February 13, 2026

Nexen Tire opens dedicated winter testing facility in Ivalo

Nexen Tire has opened a dedicated testing facility for winter and all-weather tyres located in Ivalo, Finland.

Known as the Purple Snow Ivalo Center, Nexen Tire says it has also established in-house research facilities, including a dedicated laboratory for studying the surface characteristics of winter roads.

The company has secured a long-term lease for its newly designed proving ground, which features snow handling tracks of varying gradients and curves, including a large-scale flat track.

The testing centre is located within the Union Technique de l’Automobile, du Motocycle et du Cycle (UTAC) proving ground in Ivalo, near the Arctic Circle in Northern Europe.

UTAC, Europe’s largest automotive testing organisation, operates comprehensive indoor and outdoor testing infrastructure capable of replicating extreme winter road conditions.

By operating this new testing centre in Finland, Nexen Tire expects to further strengthen its competitiveness in the key European market, which accounts for more than 40 per cent of its total revenue.

Major European countries such as Germany, Italy, Czech Republic and Sweden, now require the use of certified winter tyres with the Three-Peak Mountain Snowflake (3PMSF) marking during winter, making winter tyre development capabilities increasingly important.

Notably, Nexen Tire has secured a dedicated test track for evaluating the durability of studded tyres, which are designed for icy road conditions in extremely cold regions such as Northern Europe. This will enable the company to respond more strategically to the growing demand for winter tyres in the European market.

Nexen Tire held an opening ceremony for its new Purple Snow Ivalo Center. The event was attended by Jong Myung Kim, chief technology officer (CTO) of Nexen Tire. Guests had the opportunity to participate in a winter tyre test-driving program and take an excursion at UTAC’s indoor and outdoor testing facilities, experiencing firsthand the advanced testing capabilities of the centre.

The centre also serves as a link between Nexen Tire’s virtual development processes and real-world vehicle testing. The company introduced the Korean automotive industry’s first high-dynamic driving simulator last year, and its performance predictions can now be immediately cross-validated through on-snow driving tests.

Through this approach, Nexen Tire plans to further advance its AI-backed virtual development technologies, generate new opportunities to participate in original equipment (OE) projects, and strengthen its foundation for developing high-performance tyres.

Nexen Tire is exclusively distributed in Ireland through Mileage Tyres, who will be exhibiting at the 2026 Auto Trade EXPO, which takes place alongside the CV Workshop EXPO from 10th -11th October at the RDS Simmonscourt in Dublin.