Who Owns General Tire And Where Are They Made?

Your car depends on thousands of individual parts and components to keep you moving down the road. Each of those components and pieces of hardware play a role in your vehicle’s smooth performance. However, they’re not all created equal, and some are far more essential than others. Tires, in particular, are an automotive component that you absolutely cannot go without. They’re responsible for allowing your car to maintain traction on various types of terrain, as well as helping with vehicle handling and supporting the car’s weight. 

While new tires should generally last for around 70,000 miles or three to five years, they don’t last forever, and you will have to replace them regularly. Unfortunately, buying a new set of rubber for your car can be expensive, especially if you want to purchase tires from a major brand. There are ways to reduce the amount you have to spend, though, like buying tires from a cheaper brand or from a big-name brand’s subsidiary.

If you’re planning on buying new tires soon, one of those more affordable names that you may want to investigate is General Tire. General Tire has been around since the early 1900s, when it was founded by William O’Neil and Winfred Fouse in Akron, Ohio. In the century since the company’s founding, it has expanded and become a respected name in the industry. Today, General Tire is owned by Continental AG, a German tire manufacturer and one of the top names in the tire industry. As a subsidiary of Continental Tires, General Tire offers relatively high-quality products at lower prices, and it could be a solid brand for you and your needs. If you’re interested in learning more about General Tire, including where its products are made, stick around. Here’s the scoop.

General Tire has a long history of manufacturing in the United States, which included locations in Kentucky, Texas, Ohio, Illinois, and New York. The company still builds some of its tires within U.S. borders today. However, as a subsidiary of Continental AG and an international name, General Tire also builds many of its tires outside of the United States. According to one of General Tire’s official sites, the company still manufactures around 3 million tires per year at the Mt. Vernon, Illinois, plant, but goes on to state that the bulk of its products are built in Europe. General Tire does not provide much more official information about its manufacturing centers or their locations. 

However, some buyers report having purchased General Tire tires with sidewalls indicating that they were built in Brazil. That said, as a subsidiary of Continental AG, it may be safe to assume that some of General Tire’s products are manufactured in Continental facilities, depending on the market and region. Continental maintains manufacturing centers in the United States, including Mt. Vernon, Illinois, as well as in Mexico, Brazil, Ecuador, and across Europe and Asia.