Hankook Tire's Laufenn to supply OE tires for SEAT Ibiza and Arona in Europe

Laufenn, the global tire brand under Hankook Tire & Technology, will supply its second-generation summer performance tire, the S Fit 2, as original equipment to European versions of the SEAT Ibiza and Arona, the company announced Monday.

The Ibiza, a compact hatchback, and the Arona, an urban SUV, are core models driving growth for SEAT, Spain's flagship automaker, with both posting steady sales across Europe. The two models ranked fourth and fifth, respectively, among Spain's best-selling vehicles last year.

Hankook Tire developed the tires through close technical collaboration with SEAT, optimizing them for the specific characteristics of the Ibiza and Arona.

The S Fit 2 is a second-generation summer performance tire engineered for Europe's varied climates and road conditions. It uses a high-silica EMC and an optimized tread block design to improve wet braking performance, cutting stopping distances by roughly 16 percent compared with its predecessor. Four wide longitudinal grooves enhance drainage, delivering strong road response in wet conditions.

In addition, the tire's optimized structural design maintains stable grip on hot asphalt while reducing vibration and noise for a more comfortable ride. A next-generation polymer EMC improves mileage by approximately 15 percent over the previous model.

Laufenn was first unveiled at the SEMA Show in the United States in 2014 and has since grown on the strength of Hankook Tire's global technology and quality competitiveness.

The brand has been steadily expanding its partnerships within the Volkswagen Group, having recently secured S Fit 2 OE supply deals for the Skoda New Octavia and the facelifted Volkswagen Golf 8.