Hankook Tire & Technology said Dec. 10 it began to supply tires for Audi’s SQ8 TDI SUV in October.

The company supplies the high-performance Ventus S1 evo 3 SUV tires for the high-performance SQ8 TDI SUV in the form of original equipment tires, the company said in a statement. 

It didn’t give an exact time frame for the supply deal or the value of the deal.

The tire maker has supplied OE tires to a variety of Audi models, including the Audi TT sports car, the RS5 coupe and RS4 Avante wagon, proving the quality of its tires in the global market, the statement said.

Supplying OE tires to car manufacturers does not generate much revenue for tire makers but securing big companies as clients helps improve their brand image and can lead to the raising of product prices down the line.

For tire makers, it is more profitable to sell replacement equipment tires in after-sales markets.

To enhance its global brand image, the tire maker has shipped products to nearly 50 foreign carmakers, including Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Porsche.

By Ram Garikipati and newswires (ram@heraldcorp.com)