LAS VEGAS, Nov. 5, 2014 – While they won’t be available to the public until next April, Timberland Tires are already receiving plenty of attention, thanks to a customized 2015 Jeep Wrangler JK Sport on display at Omni United’s booth #47017 at the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show at the Las Vegas Convention Center. The Jeep and its Timberland Tires are the center of attention at Omni United’s 40’ by 80’ booth, located near the convention center’s South Lower Level entrance.
Sporting a set of Timberland A/T 275/55 tires mounted on Black Rhino 20-inch wheels and the Timberland custom logo package, the Jeep underwent a $25,000 customization inside and out by Shoreline Motoring of Huntington Beach, Calif. Its rugged yet refined appearance reflects the active, outdoor lifestyle embodied by Timberland, and would look at home on a city street or on a dirt trail.
In addition to the rugged wheels and tires, Shoreline technicians installed a 2-inch suspension lift upgrade, electronic drop down steps, daytime running lights integrated into the front bumper, LED rear lighting and color matched exterior body panels. Shoreline transformed the Jeep’s interior into one of refined luxury with rich leather throughout and the Timberland® logo stitched into the seat headrests and floor mats. The leather used was hide remnants from Timberland® apparel.
“The Timberland Tires Jeep was a fun and challenging project for our team,” said Paul Roberts, owner of Shoreline Motoring. “We created a vehicle that reflects both Timberland’s and Omni United’s shared attributes of innovation, performance and style. And like Timberland Tires, we took a basic product (the Jeep), reworked and enhanced it to provided added value with an emphasis on comfort, sophistication and sustainability.”
“Given the strength of the Timberland brand and our target consumer’s appreciation for the outdoors and sustainability, we see a huge opportunity to change the way people choose their tires,” said G.S. Sareen, president and CEO of Omni United. “With Timberland Tires, drivers can be confident that their tires will perform, while also making a statement that expresses their lifestyle and values.”
Timberland Tires represent a new model in tire innovation: a sustainable, tire-to-shoe lifecycle born out of a collaboration between Singapore-based tire designer and manufacturer Omni United and global lifestyle brand Timberland. They are the first tires ever purposely designed to be recycled into footwear outsoles after their journey on the road is complete, and were unveiled at SEMA this week. Co-branded under the Timberland and Omni United’s Radar Tires brands, the premium line of tires is made in the U.S. (with domestic and imported materials) and features a rubber formulation that is appropriate for the recycling of the tires at the end of their useful life into the outsoles of Timberland® shoes.
To bring the rubber-to-shoe continuum to life, Timberland and Omni United have established an industry-first tire return/chain of custody process, to ensure the tires go directly to dedicated North American recycling facilities to begin their path toward a second life as part of a Timberland® product.
Timberland Tires will have three distinct product lines. The Timberland CROSS tire (for small SUVs and crossover vehicles) will be available in April 2015 in 21 sizes, expanding to 35 sizes by September 2015. The Timberland A/T tire (for large SUVs and trucks) will be available in July 2015 in 30 sizes, and the Timberland TOUR tire (for cars) will be launched in 2016 with more than 25 sizes. This will round out the Timberland Tire portfolio, giving it 90+ sizes covering about 75 percent of the North American passenger vehicle market.
Timberland Tires will be sold initially in the United States at leading national and regional tire retailers, as well as online through a state-of-the-art e-commerce platform.