Abhiroop Das
Created by Steve Gerben, Shane Gillis, and John McKeever, Netflix’s ‘Tires‘ steps into its third season with Valley Forge Auto being hit with a fresh stream of challenges. Despite having stabilized a bit, they are still met with heavy competition at every corner, and it prompts Shane and Will to experiment. Enter TakaTaka Tires, a Korean company looking for an entry in the American market, and it is the talk of the town. After Dave manages to befriend a core TakaTaka executive in a strip club, Valley Forge Auto joins the race to become the company’s biggest, and hopefully, only client on the continent. However, before that deal can be made, Shane and company themselves have to make sure that they are making the right decision, and for better or worse, TakaTaka seems to have a knack for being hilariously unpredictable.
TakaTaka is a Fictional Company That Allies With Valley Forge Auto
TakaTaka Tires is a fictional company based in Korea, created from scratch by the writing team of ‘Tires.’ Given that pretty much every company in this world is invented in nature, it makes sense for TakaTaka to join the ranks, given how important it is to the plot. After initially being dismissed by just about every character other than Dave, the tire company soon proves itself to be arguably the best in the business, providing Shane and Will with an opportunity like never before. While South Korea is home to a number of tire companies with an international appeal, it’s unlikely that any of them serve as direct inspiration for TakaTaka, given that its whole premise is that of being an underdog.
TakaTaka is a unique name for a tire company, and doesn’t seem to have many real-life antecedents across the globe. This is likely an intentional decision on the creators’ part, as a lot of TakaTaka’s role is centered around their eccentric and campy ad campaign. It includes homage to Japanese and Korean action films, with a theatrical flair that is wholly original to ‘Tires.’ Hence, it is likely that the company was invented by the writing team mainly for plot progression, and not as a reference to any real-life tire company. While it is likely that extensive research was done into the Korean tire industry to give TakaTaka a sense of realism, there is no indication of any one outfit being the source of inspiration.
Perhaps the most interesting detail about TakaTaka Tires is that actor, comedian, and podcaster Bobby Lee plays the role of Ricky, the executive whose goal is to bring the company to America. Bobby had previously turned down the role by stating that he didn’t want to do an Asian accent on screen. However, when Shane later clarified that Bobby’s role is that of an interpreter of sorts for an Asian tire company, the collaboration resumed, and that is how we get to TakaTaka in season 3. Bobby and Shane have been long-time collaborators, since the ‘Bad Friends’ podcast, and with this development role in ‘Tires,’ fans can expect to see the actor, and by extension, TakaTaka Tires, more often going forward.
Read More: Tires Season 3 Ending Explained: Will Shane and Lucy End up Together?
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