Hankook Tire Co., South Korea’s leading tire maker, said Thursday one of its products won a prestigious international design award in Germany.

It said the Kinergy 4S was tapped by experts at the International Forum Design Award (iF) for incorporating groove and block features that are asymmetrical and yet handle all weather conditions effectively.

The overall design and the use of the chemical compound silica in the materials prevents the tires from losing traction over wet roads as well as snow- and ice-covered surfaces. It has been tested and proven to have a better handling performance and a 10 percent better stopping distance in snowy conditions than other tires, Hankook said.

The company’s “eMembrane” tire won the Reddot Design Award in 2013, while its “Winter i-cept Evo” secured the U.S. Good Design Award the year before.

The iF, Reddot and Good Design are considered the top three design excellence awards.

Hankook, ranked among the top 10 tire makers in the world, announced last year that it will be supplying premium tires for Mercedes-Benz’s S-Class series of vehicles. (Yonhap)