 42%. This shows the trend that the other segments will follow – in the category of tyres for passenger cars, vans and SUVs, premium tyres have achieved a market share of 30% and we can still see growth here – ads.
– In the fourth quarter, sales of tyres for passenger cars, SUVs and vans exceeded all expectations. Such large increases have not been recorded for a long time. But the results in the agricultural tyre segment also deserve attention throughout the year. This is a very important category and we are glad that tyres have become as important an element as the machine itself for working in the field. We also see that drivers are paying more and more attention to tyres with winter approval. The winter of last year had an influence on that for sure. All-season tyres currently account for 17 percent. market and their growth dynamics slightly slowed down – which is also a result of the harsh winter in the 2020/2021 season. In turn, winter tyres account for 47 percent. market and their growth dynamics was 40 percent. This shows the responsibility that is important for road safety in the fall and winter as well as in spring. Following this, we expect similar increases in the summer segment – with the spring replacement season – confirms Piotr Sarnecki, General Director of the Polish Tyre Industry Association (PTIA).
European tyre market
2021 has been a positive year of recovery for the industry. Only the Original Equipment (OE) Consumer tyres segment has recorded a -8%, mainly linked to the chips’ shortage. The Original Equipment Truck segment saw an important growth of 25%.
In the Replacement market, a part from Agricultural which recorded a -3%, strong demand driven by the all-season (+35%) and winter (+9%) segments. The replacement Truck & Moto tyres segments registered increases of 12%, and 14%, respectively.
– Despite a very challenging environment, manufacturers are facing multiple opportunities as the sector is rapidly transforming in response to new developments in vehicle technology, mobility, and regulatory policies” said Mrs Cinaralp, Secretary General of ETRMA. – Our sector has been resilient through the pandemic, and we look forward for this positive trend to be confirmed and the growth to consolidate in 2022, back to 2019 volumes.
Source: Polish Tyre Industry Association