Nexen at a glance
The maker of Nexen tyres started out in South Korea in 1942 as Heung-A Tire. The company was later known as Woosung Tire, and in 2000 it became Nexen Tire. The new name comes from the English words 'next' and 'century'. In Europe, Nexen is known as a sports sponsor: it has backed Manchester City Football Club since 2015 and in 2017 became the club's first-ever sleeve sponsor.
Nexen Tire is an independent South Korean listed company, headquartered in Seoul. Its factories are in Yangsan and Changnyeong in Korea, Qingdao in China and, in Europe, Žatec in the Czech Republic. The European factory shortens supply chains and also allows Nexen to supply European car makers. Nexen tyres sit in the mid-range price bracket. They suit drivers who want a tyre from a well-known manufacturer at a lower price than the premium brands.
Among Nexen's winter tyres, the Winguard Ice 3 non-studded tyre and the Winguard Winspike 3 studded tyre are common in the Nordic countries. For Central European winters there is the Winguard Sport 2. The best-known summer tyres are the N'blue HD Plus, the sportier N'Fera Sport and, for SUVs, the N'Fera RU1. For year-round use, Nexen offers the N'blue 4Season 2 all-season tyre. In the model names, N'blue stands for comfort and economy, while N'Fera stands for sporty driving.