Hubtrac's growth and marketing plans in 2026

T&A talks with Brand and marketing head, Edward Sean Xu

The Hubtrac tyre brand currently specializes in truck and bus radial (TBR) tyres, as well as other commercial and specialized products, positioned as a premium offering tailored for demanding markets. The brand produces Hubtrac tyres at facilities including a major plant in Serbia (Europe) and another in Thailand. This enables Hubtrac to emphasize European-designed and -produced tyres, particularly for the European market, with features like superior durability, fuel efficiency, low noise, and adaptation to diverse road conditions. Key highlights include Hubtrac’s expansion in Europe, relocating its European headquarters and operations to Serbia in 2023 to position itself "at the heart of Europe."

10 new European-designed tread patterns were unveiled in 2025 at Autopromotec and since then the company has formed partnerships with well-known distributors including Italy's Magri Group and Ireland's Midland Tyres. Moving forward, the brand is extending reach beyond Europe, including plans to offer Serbia-made tyres to the US market which were scheduled to start at the end of 2025.

Here Tyres & Accessories interviews Hubtrac global head of marketing Dr Edward Sean Yaliang Xu in order to learn more about the brands recent progress and plans for the future. Dr Xu began his career with doctoral research into the Chinese judiciary at a UK university. From there, he held a number international executive roles in the petrochemical sector, which led to more than a decade in the tyre industry and ultimately to his newly appointed global marketing position.

Tyres & Accessories:

As an emerging force in the European tyre market, Hubtrac has gained increased recognition in recent years. Could you walk us through Hubtrac’s brand development journey? What key milestones or turning points have shaped Hubtrac into what it is today?

Edward Sean Xu:

“The past three years have been a true period of acceleration for Hubtrac, particularly in our European market expansion. In January 2023, we officially announced the launch of our European production line, and in July of the same year, mass production began at our Serbian factory. This was a critical step, marking Hubtrac’s establishment of stable local manufacturing and supply capabilities in Europe. That same year, we held a new product launch event in Belgrade and officially commenced European market sales in September, laying the foundation for rapid growth.

In 2024, we further strengthened our brand and market development. In May, we established the European Brand and Marketing Department, signalling that Hubtrac was not only localising manufacturing, but also bringing brand operations closer to European customers. That year, we made our debut at the Tire Cologne event and launched Hubtrac 2.0 products, offering customers higher performance and more environmentally friendly solutions.

By 2025, Hubtrac entered a new phase. In March, we confirmed the construction of a central warehouse in Germany to improve supply chain efficiency. In May, we participated in the Autopromotec exhibition in Bologna, Italy, further expanding our influence. Most notably, in September, at the Irish Road Haulage Association annual conference, our partner Midland Tyres officially announced Hubtrac’s entry into the European high-end market, achieving over 115 per cent year-on-year sales growth in Europe.

In summary, over the past three years, Hubtrac has progressed from ‘landing in Europe’ to ‘winning European customers,’ completing a genuine brand upgrade. This has been driven by local European production, continuous product innovation, and the trust and support of our partners. Building on these three years of development, Hubtrac will launch a series of marketing support initiatives for channel partners in 2026 to accelerate European expansion. We firmly believe Hubtrac will shine across Europe in 2026.

T&A: Tell us more about those marketing initiatives, Hubtrac’s positioning in the global tyre market and how you are going to differentiate:

Dr Xu: Hubtrac is a premium value-for-money brand. At this stage, we position ourselves between traditional T2 and T3 brands, and in some markets we can be understood as an entry-level T2 product.

Hubtrac is a very young brand. Our focus is on delivering higher returns on investment for our channel partners – whether through higher margins or improved sales efficiency.

In September 2025, together with Ireland’s largest TBR channel partner, we officially announced Hubtrac’s entry into Ireland at a dinner hosted by the Irish Road Transport Association. Ireland sits at the western edge of Europe, and from there we aim to carry Hubtrac’s strengths all the way to Eastern Europe. At the same time, we have established deep partnerships with leading distributors across mainland Europe, including Italy, Poland, Spain, Romania, Bulgaria, and Greece. Strengthening these partnerships further will be one of our key priorities in 2026.

T&A: What are you growth plans for the next 3 - 5 years? Which markets are key?”

Dr Xu: Our goal for the next 3 - 5 years is to build a unified and stable Hubtrac brand image while providing greater marketing support to our channel partners. All of Europe (EU + UK + EU candidate countries) is a priority market. Traditional Western European markets – such as the UK and Ireland, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, and the Nordic region – will be the main focus at the beginning of 2026.

T&A: What are the most important brand promotion strategies globally and regionally?

Dr Xu: Our brand and marketing team will focus primarily on marketing support for existing channel partners. Over the past three years, we have established partnerships with top distributors in parts of Europe. We will launch Hubtrac Marketing Hub 1.0, creating a systematic B2B2C sales support platform for our partners.

In my view, one of our most important brand promotion stratagems is our local partners – especially in the EU and UK. There are still blank markets within the EU and globally. Once we establish partners in these markets, we will concentrate on supporting them through marketing. In short, comprehensive channel support is one of Hubtrac’s most important brand promotion strategies. At a broader level, we will also consider brand campaigns to create a push–pull model (headquarters pushing, partners pulling).

T&A: How does Hubtrac balance brand promotion between B2B (dealers, fleets) and B2C (end consumers)?

Dr Xu: The core purpose of Hubtrac Marketing Hub is to provide our partners with a complete B2B2C branding model. Ultimately, brand building must face end consumers (B2C), because consumer perception influences purchasing decisions.

At the same time, we recognise that channel partners are the key bridge in the tyre industry. Our strategy is therefore: B2C as the core objective, delivered through B2B channels. We work closely with partners – dealers, fleet operators, retailers – to convey Hubtrac’s brand story, product value, technical strengths, and service philosophy through their stores, online platforms, and after-sales services. This increases consumer awareness while strengthening partner competitiveness, creating a win–win outcome. This is not theoretical – our partners will soon be able to implement full B2B2C promotion via Hubtrac Marketing Hub.

T&A: Have you made any new marketing partnerships (e.g. sports sponsorships)?”

Dr Xu: At this stage, our marketing focus is fully on supporting channel partners. All resources are prioritised for them. We have also supported local sports sponsorships together with individual partners, although these are primarily led by local distributors.

T&A: How do you maintain brand value and pricing power in price-sensitive markets?

Dr Xu: The UK is one of the most price-sensitive markets in Europe – if not globally. We will not engage in price wars. Hubtrac is a premium value-for-money brand; if a market only seeks the cheapest products, we will not force entry. However, that does not mean we will abandon the UK market. The role of the Hubtrac brand team is to work closely with partners to explore ways to build the brand value of Hubtrac.

How does Hubtrac view competition from China, Southeast Asia, and other emerging brands?

Dr Xu: I do not consider tyres from China or Southeast Asia as our competitors. Frankly speaking, Hubtrac is a 100 per cent European brand – with R&D in Germany and one of Europe’s largest and most advanced tyre factories in Serbia. Europe is our home market.

Our biggest weakness is that we are young. Distributors who only seek low-cost products can source from China or Southeast Asia, but those products may never have Hubtrac’s long-term potential. Hubtrac has nearly all the attributes needed to become a world-class European manufacturing brand. 

Our goal is to establish a new European tyre brand focused on PPK efficiency on the global stage. We never compare ourselves with non-European brands.

If you had to summarise Hubtrac’s brand DNA in one sentence, what would it be?

Dr Xu: A world-class European tyre brand -everything we do serves our channel partners, delivering higher returns on investment, higher margins or sales efficiency, and a future growth outlook backed by European quality.

T&A: What is the most exciting upcoming product or innovation?

Dr Xu: In 2026, we will launch many new SKUs for the European and North American markets. From a brand and marketing perspective, the most anticipated launch is Hubtrac Marketing Hub. It is a comprehensive innovation designed around partner needs, providing a complete B2B2C marketing support system and reducing partners’ sales and training costs.

As Head of Brand and Marketing, what do you think will be the biggest industry change in the next five years?

Dr Xu: We are living in an era of constant change, and traditional liberal international trade may not return. External factors will affect the entire tyre industry, including Hubtrac, and the next five years may bring even more unpredictable changes. However, I am confident that Hubtrac’s brand development will not be derailed. We will resolutely promote Hubtrac – a new premium value-for-money European tyre – across Europe and globally. chris.anthony@tyrepress.com