TOKYO—Yokohama Rubber Co. Ltd. will mark the 40th anniversary this year of its flagship Advan performance and racing tire line with a special logo.
Yokohama launched the Advan line in 1978 to address the "ultimate driving" experience demographic. The first model, the Advan HF, was YRC's first radial sports tire in Japan, the company said.
Used heavily in the company's motorsports activities throughout the 1980s and 1990s, YRC made Advan its global flagship line in 2005 and sealed a deal in 2006 with the Federation International de l'Automobile making Advan the official tire of the FIA's World Touring Car Championship.
The company initially used the Advan name to equip a company-owned race team in Japan and to distinguish HP tires from regular passenger tires, YRC said at the line's 25th anniversary.
Today, the Advan line is OE on many models from the world's leading car makers, including Porsche, Mercedes-Benz, Audi and other overseas makers as well as Japanese makers, and it comprises a diverse range of tires for high-performance premium cars to sports cars, luxury sedans, SUVs, and compacts.
In motorsports, YRC uses the Advan name for tires it supplies to the WTCC, the Japanese Super Formula Championship series and Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge series in the U.S. and Canada.
The 40th anniversary logo mark uses a bold brush stroke to express the high performance and power that Advan tires deliver on the street and on the race track.