Hankook Tire Wins Prestigious International Design Awards for Environmentally Friendly Tyres

• First time a passenger car tyre has received an award from the International Forum Design since the awards were introduced in 1953
• Hankook Tire wins two awards for the enfren and Optimo 4S tyres, both recognised for their innovation and fuel efficiency
• Award recognises how functional and integrated design can play a critical role in a product's performance, highlighting the 'leaf design' of the enfren's tread pattern

Neu-Isenburg/ Germany, December 2 2008 - Hankook Tire, one of the fastest growing tyre makers in the world, received two awards for the design of its enfren and Optimo 4S tyres at the iF Product Design Awards 2009, one of the world's leading design competitions organised by the International Forum Design, on November 25 in Hanover, Germany.

The environmentally friendly tyres enfren and Optimo 4S are the first passenger car tyres ever to receive this prestigious design award*. They were both awarded in the 'Transportation' category, based upon its technology, environment friendliness, functionality, safety and design quality. The tyres are recognised independently for their quality and performance in terms of the environment and fuel efficiency, and the innovative tyres are the result of Hankook Tire's consistent investment of 5% of revenue into its Kontrol Technology programme, one of the highest proportional of R&D investment in the tyre industry.

The enfren tyre is a new fuel efficient, environmentally friendly tyre launched in Korea on June 4 2008 and reduces rolling resistance by 21% and improves fuel economy by 2%, according to the Korea Automotive Technology Institute. The Optimo 4S is currently the only tyre in the world and first all-season tyre ever to receive the famous German eco-label, the Blue Angel. "Functional design can help creatively unlock product innovation and plays an integral role in the product development cycle," said Seung-Hwa Suh, CEO of Hankook Tire.

"Technology is at the heart of everything Hankook Tire does and clever design plays a major role in enhancing performance. We want to continue to discover further opportunities on how green design, in particular, can affect and influence functionality." The judges, in particular, pointed to the functionality of the leaf-shaped tread pattern design in the enfren and how this design innovation both reflected and benefited the product's fuel efficient attributes. The leaf-shaped tread design enables higher performance characteristics in terms of fuel efficiency, lower CO2 emissions, improved drainability, optimal riding comfort and stability.

The sidewall also carries a faint silhouette of leaves and butterflies giving the tyre a fashionable feel, something that the judges viewed as a first for tyres. The enfren was also awarded with the Good Design certificate in Korea earlier this month. The enfren is selling well in Korea and there are plans to expand the range of tyre sizes on sale in Korea and to launch the tyre in other markets in the near future such as Australia and Japan, as well as across Europe and the US in the mid-term. The enfren and Optimo 4S integrate environmental technology used in the development and production of all Hankook Tire products.

SIS Ecolabelling AB, part of the Nordic Ecolabelling, granted Hankook Tire's Winter I*pike (W409) and Winter I*cept (W605) with the Swan-Ecolabel in 2006. The Optimo K715 was also recognized as the most environmentally-friendly tyre in its class by Stiftung Warentest in 2007. The awarded tyres enfren and Optimo 4S are examples of Hankook Tire's Kontrol Technology, a set of technological innovations applied through research, development and production to guarantee a controlled driving experience.

Kontrol Technology embodies the company's approach to technological innovation and results in a range of driving benefits across four areas which customers identify as key when choosing quality tyres: Performance; Safety; Comfort; and a tyre's impact on the Environment. This year 2,808 products with 1,025 applicants from 39 countries were judged by renowned experts. Along with the publication in the iF Yearbook Product 2009, the enfren and Optimo 4S will be officially awarded at the iF design exhibition 2009 which opens its doors on March 3 2009 at the Hannover Exhibition Centre.

The exhibition continues until August 2009. The winners of the iF Gold Awards will be also be announced at the CeBit Exhibition in Hanover in March 2009. About iF Product Design Award (www.ifdesign.de)The iF Product Design Award was introduced in 1953 and is annually conferred by the iF International Forum Design. Along with the red dot design award it is the most important international product design award. Every year it attracts more than 2,000 product entries from around 37 nations, which are judged by renowned experts, with the best of them receiving an iF seal of outstanding design quality.

*The Optimo 4S is currently the only tyre in the world and first all-season tyre ever that is Blue Angel-certified, joining a list of over 10,000 products across 80 categories over the past 30 years which have received the German quality seal to help consumers clearly identify the most environmentally-friendly high-end products.