Judging by the work my mate does the tyre companies are very keen to help the manufacturers develop the tyres. I’m guessing if you’re the OEM supplier for say the new 3 series that’s an awful lot of business coming your way.
That’s always been my understanding - the money is in the licensing/supply of new tyres to the manufacturers. I’m still not seeing where the manufacturers get a return on investing millions into the same process, but I guess it’s all part of R&D of any new model they produce.