The Open Country A/T II, produced at Toyo's White, Ga., plant, is its first U.S. OE fitment on Ford F-250/F-350 trucks.
Toyo Tire & Rubber Co. Ltd. announced that the company's Open Country A/T II (OPAT II) SUV tire, size LT275/65R20 126S, has been adopted as an original equipment tire for the Ford F-250 and F-350 pickup trucks.
The tire is produced in the United States by subsidiary Toyo Tire North America Manufacturing Inc. (TNA). The company says this is the first time a TNA-produced tire has been adopted as OE by an American car maker.
U.S. tire sales subsidiary Toyo Tire U.S.A. Corp. launched sale of the OPAT II as a replacement tire in August 2012, and in less than one year the tire became a hit product with sales in excess of one million units, notes Toyo. The company says it is renowned for its long tread life and bold, aesthetically pleasing design.
TNA, which manufactures the OPAT II, was established in 2005 as a tire production base for the North American market. The facility is currently undergoing its fourth production expansion, a $371 million project that will add 700,000 square feet to the 2-million-square-foot tire manufacturing plant.
Located in White, Ga., TNA is a state-of-the-art plant that uses Toyo's automated and proprietary A.T.O.M. (Advanced Tire Operation Module) tire production system designed for multi-product, small-lot production with reduced lead times.