Hankook tyres may be relatively new to the market, but they have a strong growing base of customers thanks to their products, effective marketing strategy, and strong dealer network. We interview one of their dealers for a more in-depth look at Hankook tyres.

TopGear: Thank you for joining us for this interview. Could you please briefly introduce yourself and tell us a bit of your history in this industry?

Wai: Thanks again. My name is Teh Kang Wai, but you can call me Wai. I have been in the tyre industry for 18-19 years.

TG: When did you first hear about Hankook tyres?

Wai: I first discovered about Hankook tyres back in 2000, from the previous place I used to work at.

TG: What inspired you to pick up Hankook tyres?

Wai: Well, the tyre was new to the market back in 2000; I believe they entered in 1997. I was impressed with their tyre thread design and compound and saw the potential for its growth in Malaysia.

TG: In your opinion, how do you find Hankook tyres compared to its competitors?

Wai: It was the quality of their rubber compound which I felt, in my opinion, better developed to endure the conditions of Malaysian road and is superior against its close competitors. The tyre thread designs are some of the best I've come across, comparable even to those of European tyres, but at a fraction of the price.

The combination of rubber compound and tyre thread design not only delivers a longer lasting tyre, but one which offers greater ride comfort and silence while traveling, which is preferred by the majority of Malaysian vehicle owners. We began to notice the trend of customers preferring silent and comfortable tyres in the past recent years.

TG: Could you tell us about the initial challenges you faced and how you overcame them?

Wai: I would say the main challenge was introducing Hankook, back then it was a new brand of tyre, to Malaysian customers who were sceptical with new products. It was definitely challenging at the beginning, especially when faced against established tyre brands in the market, but through good relationship with our customers and feedback we were slowly able to grow our customer base.

We also received more support from Hankook Tire Malaysia when they arrived in July 2013, and thanks to them we have been able to grow our sales even further.

TG: In your words, could you please comment about your relationship with Hankook Tire Malaysia for the past two years?

Wai: We have great mutual understanding and support with Hankook Tire Malaysia. We have received plenty of support not only in terms of sales, but with promotional and marketing aspects as well such as free gifts, special holiday promotions, and signage preparation. Hankook Tire Malaysia also provides further value-added service such as training sessions for their distributors, such as me and my team.

TG: Which Hankook tyre models are the best-selling currently?

Wai: That would be the Hankook Kinergy EX and Hankook Ventus S1 Noble 2. Interestingly, we also get a lot of customer inquiry for the Hankook Ventus V12 Evo 2.

TG: Do you have any challenges or goals for 2015?

Wai: We will continue our best to promote and sell Hankook tyres. We are lucky that the implemented GST has not affected our business much.

TG: Has the GST affected anything your business in any way?

Wai: Actually, with the GST in place we were able to lower the prices of our tyres slightly. We sacrifice a bit of sale margin on our part, but by doing so we hope to help ease the financial burden of our customers however we can. We are pleased to share that we were able to lower our prices, on average, by 7-8% compared to pre-GST prices. This is one way of giving thanks and appreciation to our loyal customers.

TG: Finally, could you tell us how the tyre industry has evolved in your years of experience?

Wai: For certain, the tyre industry and tyre dealers today have become more professional in terms of quality and service. About 5-10 years ago there was a lack of knowledge about tyres, between the dealers and customers, and the criteria for buying tyres was the price rather than the quality of tyre. This lack of knowledge hindered the aftersales service as well as feedback to the tyre manufacturer.

Today, with better training and proper knowledge, we are able to give our customers the best value they can buy, not only in terms of money but rather the total package when purchasing a tyre, from the knowledge to the aftersales service.

TG: That was informative. Again, thank you for your time for this interview.

Wai: No problem. It was my pleasure.