Toyo Tires names Tire360Europe for DACH and Nordics

Toyo Tires has appointed newly established Tire360Europe GmbH as its sales and marketing partner for the DACH region and the Nordics, in a move that gives dealers and regional partners a clearer local contact point across eight European markets. The Frankfurt am Main-based company will cover Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland and Iceland.

A local partner for regional markets

Tire360Europe will be led by managing director Ralf Gutena. Michael Kraft will handle the DACH business, while Andrea Brix will oversee the Nordic region. The appointment gives Toyo Tires a dedicated local structure for two important European territories, while keeping the brand aligned with its wider continental sales reorganisation.

The move follows Toyo Tire Corporation’s decision in late 2024 to consolidate European sales functions into Toyo Tire Sales and Marketing Europe d.o.o. Indija in Serbia. The company said at the time that European sales operations would start from January 2025, with management functions transferred from Toyo Tire Holdings of Europe GmbH by the end of 2025.

Why the appointment matters

For the tyre trade, the significance is not just the creation of another sales agency. It reflects a wider shift in how global tyre manufacturers are balancing centralised European management with local market coverage.

The DACH region remains one of Europe’s most important tyre markets, while the Nordics bring distinct seasonality, winter tyre demand and distribution requirements. Local sales and marketing leadership should help Toyo Tires maintain closer contact with wholesalers, retailers and fleet-facing channels in those markets.

Ralf Gutena told German trade title Neue Reifenzeitung that the start of Tire360Europe meant “continuity” for customers and partners. That message is important because restructuring can create uncertainty for dealers, especially when established sales companies are replaced by new regional arrangements.

Part of Toyo’s Serbia-centred European model

Toyo’s European reshaping has been building around its Serbian base. Tyre News previously reported on Toyo Tires’ €382 million investment in Inđija, where discussions with Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić covered research and development activity, capacity growth and exports to Europe and North America.

The company’s Serbian factory officially opened in December 2022 after partial production began in July that year. Toyo said the site had capacity for five million passenger vehicle, SUV and light truck tyres annually, with an investment of about €390.5 million.

Toyo has since continued to develop the Serbian operation. In March 2026, the company said it had broken ground on a Serbian R&D centre, scheduled to become operational in January 2027, as part of its plan to consolidate European research and development functions near its plant and sales operations.

A clearer route to market

The Tire360Europe appointment suggests Toyo Tires is seeking a more flexible route to market after the closure or restructuring of former European sales subsidiaries. Toyo said in November 2024 that subsidiaries in Germany, the Netherlands, Italy and the UK would successively cease business activities from January 2025 as part of the reorganisation.

That places greater importance on regional partners able to manage relationships with dealers, distributors and local buying groups. In practice, Tire360Europe’s role will be judged by continuity of supply, pricing communication, product visibility and the speed of support for replacement market customers.

The appointment also comes at a time when European tyre distribution remains sensitive to margin pressure, import costs and changing demand. Tyre News recently noted in its Q3 global tyre results analysis that Toyo recorded lower earnings despite sales growth, with costs, tariffs and currency movements affecting performance.

What dealers should watch next

For dealers in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and the Nordic markets, the immediate question is how quickly the new structure settles into everyday ordering, account management and marketing support.

Toyo’s broader European model is now built around centralised sales and production infrastructure in Serbia, supported by local commercial partners. The Tire360Europe appointment is therefore a practical test of whether that structure can maintain market proximity while reducing organisational complexity.

‍

‍

Tagged with: Toyo Tires, Tire360Europe, DACH tyre market, Nordic tyre market, European tyre distribution, tyre sales structure, Toyo Serbia, tyre wholesale, replacement tyres, light commercial tyres, SUV tyres

‍