Nexen Tire launches Winguard Ice 3, expanding winter lineup

Nexen Tire announced Thursday that it has launched the Winguard Ice 3, a new winter tire, in the domestic market.

The Winguard Ice 3 is designed for performance on icy and compacted snow surfaces. It has earned the Ice Grip Mark, a certification awarded to tires that meet braking performance standards on ice.

The tire uses an EMC that retains flexibility and grip at low temperatures, and features a wider cross-section to increase the contact area with the road surface. The company said the tire suits drivers who frequently travel through areas prone to black ice or who drive in the early morning or late at night.

With this launch, Nexen Tire's winter lineup now comprises three products: the Winguard Ice 3, the Winguard Sport 2 and the Winguard Sport 2 SUV. The Winguard Sport 2 and Sport 2 SUV are aimed at drivers who regularly navigate cleared urban roads and highways.

The Winguard Sport 2 combines snow performance with steering stability on dry and wet surfaces and high-speed driving capability. It uses a low-temperature polymer and highly dispersed silica, and channels water and slush away quickly through V-shaped grooves. The Winguard Sport 2 SUV adapts the same design to the characteristics of SUVs.

For drivers who find it difficult to switch tires by season, Nexen Tire also offers the N'Blue 4Season 2, an all-weather tire introduced in the domestic market this year. The product carries the 3PMSF mark, the European winter tire certification, allowing it to handle snowy roads while remaining usable year-round.

In February, Nexen Tire opened a winter tire testing facility called the Purple Snow Ivalo Center in Ivalo, Finland, near the Arctic Circle. Equipped with a snow handling track and a snow flat track, the center conducts braking, acceleration and handling tests on actual snow and ice surfaces.

"This launch gives drivers a wider range of products to choose from based on their winter driving conditions and vehicle type," a Nexen Tire official said. "We will continue to strengthen our research and development capabilities in winter tires, building on our testing center in Ivalo, Finland."

Meanwhile, Nexen Tire has been expanding its customer touchpoints through various marketing activities, including opening the Nexen Design Gallery exhibition space at its central research institute, The Nexen University, in Magok, Seoul, and converting the first-floor lobby of the building into a multipurpose exhibition space.