Inside 'The Nexen University,' the tire maker's Magok R&D hub

'Simulator evaluates even the feel of a tire'

Development time cut by up to 50%; OE competitiveness boosted

Noise, wear and EV energy efficiency all verified in the lab

The high-dynamic driving simulator installed at Nexen Tire's central research center, "The Nexen University," in Magok-dong, Gangseo-gu, Seoul, on May 29. Nexen Tire uses the equipment to evaluate vehicle dynamics and tire performance in a virtual environment. [Nexen Tire]
The high-dynamic driving simulator installed at Nexen Tire's central research center, "The Nexen University," in Magok-dong, Gangseo-gu, Seoul, on May 29. Nexen Tire uses the equipment to evaluate vehicle dynamics and tire performance in a virtual environment. [Nexen Tire]

Nexen Tire is pushing AI and virtual driving simulation to the forefront of its research operations as it seeks a quantum leap in the global tire market. The strategy marks a fundamental shift toward digital-centered R&D — the company's chosen path to overcoming the disadvantages of a late mover in an industry long defined by heavy capital and physical scale.

"The Nexen University," the company's central research center in Magok, Seoul, is the nerve center of that transformation. Opened in 2019, the facility serves as a global R&D hub overseeing Nexen Tire's technology centers in the United States, Germany and China.

The flagship installation is a high-performance driving simulator introduced in August last year. Developed in partnership with British firm Ansible Motion, it is the first high-dynamic driving simulator built by a domestic tire company. The system combines high-performance hardware and software to evaluate vehicle dynamics and tire response in real time — entirely indoors.

Vice Chairman Kang Ho-chan has led the push, committing a cumulative 40 billion won (about $26.6 million) to virtual testing equipment. Nexen Tire holds a dominant share of the South Korean market alongside Hankook Tire & Technology and Kumho Tire, but ranks outside the global top 10 by sales. Abroad, it must compete against industry leaders such as Michelin, Bridgestone and Goodyear on one side, and fast-rising Chinese and Indian challengers on the other.

Closing that scale gap quickly is not realistic, so Nexen Tire is looking for a breakthrough in development efficiency and speed. Kang is backing a strategy of applying digital technologies — AI and virtual reality among them — across the entire R&D process to shorten development timelines and raise product quality. The goal is to use AI-driven performance prediction and virtual driving simulation as a springboard to the front ranks of the global industry.

The simulator places a real vehicle cabin in front of a curved screen five meters tall, made up of 432 LED panels. Rails and electric motors beneath the floor reproduce the physical sensations of acceleration, braking and lane changes.

The test vehicle was an eighth-generation Volkswagen Golf fitted with an OE tire model supplied by Nexen Tire. Changing lanes on a virtual road surface 10 kilometers long, the cabin shifted perceptibly from side to side. Distinguishing fine differences between tire specifications was difficult for a non-professional driver, but the lateral sway and cautious steering feel of a real-road lane change came through clearly enough.

The simulator's purpose is not to eliminate physical vehicle testing altogether. Rather, it screens multiple design candidates virtually in the early stages of development, reducing the number of physical prototypes and track tests required. Under the conventional approach, engineers had to build a prototype, evaluate it on a test track, revise the design and repeat the cycle to meet performance targets set by automakers.

"Computer analysis alone cannot capture the sensory experience of the driver," said Kwak Jae-ryeon, head of Nexen Tire's vehicle dynamics team. "The simulator lets an actual driver get behind the wheel of a virtual tire and feel the handling, stability and cornering response."

Nexen Tire expects the system to cut development time and cost by 30 percent in the near term and by as much as 50 percent over the longer term. With global automakers increasingly expanding their own virtual testing and development processes, simulator capability is directly tied to competitiveness in OE supply contracts.

"We believe it is no longer possible to compete by building a tire three or four times and testing it the old-fashioned way," said Kim Jong-myung, Nexen Tire's chief technology officer and executive vice president. "Finding the optimal specification combination quickly through AI and simulation, then confirming the compatibility between vehicle and tire through a driving simulator — completing that full virtual development process will be the core of future tire technology competitiveness."


kwater@heraldcorp.com