CHANGNYEONG, South Korea—Nexen Tire Corp. is touting results of the latest J.D. Power and Associates original equipment tire satisfaction study as a "starting point" in its quest to be a global Top 10 tire manufacturer.
Nexen placed in the Top 10 in the passenger tire segment.
In J.D. Power's U.S. OE customer satisfaction study, Nexen took ninth place in the car tire segment. Survey respondents rated Michelin as the No. 1 OE passenger tire brand, while light truck/utility vehicle owners rated Pirelli as the top brand.
Also finishing ahead of Nexen in the passenger tire segment were Hankook, Bridgestone, Continental, Dunlop, Firestone and Goodyear.
The study was based on responses from more than 28,000 new-vehicle owners who purchased car, SUV, minivan and pick-up truck models from 2011 to 2012.
Hyun-Bong Lee, CEO and vice chairman of Nexen Tire, said the tire maker is "very proud of this remarkable result after we began to supply our tires to Hyundai and Kia about 20 years ago.
"It means we are ready to supply our tires globally to new OE markets, when our new Changnyeong plant started its regular operations in March 2012. The plant is equipped with the state-of-the-art and automated production facilities."
The company—which markets tires in North America through its Nexen Tire America Inc. unit—said it picked up other favorable mentions recently in the media, including in Consumer Reports magazine and Auto Bild in Germany.