Giti says its new Chester plant will provide tires for 2019 VW Passats

Giti tires made at the company’s new Chester County plant will be original equipment on the 2019 Volkswagen Passat, Giti announced Friday morning.

The company said two sizes of its All-Season Giti Comfort will be on the new Passats. A news release from Giti said the tires mark the first original equipment placements for Giti brand tires manufactured at the company’s Chester County plant, which is expected to begin production later this year.

A Giti Tire brand has also been sourced as original equipment on the 2018 Volkswagen Atlas, the German automaker’s all-new full-size sport utility vehicle, according to the news release. The Atlas, which will be produced at VW’s Chattanooga plant, has three rows and seats up to seven people.

“One of our stated goals when we announced the Chester County plant was to become a valued original equipment supplier in North America,” John Aben, a senior vice president with Giti, said in the news release. “Today’s announcement is an important step in that direction.

The tire company’s 1.8-million-square-foot plant near I-77 and S.C. 9 will produce five million tires annually for the replacement and original equipment tire markets when at full capacity.

This story was originally published June 16, 2017 at 9:09 AM with the headline "Giti says its new Chester plant will provide tires for 2019 VW Passats."