Tokyo - The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd., announced today that it would begin selling a new winter passenger car tire across the European continent ahead of the 2014 autumn/winter snowy season. The "W*drive V905" is a successor to the popular "W*drive V902A/B" and will be available in sizes from 15 inch to 18 inch.

The new tire's conventional model, the "W*drive V902A/B," was launched in 2007 as the winter tire in the YOKOHAMA ".drive" series, one of the Company's core tires for overseas markets, especially Europe. The new "W*drive V905" maximizes the edging effect that contributes to stability on snow and ice. It also features a tread pattern that enhances the tire's snow and water drainage and a new compound comprising various materials, including MicroSilica and Orange Oil. As a result, the "W*drive V905" achieves a greatly improved level of performance on snowy and wet roads, as well as on icy surfaces. In addition, a reconfiguration of the tire's surface contact area results in improved snow traction and drainage when running on wet roads while maintaining the conventional model's outstanding performance on dry roads. The new compound and a lighter-weight construction contribute to lower rolling resistance and higher fuel efficiency.