Tire demand across Europe appears to be maintaining its slow and steady upward trajectory, even if it hasn't returned to pre-pandemic levels.
On the consumer tire side, sales rose 12 percent year over year for the fourth quarter to around 56.5 million units. For the full year, consumer tires recorded sales of 223.26 million units, a 5-percent increase compared to 2023.
The winter and all-season tire segments carried consumer tire demand, notching year-over-year increases of 15 percent and 18 percent, respectively, in the fourth quarter.
For the full year, winter tire demand rose 7 percent year over year, while all-season tire volumes climbed 16 percent year over year.
Summer tire demand was relatively flat, up 1 percent year over year for the fourth quarter and down 2 percent year over year for the 12-month period.
Truck and bus tire sales were up in the quarter, coming in at 2.88 million units, a 4-percent year-over-year increase for the period. For the full year, however, demand for truck and bus tires remained fairly flat, down just 1 percent year over year to 11.29 million units.
Agricultural tires saw a 12-percent year-over-year boost in tire demand for the quarter, coming in at 152,000 units. For the 12-month period, demand came in around 716,000, marking a year-over-year increase of 5 percent.
Motorcycle and scooter demand rose 18 percent year over year for the fourth quarter, with sales coming in around 1.15 million units. For the full year, the segment saw sales eclipse the 9 million unit mark, an uptick of 4 percent compared to 2023.
"The fourth quarter 2024 evolution is positive versus the fourth quarter 2023 in all product lines, mainly due to a weak performance in Q4 2023," ETRMA Secretary General Adam McCarthy said in a statement. " … In both (the consumer and truck tire) segments, we are still far from the pre-pandemic volumes, respectively, at -3.5 percent and -10.3 percent versus 2019. ETRMA volumes in truck tires continue to be affected by the growth of non-pool volumes (despite antidumping duties). Volumes in the agricultural tire segment have been supported by rainy weather conditions."