Tokyo - The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd., announced today that its Russian passenger car tire production and sales company, LLC Yokohama R.P.Z., began production in November 2014 of original-equipment (OE) tires for passenger cars. In November, the subsidiary began producing “GEOLANDAR G91” tires for Nissan X-Trail SUVs made at Nissan Motor Corporation’s local facility Nissan Manufacturing Russia. In December, it began making “BluEarth E75” tires for Nissan Teana sedans made at the Nissan Manufacturing Russia plant.

Production of the two tire types was launched in response to a direct request from Nissan Russia, which is curtailing its use of tires produced in other countries. The request also reflects Nissan’s high evaluation of the quality of tires produced by LLC Yokohama R.P.Z. Previously, LLC Yokohama R.P.Z. had dedicated itself to the production of replacement tires, so the addition of OE tires to the subsidiary’s product line should help raise awareness of the “YOKOHAMA” brand in Russia.

One of the key measures being implemented to achieve the goals of Yokohama Rubber’s medium-term management plan (Grand Design 100) is the expansion of OE tire production at overseas plants. Because the development of OE tires requires considerable technological capabilities, production of OE tires is expected to increase car drivers’ confidence in YOKOHAMA tires and help expand sales of its after-market replacement tires as well. Yokohama Rubber is therefore striving to win orders from automakers with production plants in the same region.

LLC Yokohama R.P.Z. was established in December 2008 and started production, Russia’s first passenger car tire plant operated by a Japanese maker, at the end of 2011. Russia has become one of Yokohama Rubber’s biggest markets. Yokohama Rubber has continuously expanded the Russia plant’s capacity, which now stands at 1.6 million tires a year, a 2.3-fold increase from the plant’s capacity upon the start of operations in 2012.