Make no mistake, the Ventus S1 AS is North American through and through.
It was designed for the North American market with input from Hankook's North American team. More than that, it will be built at the company's plant in Clarksville, Tenn.
Think of it, Brison said, as another promise Hankook is intent on keeping: A commitment to the U.S. and the North American market.
"We are absolutely dedicated to this market," Brison said. "We know that local-to-local products play a large role in serving the market efficiently, and we look forward to expanding here and increasing local production in the future. The Clarksville, Tenn., plant is most definitely our future in the United States."
The Clarksville plant, opened in 2017, is a 1.5 million-sq.-ft. facility with capacity for 4.53 million tires a year, according to Rubber News data.
When Hankook, the sixth-largest tire maker globally, opened its Clarksville plant, it built a growth plan into the facility. The company told Rubber News in 2018 that it intended to nearly double capacity at the plant with a Phase 2 expansion expected to be in the $800 million range.
Without confirming timelines or investment figures, Brison noted that Hankook has not wavered from its North American manufacturing plans.
"When we initially designed the (Clarksville) plant, it was designed for multiple phases," Brison said. "There are absolutely plans for Phase 2 and beyond."
In the years since opening the Tennessee facility, the tire market has seen its share of ups and downs, particularly in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic that left supply chains in knots, tightened the market for materials and curbed production at the OEM level, especially.
Those challenges, however, don't change Hankook's vision for the North American market, and the U.S. in particular.