The European Tyre and Rubber Manufacturers’ Association (ETRMA) published a report on replacement tyre sales figures for the third quarter and the first nine months of 2024.
Truck Segments Negative
Adam McCarthy, ETRMA’s Secretary General explained that numbers are “still negative in the truck segment” and are “far from pre-pandemic volumes.” According to the ETRMA report, in the first eight months of 2024, truck and bus tyre imports (EU27+UK) from outside Europe have fallen by 5%, however, they are still 11% higher than in the same period of 2019. Analysis of import data by Astutus Research shows that Vietnam continues its dramatic climb up the ranking of importers. Volumes from the nation have increased by almost 20% this year and it is now the second-largest source, moving ahead of China.
Europe’s bus and coach parc declined during the pandemic, with vehicles taken off the road due to the very sharp decline in travellers. New bus registrations have risen sharply in both 2023 and 2024 YTD (2% in Q3) reflecting investment to modernise fleets and encourage a switch from car-based travel.
According to McCarthy, “the agricultural tyre sales are supported by rainy weather conditions” and have increased by 5% in Q3 2024.
