Kumho at a glance
Park In-chon, founder of the Kumho group, started out with a taxi company in Gwangju in 1946. It later grew into a bus company, and in 1960 he set up a tyre factory, Samyang Tire, which became Kumho Tire. The Kumho Asiana group once stretched into aviation and construction. In 2009 the group ran into financial difficulties, and the tyre maker came under the control of its creditors.
In 2018 the Chinese tyre group Doublestar bought a 45 per cent stake in Kumho Tire and took control of the company. The headquarters remain in Gwangju. Its tyres are made in South Korea, China, Vietnam and in the US state of Georgia. Kumho is a mid-range brand that suits drivers who want a tyre from a well-known manufacturer but don't want to pay premium prices. In 2007 Kumho signed a sponsorship deal with Manchester United.
Kumho's winter range is WinterCraft. For the Nordic countries there is the WinterCraft Ice Wi32 studded tyre and the WinterCraft Ice Wi51 friction tyre. Its Central European winter tyres are the WinterCraft WP52 and WinterCraft WP72. The best-known summer tyres are the Ecsta HS52 and the sporty Ecsta PS71. Anyone looking for an all-season tyre will find the Solus 4S HA32, which is best suited to regions with milder winters.