“The increase was 12% on all segments and 8% on the Premium segment, which shows that many fleets evolve, understand the concept of total property cost and appreciate the importance of premiums tires in order to keep a grip on costs: maintaining a low cost per km and reducing carbon dioxide emissions”, said Florin Ponoran, general manager of Bridgestone Romania.
Before the coronavirus pandemic, forecasts for the tire market would show a continuation of the upward trend and a 10% increase versus the previous year, as per Bridgestone data.
Ponoran also said he expects the biggest decline in April and, starting with May, the situation is seen improving.
“Things will get back to normal at the end of the third quarter. For the whole year, we expect the truck tire demand to reach the 2018 level”, Ponoran pointed out.
Beyond the situation caused by the coronavirus pandemic, the automotive industry and market is undergoing a major makeover, given the strong growth of the electromobility and the significant reduction of carbon dioxide emissions.