South Korea’s Kumho Tire Co. is the exclusive supplier of tires for Kia Motors Corp.’s new compact sports utility vehicle (SUV) Seltos, which is due to hit the Korean market next week, according to the company on Thursday.

Kumho Tire will supply its premium flagship Solus TA31 for 16- and 17-inch tires for the Seltos. Solus TA31 is a high-performance product boasting low noise, high durability and wear resistance, on top of a high driving power. With a wide range of size options, the model is designed to have an optimized performance for various vehicles.

Four-groove tread creates gripping surfaces that improve the water drainage, and the symmetric tread pattern lowers rolling resistance reducing vibration, noise and fuel consumption, the company said.

For 18-inch tires, newly-released high-performance premium Majesty9 Solus TA91 will be supplied for quieter and more comfortable ride. New high-tech compound material is applied to the tire, and stopping power on snow has improved 20 percent from its previous version, according to the company.

Sound Harmony Technology that reduces the driving noise is applied to the tires, and the Majesty9 Solus TA91 has a hologram on its side with a geometric pattern.

The Seltos has looks of the next bestseller with pre-orders exceeding 3,000 units in the first eight days in Korea. It hits showrooms in Korea next week and in India in the latter half of this year.

By Lee Jong-hyuk and Lee Ha-yeon

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