In the past decade, the domestic passenger car market has seen a few fold increase in ownership, while the scale of the domestic passenger car tire market has also undergone significant changes. More vehicles have led to more tire orders, and the specific specifications of these tires are also changing.
Top 50 best-selling SKUs
What is the best-selling specification in a tire shop? What have been the changes in tire specifications over the years? These are all issues that tire enthusiasts have to consider.
As a tire dealer, one must have a better understanding and mastery of the tire market than anyone else, and by analyzing the changes in specifications and dimensions of the PCR tire market over the past decade, one can largely infer the sales direction of the tire market in the future. The top 50 best-selling SKUs in the tire market, let’s now decipher the 10-year secrets of the PCR tire market together.
195/65R15, strength cannot be underestimated
The 195/65R15 specification – after ten years of baptism, has almost never left the top three on the best-selling list. Even during the three-year period from 2020 to 2022, when larger tire sizes were advocated, the 195/65R15 remained the favorite new car tire specification for car manufacturers. Generally, vehicles will consider tire replacement between 3-4 years, which means that for at least the next five to ten years, the 195/65R15 will remain the main sales force in the replacement market.
16 inches is the main sales force
In addition, the 205/60R16 specification has not fallen out of the top five on the list. In fact, the sales of 16 inch tires have been in the top three for three consecutive years. The reason why the sales of 16 inch tires are among the top three in terms of matching is closely related to their positioning – currently, car sales are mainly focused on practical household models, so the changes in tire matching sizes are not too significant. Of course, as the demand for periodic replacement of automotive components gradually increases, 16 inch tires are expected to be the main choice for the domestic replacement market in the next 10 years.
205/55R16, the true sales king
However, even for the same size, there are still significant differences between different specifications. For example, the specification of 205/55R16. Although this specification has shown a clear downward trend in the past decade, with supporting sales in 2022 only 1/4 of 2013, it is not an exaggeration to say that it is a true sales king.
215/55R17 has the strongest growth
Among the top ten best-selling tire specifications, 215/55R17 has become a strong contender – supporting sales have grown rapidly in the past five years. In 2013, the sales volume of 215/55R17 supporting equipment was only over 100000 units, but by 2022, the sales volume of this supporting specification had directly increased by nearly 7 times that year. And its best-selling level has also jumped from 17th place in 2013 to 2nd place in 2022.
In addition to the four specifications mentioned above, 215/60R16, 215/60R17, 225/60R18, and 235/55R18 are also frequent customers and top sellers on the list. Looking back at the sales volume and trend of supporting equipment over the past decade, it can be found that 16 inch, 17 inch, and 18 inch tires will continue to be the main purchasing sizes for tire stores in 2023 and beyond.
In addition, the supporting sales of 18 inch tires began to increase in 2020, and the market share has been crazily increasing with the continuous acceleration of sales expansion. From 10% in 2019 to over 20% in 2022. According to the current growth rate, it is expected that within the next five years, 18 inch tires can form a tripartite model with 16 inch and 17 inch tires in the supporting market; And it is expected to surpass the market share of 16 inch tires and divide the vast majority of the market share with 17 inch tires by 2033.
However, for the replacement market, due to the replacement cycle usually taking 3-4 years and the influence of tire sizes of operating vehicles (taxis, small freight vehicles), the changes in the domestic replacement market will not be too drastic in the next 10 years, and will still be mainly based on the four major tire replacement sizes of 15 inches, 16 inches, 17 inches, and 18 inches
Future tire specification trends
Of course, having a more detailed understanding of the popular matching specifications for different sizes will also help stores better understand which tire is more worth purchasing. The data shows that the best-selling specifications of 15 inch and 16 inch have not changed much in the past decade, but there has been a significant difference in sales. After the peak sales period from 2016 to 2017, sales have continued to decline. It can be seen that the increase in sales of 17 inch and 18 inch tires has had a certain impact on the 15 inch and 16 inch tire markets
In the 17 inch market, tires with lower flat ratios are clearly more popular after 2017. Before 2021, the sales volume of 225/65R17 specification tires was clearly higher than that of 215/55R17; However, since 2021, the sales of 215/55R17 tires have dominated the market.
In 2021, a series of new energy vehicle sales preferential policies continuously boosted tire sales. To bring better handling performance, driving comfort, and range to drivers, most new energy vehicles generally prefer flat and smaller tires, so the 215/55R17 in the 17 inch market has gradually become popular. This also means that in the future replacement market, tires with lower flatness ratios are expected to achieve faster shipments.
However, it is interesting that the 18 inch tire market has shown some opposite trends, with tires with a flatter ratio becoming more popular after 2018. In 2019, 225/60R18 achieved a reverse oversold of 235/50R18 supporting sales, and subsequently left 235/50R18’s supporting sales far behind.
The hot sales of SUVs can be seen as one of the main reasons for the increase in sales of 225/60R18 specifications. Therefore, tire shops should replace their business layout for vehicles of different sizes.
Strange 12 inch tire market changes
In addition, while many tire giants are shouting to withdraw from the small-sized tire market, 12 inch tires have given the market a hard slap. In 2021, the launch of the Shenche Wuling Hongguang Mini and a group of micro new energy vehicles began to take off with 12 inch tires. In 2021, the sales of 145/70R12 tire accessories increased by 1.5 times compared to 2021. Although the growth rate has decreased in 2022, compared to other sizes and specifications of tires, this size of tire clearly has better growth potential.
Tire stocking cannot be separated from the analysis of tire specification trends. After reading this article, do you have a clearer understanding of how to stock, or do you become more confused as you read?
