Hankook to outfit luxury Nissan SUV

NASHVILLE—Nissan Motor Co. has selected Hankook Tire's Dynapro HP2 tire as an original equipment fitment on the company's 2022 Infiniti QX60 luxury SUV.

The tire, in size 255/50R20, will be produced at Hankook Tire America Corp.'s plant in Clarksville, Tenn.

Hankook said this is its first OE fitment with Nissan's Infiniti brand.

The Dynapro HP2 is a "secure match" for the SUV, with a focus on a comfortable, quiet ride. It offers all-season functionality, a high-density polyester carcass that improves steering stability and handling response, noise reduction technology, and a high loading silica compound that lowers rolling resistance for better fuel efficiency.

"As leaders in premium automotive technology, this pairing is an obvious choice that provides excellent value for drivers of the new Infiniti QX60," said Jeongho Park, executive vice president and director of OE division at Hankook.

"We will expand the OE portfolio for SUVs and continue to be committed through improvements in technology and quality assurance of our products."

The QX60 was designed with a standard seven seats to make it a family vehicle. The nine-speed automatic transmission allows the vehicle to accelerate more responsively, and taller upper gears enable longer cruises at a lower RPM for a quieter ride, supported by the Hankook tires.

The QX60 \has available Infiniti Intelligent All-Wheel Drive, which diverts power automatically to the front tires to adapt to road conditions and increase traction, and paired with the HP2 tires offers better wet and dry handling.

"To serve the continually growing SUV segment, Hankook Tire is upgrading a lineup of tires with exceptional performance for SUVs," said Moonhwa Hong, senior vice president of the OE development department at Hankook.

"For Dynapro HP2 in specific, we spent a lot of time and effort to minimize noise from tires so that drivers can enjoy the most powerful, yet quiet ride."

Hankook Tire aims to continue investing heavily in R&D to develop industry-leading OE products as part of its ongoing growth strategy for the SUV segment, the company said.

Hankook's OE portfolio features 46 auto brands, including Audi, BMW, Ford, GM, Mercedes-Benz and Porsche.