Sales up 5.9% to €14.1 billion, lifted by dynamic pricing and fast-growing non-tire sales:
- Tire markets flat in PC and declining in Truck, supported by OE but dampened by sustained destocking by distribution and B2B fleets
- Tire sales volumes down 3.7%, reflecting market trends and the Group’s priority on value-accretive segments
- Price-mix effect reached 9.4%, attesting to the value of our offering and the net positive mix despite adverse OE/RT sales development
- Non-tire sales grew by 17% at constant exchange rates, sustainably fueling the Group’s growth
- Currency effect turned negative at -1.0%, due to the depreciation of most currencies against the euro
Segment operating income up 11.4% to €1.7 billion, as value management offset cost inflation and the decline in sales volumes:
- Auto and Specialties delivered higher performance
- Road transportation encountered a negative OE/RT mix and low volumes, which heavily impacted capacity utilization and fixed costs absorption
- Strong price-mix effect, led by sustained product mix enhancement, pricing policies and the lagging impact of indexation clauses
- Specialties operating margin rose to 18.3%, supported by dynamic Mining, Aircraft and High-tech materials businesses
Free cash flow before acquisitions of €922 million, driven by tight business steering:
- EBITDA reaching €2.6 billion or 18.8% of sales
- Working capital benefitted from tight inventory management and cash recovery from Q4 2022
- Positive cash generation from TBC amounting to €256 million, partly due to the proceeds from the sale of its company-owned retail network