Persistent increases in the costs of raw material and transportation have caused Yokohama Tire Corporation to adjust prices to coincide with market changes, effective May 1.

"We are doing our best to limit these price increases, but raw material, manufacturing and transportation costs continue to escalate," said Dan King, director of sales, consumer products for Yokohama Tire Corporation. "The increase of up to seven percent in the prices for consumer tires is necessary to offset those costs." In-line adjustments, which will be announced at a later date, are additionally slated.

Yokohama’s Off-The-Road (OTR) division will be implementing a price increase as well. "There will be a three to five percent increase on select off-the-road tires" said Gary Nash, Yokohama director of OTR tire sales. "Affected will be all large bias (OTL), large radial (ORL) and large bias (OTX) tire sizes."

"We are seeing steady rises in costs," said Jim MacMaster, Yokohama executive vice president, business division, "but Yokohama is committed to integrating operational efficiencies and technology to bring the best products to the market at competitive prices."

Servicing a network of more than 4,500 points of sale in the U.S., Yokohama Tire Corporation offers a complete line of tires, including high-performance, light truck, passenger car, commercial truck and bus, as well as off-the-road mining and construction applications. For more information on Yokohama’s extensive product line, visit www.yokohamatire.com.

Yokohama is a strong supporter of the tire care and safety guidelines established by the Rubber Manufacturers Association and the National Highway Transportation and Safety Administration. Details can be found at the "Taking Care of Your Tires" section at www.yokohamatire.com.