What Car? has signed a new associate sponsorship deal with Hankook Tyre UK for the 2013 What Car? Car of The Year Awards. Hankook will also continue to sponsor the Ultra-low-carbon car category.
The What Car? Car of the Year Awards are the most coveted accolades in the automotive industry. The Awards are presented to cars that set the highest standards in their sector after being put through the toughest, most rigorous tests by the most experienced team in the business.
Andrew Golby, What Car? publishing director said: “It’s great news that Hankook Tyre is to be associate sponsor of the 2013 What Car? Awards once again. It is one of the largest and fastest-growing tyre manufacturers worldwide, and the collaboration allows it to communicate with the ever-growing What Car? audience. Tyres are big business, because at some time, every motorist will need to invest in new tyres.”
Each year, Hankook produces 12 million innovative, high-quality and high-performance radial tyres for passenger cars, light trucks, SUVs, RVs, trucks, and buses as well as motorsports (circuit racing/rallies).
The benefits of the sponsorship deal includes the alignment with the most authoritative and trusted brand in motoring, brand positioning and awareness, extensive PR opportunities, networking and brand association with the awards via a multi-channel promotional campaign.
Tony Lee, Managing Director of Hankook Tyre UK said: “All of us at Hankook are looking forward to working with the What Car? team on what is without doubt the premier UK automotive awards. Tyres may not be very glamorous but they are so very important and we hope that the sponsorship will in turn put Hankook on the shopping list of What Car? readers”.
Andrew Golby continued: “Winning a What Car? Award is good for a car maker’s business. The authority of the What Car? brand sells cars, plain and simple. It adds power to advertising and marketing campaigns and is a huge draw for customers.”
The What Car? Car of the Year Awards event is attended by more than 1000 leading industry figureheads alongside the most influential motoring correspondents from the wider media.
The event is to be held at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London on January 9, 2013 with top-class entertainment yet to be announced. Previous headline acts have included Jonathan Ross, Jimmy Carr, Al Murray and Jo Brand. For more information and table bookings visit whatcarawards.com
PREVIOUS WHAT CAR? CAR OF THE YEAR WINNERS
| 2012 | Volkswagen Up | 1994 | Peugeot 306 |
| 2011 | Audi A1 | 1993 | Ford Mondeo |
| 2010 | Peugeot 3008 | 1992 | Volkswagen Golf |
| 2009 | Ford Fiesta 1.25i 82 Zetec 5dr | 1991 | Rover Metro |
| 2008 | Jaguar XF 2.7D V6 Luxury | 1990 | Rover 214 Si |
| 2007 | Vauxhall Corsa | 1989 | Ford Fiesta |
| 2006 | BMW 320d | 1988 | BMW 735i |
| 2005 | Land Rover Discovery | 1987 | Renault 21 Savannah |
| 2004 | Volkswagen Golf | 1986 | Saab 9000 Turbo 16 |
| 2003 | Seat Ibiza | 1985 | Volkswagen Golf |
| 2002 | Toyota Corolla | 1984 | Peugeot 205 |
| 2001 | Ford Mondeo | 1983 | MG Metro |
| 2000 | Skoda Fabia | 1982 | Mercedes 200T |
| 1999 | Rover 75 | 1981 | Volkswagen Golf |
| 1998 | Land Rover Freelander | 1980 | Vauxhall Astra |
| 1997 | Renault Mégane Scénic | 1979 | Peugeot 305 |
| 1996 | Peugeot 406 | 1978 | Renault 20 |
| 1995 | VW Polo |
What Car?
What Car? the UK’s biggest car-buying brand, has two magazines, a market-leading website, an app and several established brand extensions. Its flagship magazine has helped Britain’s car buyers make purchasing decisions for more than 35 years, and its tests are widely regarded as the most trusted source of new-car advice.
Whatcar.com is the UK’s leading car-buying website, offering trusted reviews and data on every new car. A winner of numerous awards and accolades, whatcar.com is recognised as one of the UK’s leading consumer websites for car purchases and attracted more than three million visits January 2012 (desktop and mobile). The website also offers advice on True MPG, car leasing, new car deals and used cars for sale.
What Car? is owned by Haymarket Media Group – the UK’s largest independently owned publishing company with a portfolio of more than 150 titles, ranging from specialist consumer magazines to business titles and customer publications, published via wholly owned subsidiaries, joint ventures and under licence worldwide.
Hankook
Hankook Tyre is one of the world’s largest and fastest-growing manufacturers of innovative, high-quality and high-performance radial tyres for passenger cars, light trucks, SUVs, RVs, trucks, and buses as well as motorsports (circuit racing/rallies).
The company invests some five percent of its revenues in R&D every year. In five Research and Development centres worldwide, located in Korea, Germany, the USA, China and Japan, the company develops the very latest in market-specific, customised and innovative tyre solutions. Bespoke tyre solutions for the European markets as well as European Original Equipment (OE) according to the requirements of leading European car manufacturers are developed in the company’s European Technical Centre in Hanover/Germany. Production is taking place in the state-of-the-art European production site in Rácalmás/Hungary which was inaugurated in June 2007. More than 2000 employees produce more than 34,000 tyres a day (this amounts to more than 12 million tyres a year) for passenger cars, SUVs and light trucks.
Hankook Tyre’s European headquarters are located in Neu-Isenburg near Frankfurt am Main. The manufacturer operates further branches in Europe in Germany, Great Britain, France, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Hungary, Russia, Turkey, Sweden and Poland. Hankook products are sold directly through regional distributors. Hankook Tyre employs approximately 16,000 employees worldwide and is selling its products in more than 180 countries. Internationally leading car manufacturers rely on tyres made by Hankook Tyre for their original equipment. About 80 percent of Hankook’s income is generated by sales outside Korea.
