Apollo Tyres Ltd has announced plans to open a new outdoor tyre testing facility in Ivalo, Finland, focused on winter and all-season tyre evaluation. The facility, expected to be operational by December 2025, is being developed in collaboration with UTAC, a global provider of automotive testing and certification services.
Located within UTAC’s proving grounds, the site will feature specialized infrastructure and dedicated test tracks designed for real-world winter and all-season conditions. The facility aims to support the development and validation of tyres under a range of challenging weather scenarios, with a focus on performance in snow and ice.
According to the company, the investment is intended to improve testing efficiency, enhance product development timelines, and provide greater control over testing schedules. Daniele Lorenzetti, Chief Technology Officer at Apollo Tyres Ltd, stated that the dedicated facility will allow the company to streamline its testing processes, reduce dependencies on shared resources, and accelerate innovation for both the Apollo and Vredestein brands.
The facility is being built to comply with current and anticipated regulatory and technical standards for winter and all-season tyres. It will also allow for extended testing periods, helping to shorten development cycles and support faster time-to-market for new products.
By centralizing key testing operations in a controlled, purpose-built environment, Apollo Tyres aims to improve the consistency, accuracy, and repeatability of test results. The move reflects a broader industry trend toward greater in-house control over performance validation processes, particularly amid evolving regulatory requirements and changing climate conditions.
Once operational, the Ivalo facility will support ongoing and future tyre development programs for the company’s global product lines.