Kumho Tire Wins IDEA 2020 Design Award in Transportation Category

[Asia Economy Reporter Suyeon Woo] Two next-generation tires from Kumho Tire have won the main award (finalist) in the transportation category at the prestigious global design award 'IDEA 2020'. With this, Kumho Tire has achieved the remarkable feat of winning all three major global design awards this year, having previously won the iF Design Award in February and the Red Dot Design Award in March, followed by the IDEA main award.

'IDEA (International Design Excellence Awards)' is an international design award hosted by the Industrial Designers Society of America, selecting the best designs each year based on five evaluation criteria: design innovation, user experience, user benefits, social responsibility, and aesthetics. Celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, IDEA is considered one of the world's top three design awards alongside the Red Dot Design Award and the iF Design Award.

The products awarded by Kumho Tire are the concept tires embodying futuristic technology: the 'Airless Tire e-NIMF' and the 'Hybrid Tire e-TOPs'. Kumho Tire is particularly focusing its research and development on the future automotive market centered on eco-friendly and autonomous vehicles, aiming to maximize existing tire performance while preventing driving accidents that may occur due to tires.

'e-NIMF' is an airless tire designed for the next-generation automotive market. Airless tires not only provide driving stability but also require no maintenance for air pressure loss. Additionally, while conventional tires must be discarded and replaced due to tread wear after long driving periods, this product allows semi-permanent use through tread replacement using retreading technology. It is eco-friendly and saves maintenance costs, expected expenses, and time.

'e-TOPs' is a hybrid tire that combines the performance advantages of both air pressure tires and airless tires. Generally, airless tires are optimized products in terms of safety issues caused by internal air loss, but they have limitations in delivering performance at the level of air pressure tires in terms of ride comfort and handling stability.

'e-TOPS' applies tread and spokes on the upper layer of the tire that contact the ground to prevent air leakage caused by foreign substances, while the lower layer partially contains internal air pressure, maintaining the advantages of air pressure tires. Through this structure, it maintains the basic performance of conventional tires while solving problems caused by air loss.

Jung Il-taek, Executive Vice President and Head of R&D at Kumho Tire, said, "This IDEA award is a result of Kumho Tire's future-oriented design capabilities and technological prowess," adding, "We will continue to strengthen our design capabilities and technology to provide customers with both safety and convenience."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.