In the second quarter of 2023 alone, the trends were the same, although deeper declines were recorded in the agricultural and truck segments: tyres for passenger cars fell by -13%, vans by -13%, tyres for agricultural machinery by -70%, industrial tyres by -28% and truck tyres by -43%. Growth in the motorcycle tyre segment was +12% and SUV +1%.
"The declines in sales for distribution are deep. Across Europe, tyre manufacturers are facing falling sales and have to adapt to challenging market conditions such as weaker demand and higher costs. We hope that in the following months of this year, and then in 2024, the situation will improve and we will see a return of increases in tyre sales – emphasizes Jacek Pryczek, President of the Management Board of the Polish Tyre Industry Association (PTIA).
PZPO members are representatives of the largest tyre manufacturers in Poland and in the world. They represent an industry employing directly in our country over 11,000 employees in 6 factories and trading companies. Every day, more than 135,000 tyres with the inscription "made in Poland" for passenger cars, trucks, buses or agricultural and industrial machinery leave these factories.
"The continued double-digit declines in most segments are a surprise. They show that distributors are cautious about the possibility of increasing sales volumes. Especially in agricultural, truck and industrial tyres there are clear drops. However, this is another quarter when motorcycle and SUV tyres are in the black. In both cases, their growing park shows that this is the dominant trend in our market. Remember that tyres are not a luxury expense – but necessary for safe driving. After all, they connect our car and motorcycle with the road – adds Piotr Sarnecki, General Director of PZPO.
European tyre market
The European Tyre and Rubber Manufacturers’ Association (ETRMA) has reported Q2 2023 replacement tyre figures today, showing negative evolution in all segments, with demand stifled by global economic insecurity and rising costs, resulting from inflation.
Adam McCarthy, ETRMA’s Secretary General, said: “We have now seen negative evolution in all categories since the end of 2022. This is being driven by slowing demand combined with rising costs throughout the value chain, widespread inflation, and concerns over the global economic situation. The war in Ukraine has contributed to increased energy costs. The situation is all the more striking when looking at the first half of 2022, which had been characterised by very strong sales, boosted by stock rebuilds following the Covid-induced lockdowns.”
Q2 2023 shows a 12 per cent decline in the sale of consumer replacement tyres compared to Q2 2022. In the same period, there was a 28 per cent drop in the truck and bus segment, and a 34 per cent drop for replacement agricultural tyres.
McCarthy continued: “Our forecast for the whole year is that 2023 will end up with a decrease of replacement tyre sales compared to 2022. Tyres should not be discretionary spending; however, it is likely people are currently putting off buying replacements until the last moment.”
Source: Polish Tyre Industry Association