Metro Tyres eyes slice of motorcycle radial market in India

India’s booming two-wheeler market is drawing a number of tyre manufacturers keen to ride the wave of growth. Today Metro Tyres announced its expansion into the motorcycle radial tyre market.

The company says its new range of tyres has been designed and developed at its state-of-the-art R&D facility in Punjab. It is investing Rs 300 crore in an upgrade programme, capacity expansion and the inclusion of futuristic R&D facilities.

The company has collaborated with Continental of Germany for  technology transfer to produce tyres of global quality standards. The tyres for the domestic market will have a localisation content of 90 percent and will cater to motorcycles ranging from the entry-level 150cc segment and midsized 200-250cc bikes through to high-capacity sports bikes.

According to the company, its motorcycle radials come with an extra flexible sidewall and have higher tread rigidity, leading to a cushioned ride and an increased mileage. The stiffer tread lowers the tyre rolling resistance and thus provides higher vehicle fuel efficiency. The flatter tread radius also helps provide a larger ground contact area, better stability and extra safety at higher speeds.

Unveiling the new radial range today in Chennai, Rummy Chhabra, managing director, Metro Tyres, said: “With this foray, we aim to create an offering which would allow the evolving Indian customer to have an exemplary riding experience on challenging Indian roads and under extreme weather conditions. With our technological partnership with Continental, Germany, we are confident of introducing a product which will revolutionise the existing motorcycle radial tyre market in India. This launch further fortifies our position in the ever-growing two-wheeler segment and makes us a full-range player. We have an aspiration of gaining a 10 percent market share of the two-wheeler tyre segment with this investment.”

“The two-wheeler industry in India is growing at a CAGR of 8.5 percent and as per estimates the country has over 120 million two-wheelers currently. India, which is the world’s largest two-wheeler market, offers a massive playing field for manufacturers like us. With the kind of quality and technology we offer, we are well poised to grow and become a market leader in the two-wheeler radial tyres segment,” added Chhabra.