Market Transformation and Development Trends of Light Truck Tires under New Regulations

Highway Transportation and Freight Vehicles

Highway transportation, as the lifeblood of our country's economic activities, carries the important mission of facilitating inter-industry and goods circulation. It is undoubtedly an indispensable part of the transportation system. In this vast transportation market, freight vehicles hold a pivotal position and have become the focus of our study today.

Freight vehicles, as an important role in highway transportation, are subdivided into four categories: heavy, medium, light, and mini. Heavy and medium freight vehicles usually receive large truck license plates, known as yellow plates, while light and mini freight vehicles are issued small truck license plates, known as blue plates. It is worth noting that yellow plate vehicles require permits to operate within urban areas, whereas blue plate vehicles can move freely. This difference has led to a growing demand for blue plate vehicles, especially under the pursuit of "last mile" delivery in logistics and fresh produce sectors, making light trucks increasingly prominent among freight vehicles.

Current Tire Market Status

Next, let's take a look at the current tire market situation. Shandong Province, as a major tire production base, ranks at the forefront in market scale. Following closely are Hebei, Guangdong, Jiangsu, and Henan provinces. These provinces and cities play important roles in China's comprehensive transportation framework, with advantageous geographical locations and extensive highway networks, resulting in a larger TBR (Truck and Bus Radial) tire market scale.

Changes in Tire Market Demand and Innovation Directions

△ Market Distribution and Consumer Preferences

In the tire market, different tire specifications have their respective market shares. In the 2022 tire specification distribution, 12R22.5 ranked first with an absolute advantage, followed closely by the 11.00R20 specification. It is noteworthy that these two specifications not only hold large market shares but are also the most popular tubed and tubeless tires sold by tire companies.

By analyzing this tire specification data, it is not difficult to find that the share of light truck tires in the TBR tire market is gradually increasing. With the continuous rise in urban delivery demand, various light truck vehicles play an increasingly important role in urban internal transportation. They not only undertake the transportation of residents' daily necessities but also support the demands of large markets such as building materials, moving services, supermarket deliveries, and express deliveries.

△ Future Tire Innovation Trends

With automakers' continuous pursuit of lightweight designs, especially the rapid development of light trucks and electric vehicles, tire lightweighting has become a new industry trend. The Chaoyang EZ525 high-performance light truck tire, specially designed for Zhongce's Hongtu EV and other new energy light truck models, offers excellent performance through its lightweight design and outstanding electric technology. Its strong tire body and heat dissipation capabilities provide drivers with solid driving safety assurance.

Super single tires, with their excellent performance and the mandatory single tire requirement for blue plate dump trucks, are rapidly gaining market share. Compared to dual tires, super single tires have a significant weight advantage. For example, replacing 12R22.5 with the 425/65R22.5 model can reduce single axle weight by up to 190 kilograms (when equipped with aluminum alloy rims), allowing owners to carry more cargo and improve economic efficiency.

In addition, tire rolling resistance has a profound impact on vehicle fuel consumption, accounting for up to 40%. The lower the rolling resistance, the lower the vehicle's fuel consumption. This is mainly because rolling resistance is closely related to the heat generated by the deformation of the tire sidewall and tread during driving.