Kumho Tire, one of S. Korea’s major tire manufacturers, said on July 5 that it has won two IDEA (Industrial Designers Society of America) awards in the Automotive & Transportation category at the IDEA Award 2016.
Taking home the IDEA awards, Kumho Tire now has the world’s three most sought-after awards (the German Red Dot and International Forum (iF) Design Awards and the IDEA) under its belt.
The IDEA Design Award, one of the world’s three major design awards along with the iF Design Award and the Red Dot Award, is co-sponsored by BusinessWeek and the Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA).
The two winners are Kumho Tire's Smasher concept tire and Sealant Tire (a self-sealing tire).
Kumho Tire said: “Our tires were praised for embodying futuristic designs that encompasses the present and future.”
The Smasher concept tire, developed in collaboration with Ssangyong Motor, basked in attention when it was unveiled attached to the Tivoli SUV at the 2015 IAA Motor Show.
Designed to provide maximum performance in extreme driving conditions, the Smasher features a grinder-shaped tire tread pattern and suction plates to ascend any types of steep slopes.
The Sealant Tire is a self-sealing tire which has a layer of sealant that seals a damaged tyre tread by itself to prevent the loss of air pressure.
The Sealant Tire already had won three design awards in a row ― the Red Dot Design 2015, Japanese Good Design and Korean Good Design (GD) Awards. Its design excellence has been recognized internationally for two consecutive years.
"Kumho Tire's technology and design have been recognized at the world's top three design awards," said Jeong Taek-Gyun, Senior Managing Director at Kumho Tyre’s R&D headquarters.
"We will continue to reinforce our design prowess and technology. "