KOCHI, India—Catering to the growing demand for the pickup trucks in India, Apollo Tyres has introduced a new brand of tires for the light truck segment.
Developed at the company's research and development center in Chennai, India, the EnduMaxx LT tire design takes the country's terrain into consideration, Apollo said, noting that the tires also demonstrate durability through treadwear and fuel efficiency.
In developing the new tires, Apollo said it adopted a 360-degree approach, covering various aspects of tire construction, design, process and compound. For instance, the EnduMaxx LT features a new tread cap compound for improved mileage, cut and chip resistance, and cooler running. It's a tension-optimized contour ply and robust belt package work to increase uptime and reduce heat build-up, the tire maker said.
"A cross-functional team from R&D, manufacturing, service, business quality and marketing identified the gaps…which helped in developing the new product to suit the Indian market," Satish Sharma, Apollo Tyres Ltd.'s president for the Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa region, said in a statement.
The new tires are set for production at the company's plant in Vadodara, which has the capacity to produce 80,000 units per month.
Apollo estimates that the Indian market for light truck radial category has a potential of 1.12 million units per month, growing at a "much faster pace than any other segment." It noted that the country's light truck market grew by 20 percent last year, due to the vehicles' operational economics and uptick in rural demand.