BRUSSELS—Replacement tire sales in Europe improved across the board in the third quarter of 2013, after very weak numbers in the year's first half, according to the latest figures from the European Tyre and Rubber Manufacturers' Association.
Because of the stronger market in the third quarter, tire shipments for the first nine months of 2013 are now nearly equal to the same period in 2012, ETRMA said.
For the first nine months of 2013, replacement consumer tire sales stood at 148.8 million, down 2 percent from the 152 million recorded in the same period in 2012, ETRMA said. Truck tire sales, however, were up 7 percent, to 6.48 million from 6.07 million.
Agricultural tire sales were 1.35 million and motorcycle/scooter tire sales 6.77 million, both virtually unchanged from the previous year, ETRMA said.
"The European tire and rubber manufacturing industry remains a significant contributor to the European economy as a whole, even though 2012 was a particularly tough year for both sectors," the Brussels-based association said.