Hankook UHP-Tires Receive “Sensational” Results in Europe

§ All-new Ventus V12 evo only tire to achieve top honours in all German magazine tests this season

§ Ventus V12 evo wins “Safe handling under all conditions” in Auto Bild

§ Ventus V12 evo receives highest recommendations in Auto Bild Sportscars and  Auto Zeitung

§ Ventus Prime ranks first in Auto, Motor und Sport

§ Tire tests conducted on premium automobiles such as Mercedes-Benz C-Class and S-Class, and 192 hp Opel Corsa OPC and 172 hp VW Golf GT

 Seoul, March 19^th, 2008 Hankook Tire, one of the fastest growing tire makers in the world, increased its reputation for developing quality, high-performance tires by receiving industry-leading results for its ultra-high performance (UHP) tires ? Ventus V12 evo and Ventus Prime in the annual summer tire test results in the German automotive media this month.

The all-new Ventus V12 evo set the performance standard in its category and was the only tire to achieve best markings in all tire tests conducted by the major German automotive magazines this season. The Ventus V12 evo ranked first in Auto Bild in its ultra-high performance category and outperformed all competitors on handling under all conditions. The Ventus V12 evo also received the highest possible recommendations of ‘Exemplary’ and ‘Very Recommendable’ in the Auto Bild Sportscar and Auto Zeitung summer tire tests, respectively. The Ventus Prime, another ultra-high performance tire, was labelled a “sensation” by Auto, Motor und Sport. The magazine ranked it first in its automotive premium segment, the only tire to be awarded ‘Very Recommendable’.

“Technical innovation is at the heart of everything we do and the quality of our high-performance tires is driving our reputation in global markets, particularly in Europe as these results show. These annual tests are known for how rigorously they test the tires and we will continue to benchmark our tires against these and higher standards,” said Mr. Hwi Joong Kim, Chief Technical Officer and Chief Production Officer, Hankook Tire.

All four tire tests compared the performance of an extensive range of ultra-high performance tires on premium automobiles including the Mercedes-Benz C-Class and S-Class, the 192 hp Opel Corsa OPC and the 172 hp VW Golf GT.

Last year, Hankook Tire grew its UHP tire business by 10.5%. The company also launched a US$250 million expansion of its flagship facility in Geumsan which will increase UHP tire production capacity by 50% or 5 million units annually by late 2009. Hankook Tire continues to strategically invest approximately 5% of revenue in R&D annually to continue to develop industry-leading tires.

Notes to Editor:

Auto, Motor und Sport (Ventus Prime, category: 235/55 R 17-inch W/Y) on a Mercedes-Benz S-Class

· “The new Ventus Prime literally claws itself to the surface” ? commenting on the unparalleled traction behaviour when accelerating from 0 ? 60km/h

· “Dream result” in wet conditions scoring 97 out of 100

· First on wet braking come to a stop at 47 meters when breaking at 100 km/h on a flooded surface; the next best-performing tire was still travelling at 21 km/h at this point

· Second overall on dry surface measures

Auto Bild (Ventus V12 evo, category: 225/45 R 17-inch) on a Mercedes-Benz C-Class

· “Harmonic, safe handling and high steering precision under all weather conditions” ? outperformed all other tires in this category

Auto Bild Sportscar (Category 215/45 R 17-inch) on a 192 hp Opel Corsa OPC.

· “Very good all-round talent” with “ convincing handling features,” a “good lateral stability in wet conditions” and the “shortest breaking distance in dry conditions”

Auto Zeitung (Category: 225/45 R 17-inch) on a 170 hp VW Golf GT

· “Excellent brake efficiency puts the Hankook far ahead of the pack.”

AutoBild March 2008 Edition

Auto Motor und Sport March 2008

Auto Motor und Sport March 2008 Edition