Yokohama India to Rely on Digital-First, Hyper-Local Strategy for Growth, Says Marketing Head

Yokohama India Pvt Ltd is sharpening its focus on a digital-first and hyper-local marketing strategy to drive growth in India, deliberately avoiding high-decibel mass advertising adopted by competitors.

“We are a premium brand, and we are not competing with local players in terms of advertising. You will not see us on cricket platforms like IPL or World Cup,” said Gaurav Mahajan, Head of Marketing and OE Sales at Yokohoma India. “Our approach is to let the product speak for itself. The customer experience and journey matter more than just visibility.”

Mahajan said tyre buying is not an impulse-driven category, making traditional mass advertising less effective. Instead, Yokohama is targeting the middle-to-bottom funnel of the consumer journey, where customers actively research and compare products.

“Once the purchase trigger happens, customers search, compare, and evaluate. That’s where we come in digitally. Our strategy is hyper-local, connecting the consumer to the nearest Yokohama outlet within a 5–10 km radius,” he said.

The local arm of Japan’s Yokohama Rubber Company is also leveraging automotive enthusiasts and lifestyle communities, rather than celebrity endorsements, to build brand recall among performance-focused buyers.

Yokohama’s India portfolio is skewed towards premium and SUV segments, in line with the broader market shift taking place in the country. The company currently offers around 126 SKUs (stock keeping units) across 12–20 inch tyres, with a strong presence in higher rim sizes. Its SUV-focused range includes the Geolandar series, while passenger car offerings include BluEarth, Earth-1, and S.drive.

Mahajan said the company is seeing strong traction in larger tyres. More than 40% of the company’s sales today come from 16-inch and above tyre sizes.

Tier-2, Tier-3 expansion next focus

While Yokohama has built a strong presence in metro cities, it plans to expand its tier-2 and tier-3 retail footprint this year as it looks to strengthen its market presence in the country.

The company currently has over 3,300 touchpoints across India and plans to expand its Yokohama Club network deeper into smaller cities.

“Urban metros remain strong for us, but going forward, the focus will be on expanding into tier-2 and tier-3 markets to drive incremental growth,” Mahajan said.

He added that tyre retail remains a service-led, brick-and-mortar-driven business, with physical outlets continuing to play a critical role in customer experience.

Market share and outlook

India has emerged as a strategically important market, now ranking among Yokohama’s top five global markets by scale. In 2025, Yokohama India crossed double-digit market share in the aftermarket segment, up from low single digits a few years ago, driven by outperformance versus industry growth.

“We have outpaced the market for the last five to six years, and we aim to do so in FY27 as well,” Mahajan said. However, the company did not disclose any sales numbers.

In India, Yokohama competes with MRF Ltd, Apollo Tyres Ltd, CEAT Ltd, and JK Tyre & Industries Ltd, all of which dominate volumes across OEM and replacement segments with extensive distribution networks. In the premium and high-performance category, Yokohama competes directly with global brands such as Bridgestone and Continental AG.

Currently, Yokohama’s India business remains heavily skewed towards the replacement market, which accounts for around 95% of sales. The company is now looking to expand its OEM presence—currently in single digits—with a medium-term target of about 15%. It supplies to Maruti Suzuki India and is targeting deeper engagement with other automakers.

Yokohama has steadily expanded its manufacturing footprint in India over the years to support demand. Its passenger car radial (PCR) capacity has grown from 0.7 million tyres in 2014 to about 4.5 million tyres currently, with facilities in Bahadurgarh, Haryana, and Vizag, Andhra Pradesh. The company is now capable of producing tyres up to 24 inches, aligning with premiumisation trends.

The dual-plant setup provides geographic diversification and supports both domestic and export demand. In 2025, the company also started supplying to SAARC and African markets. Currently, exports contribute a single-digit share of its revenue.