Tokyo – Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd., is proud to announce that its ultra-high performance ADVAN APEX V601*1 tire was named a winner of an iF Design Award 2020 in the Product Discipline on February 4, 2020.

The iF Design Award has been awarded since 1953 by iF International Forum Design GmbH, one of the world’s oldest and most prestigious design organizations, based in Hannover, Germany. Each year, candidate entries are comprehensively evaluated based on such criteria as innovation and elaboration, functionality, aesthetics, responsibility and positioning. This year’s winners were chosen from among 7,298 entries from 56 countries after critical screening by 78 international design experts.

The ADVAN APEX V601 combines the latest high-performance tire technology with an asymmetrical tread pattern reminiscent of the tread pattern used in the YOKOHAMA A008*2, one of the company’s most historically important tires, to achieve superior wet performance and handling while delivering a most comfortable and quiet ride. In addition, a high-grade micro silica tread compound delivers excellent cornering performance.

The consumer tire strategy in Yokohama Rubber’s current medium-term management plan, the Grand Design 2020 (GD2020), targets raising the company’s presence in the premium car markets. Accordingly, the company is actively introducing products with high performance and design sense based on original approaches. The ADVAN APEX V601’s receipt of an iF Design Award adds to the growing list of YOKOHAMA tires that have recently been recognized for superior design qualities. The GEOLANDAR X-CV and GEOLANDAR X-AT were among the recipients of the Chicago Athenaeum’s 2019 Good Design Award. Three YOKOHAMA tires were recognized at the 2019 SEMA Show, with the GEOLANDAR X-AT named the Best New Tire while the GEOLANDAR X-CV joined the ADVAN APEX V601 as runner-ups. In addition, the GEOLANDAR X-MT received a Red Dot Design Award 2019.

* 1: ADVAN APEX V601 is currently being sold in the North American market.
* 2: Marketed in Japan under the name ADVAN HF Type D.