You may not know too much about Nokian Tyres, but the Finnish manufacturer is a respected name in the winter tyre market and operates the only permanent winter tyre testing facility in the world. The company has also arguably been the most profitable tyre manufacturer in the world, in relative terms, since 2008.
Nokian have now launched a prototype snow and ice tyre that deploys the required metal studs at the driver’s touch of a button. This will allow the driver to change between non-studded and studded rubber whenever road conditions suit. If the prototype makes it into production, it could be something of a revelation for winter driving, because in some countries it is illegal to use studs as they damage the road when not used on snow or ice.
