#31: Tires are EVERYWHERE.
A Market Ripe for Disruption
Tires are not a sexy product. They aren't even a new and shiny product. No one really thinks about them at all (even when you buy a new car). They are just there. On everything - and we just expect them to work. We also expect them to go bald, need air, need rotating, or even get a flat at some point. Yet, they are one of the most important things on a vehicle. They are all around you from baby strollers and bicycles, to big trucks and airplanes. There's even an old colloquial expression "kicking the tires" that means to try something or examine it carefully before you buy it.
Well, I'm sure you'll get a nice kick out of this - The global tire market is expected to grow to over $340 billion by 2028 (that's just 3 years away)! Tires are starting to sound a little more sexy now, right? Haha, you get the point.
For over a century, the tire industry has been dominated by just a handful of massive corporations, which include Michelin, Bridgestone, Goodyear, Firestone, Continental, Pirelli, and Dunlop. But change is inevitable, and airless, smart tire technology is set to disrupt these legacy players.
As of 2025, here’s where the top tire companies stand in terms of valuation (estimated net worth and market capitalization):
Michelin (France): $30.4B
Bridgestone (Japan): $28.9B
Continental (Germany): $14.3B
Goodyear (United States): $9.4B
Pirelli (Italy): $8.5B
Collectively, these five companies have a combined market value of over $116 billion. They’ve dominated the industry with conventional rubber tires for over 100 years—but they’re now vulnerable to disruption from innovative technologies like the ones we’re developing at The SMART Tire Company. Yes, even Michelin’s airless, rubber Tweel/Uptis that we all see in various articles year after year (for the past 18 years), could become obsolete as a viable commercial product. We are built different. SMART tires are built different. We are pioneers. Our share of this lucrative pie will come in due time...
SMART Tire: Positioned for Explosive Growth
Here’s why The SMART Tire Company could be on track to be just as big—or even bigger—than these tire giants:
The EV Revolution: With the global electric vehicle market expected to grow by over 40% by 2030, the demand for specialized tires is skyrocketing. Our airless, durable, and energy-efficient tires are a perfect fit for EVs, which require advanced tire solutions, like heavier load capacity - EVs are much heavier than gas-powered cars, that traditional manufacturers are just beginning to address.
Sustainability: Traditional tires are not only wasteful but have a significant environmental footprint. Our smart, airless tires are eco-friendly (we use 50+% less rubber), longer-lasting, and virtually maintenance-free, making them an attractive solution for environmentally conscious consumers and businesses.
Global Infrastructure and Urbanization: As road conditions continue to worsen and urbanization accelerates worldwide, the demand for durable, light-weight, flat-proof tires is surging. Countries like China, India, and the U.S. are ramping up infrastructure investments, creating a growing market for tire solutions that can withstand extreme conditions.
Big Tire Business: Buying, Selling & Money
Jan 8, 2025, Sumitomo Tire and Rubber acquires Goodyear's Dunlop Tire brand for $701M in cash.
Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company acquired Cooper Tire & Rubber for $2.8B in cash and shares in June 2021.
Michelin acquired the off-road tire company, Camso, for $1.45B in 2018. Camso makes off-road tires and rubber tracks for heavy-duty vehicles like tractors and harvesters.
In 2015, China National Chemical Corp. (ChemChina) bought a controlling interest in Pirelli Tire for $7.7B.
Michelin acquired BF Goodrich, as part of the Uniroyal Goodrich Tire Company, for approximately $1.5B in 1989.
Bridgestone of Japan purchased Firestone Tire and Rubber Company for $2.6B in 1988. The deal made Bridgestone the second-largest tire manufacturer in the United States.
Special Note: Resonetics acquired the SAES Medical NiTinol business, including Memry Corporation and SAES Smart Materials, for $900M. This proves how useful NiTinol is becoming just within the medical industry. We are the first company to utilize this material for large scale applications (e.g. tires), which is why we filed several patents and formed key supplier partnerships - early -in preparation for the growth.
The SPACE Tire Company
Originally invented for NASA & ESA's Mars Fetch Rover Program, The SMART Tire Company has the technology and access to create multiple opportunities to get our tires on the Moon! We're becoming one of the go-to companies for lunar tire/wheel needs for various companies bidding on NASA's Artemis ($100B+ total budget, $4.6B LTV rover budget) and CLPS program ($2.6B budget). The Artemis program is expected to last through the 2030s.
On the Moon, regular rubber would quickly degrade and become unusable due to the extreme temperature fluctuations, lack of atmosphere, and intense solar radiation, causing it to become brittle and shatter, essentially making it useless for things like tires on a lunar rover (that's why NASA used wheels made of piano wire during the Apollo era); instead, special metal alloys are used to create durable wheels that can withstand the harsh lunar environment. This is where we come in with a much more advanced material solution... The SMART Lunar Tire 3.0.
Why This Is a Rare Opportunity
Like I mentioned before, the tire industry is ripe for disruption, and The SMART Tire Company is uniquely positioned to take advantage of this opportunity. While traditional tire companies have spent decades in the industry, they’ve been slow to innovate. But we’re not waiting. We’re leading the charge in airless tire technology, offering a product that’s safer, more durable, more sustainable, and longer-lasting than anything the market currently offers.
Here’s where it gets even more exciting: the legacy tire companies are struggling to adapt to the new demands of modern mobility, especially with the rise of EVs and sustainability concerns - because they are tire and RUBBER companies. Their infrastructure and technologies are based on the usage of rubber and plastic materials as the core of their products. This opens the door for The SMART Tire Company to take market share and position itself as the go-to solution for 21st century driving on Earth, the Moon, and Mars.
The Unmarked Road Ahead
Building a tire company is very hard work, but if it were easy... you know the rest. We’re not just talking about potential—we’re actually making moves.
Strategic partnerships with leading material suppliers and major vehicle manufacturers, like Hyundai and Kia, are already in the works.
Our R&D team is advancing our technology (NASA, as well) at a pace that is positioning us for mass-market adoption within the next 2-3 years.
Final prototypes are showing promising results, and we’re getting closer to hitting the market to meet our extreme demand, then scaling production and distribution.
Our award-winning technology will continue to progress, and perhaps win even more accolades along the way, but our top priority remains developing the smartest, safest, most sustainable, highest quality products we can make for a better, fast-evolving world, and the future of transportation.
As we prepare to deliver to early customers and then go-to-market ($12B cycling/mobility market), the opportunity to invest in The SMART Tire Company as a private company is time-sensitive (this is our LAST crowdfunding campaign). Once we achieve full commercial viability, the value of our company is set to soar, and you’ll want to be part of this journey before the window closes.
Go ahead and kick the tires, but don’t miss out on being part of the next, great tire revolution. No company has ever tried this type of disruption within the 100-year-old legacy of the tire industry. A $300B+ global industry. The future of tires is airless and SMART—and it’s happening right now.
This is your moonshot. What are you waiting for?
The SMART Team
[It's official! The SMART Tire Company now owns the registered trademark for the popular phrase "reinventing the wheel®". Starting in 2025, we are the only company that can use this phrase for any products, marketing, or whatever. Another huge win for STC!]