Hankook & Company joins Latin America's top auto parts expo to expand global customer reach

Hankook & Company, the operating holding company of Hankook & Company Group, is participating in Latin America's premier automotive parts trade show to broaden its global customer reach.

The company announced Thursday that it is taking part in the Latin Tire & Auto Parts Expo 2026, held Wednesday through Friday at the Panama Convention Center in Panama City.

Now in its 16th edition, the Latin Tire & Auto Parts Expo is the largest trade show in Latin America covering the automotive aftermarket industry — spanning tires, auto parts, lubricants, and maintenance and service. More than 650 companies from around the world are participating, with over 6,000 B2B buyers from more than 100 countries expected to attend.

The Latin American automotive aftermarket market was estimated at around $72.2 billion in 2025 and is projected to grow at an average annual rate of about 4.4 percent through 2033.

During the event, Hankook & Company is operating a dedicated exhibition booth, leading with its battery business brand identity "Hankook charge in motion" and showcasing key products and technologies, including its premium AGM (Absorbent Glass Mat) battery.

Reflecting the brand philosophy of Chairman Cho Hyun-bum, "charge in motion" is a tagline that carries forward the group's core DNA while incorporating "charge" — evoking battery charging — to express the business identity of energy, high technology and the future.

At the expo, Hankook & Company is holding product consultations and business meetings with key buyers, including distributors and importers from Latin America and the Caribbean. The company plans to deepen ties with existing partners while identifying new distribution partners to expand its local sales network.

The company participated in AAPEX 2025 in the United States last November, then operated a joint booth with KBL at IAAE 2026 in Japan in February, securing new customers. It also plans to participate in Automechanika Frankfurt 2026 in Germany — Europe's largest automotive parts trade show — in September, continuing to build its presence at major global exhibitions and expand customer reach.

"This expo is an opportunity to showcase the technological capabilities and product competitiveness of the Hankook battery brand to key customers in the high-growth Latin American and Caribbean markets," a company official said. "We will continue to expand our customer reach in global markets and strengthen the brand competitiveness of the Hankook battery."

The battery business is one of Hankook & Company's core pillars alongside tires and automotive thermal management systems. The company has secured roughly 450 customers across about 100 countries and is pursuing a premium growth strategy in global markets, drawing on production bases at its Daejeon and Jeonju factories in South Korea and a facility in Tennessee.

Meanwhile, Hankook & Company posted consolidated sales of 339.6 billion won ($240 million) and operating profit of 100.2 billion won in the second quarter of this year. Sales fell 1.2 percent from the same period last year, while operating profit rose 35.6 percent. The operating profit margin climbed 8 percentage points year on year, from 21.5 percent in the second quarter of last year to 29.5 percent.