WTD launches American Road Star brand, upgrades Arroyo, Zestino brands

LAS VEGAS—Wholesale Tire Distributors (WTD) has created a new brand, American Road Star, that will complement its existing Arroyo and Zestino brands in a multi-pronged approach to the U.S. market.

The launch of the American Road Star brand coincides with WTD's opening a 100,000-sq.-ft. distribution center in Latrobe, Pa., to solidify and expand its market coverage along the eastern Seaboard.

The American Road Star brand launches as a full-line product, WTD said, covering passenger, light truck and medium truck tires. WTD has secured production for the new brand in Thailand, the company said.

The American Road Star passenger tire line includes the RoadStar HP A/S, an all-season ultra-high performance (UHP) tire covering rim diameters of 19 to 26 inches; Road Star Sport A/S, an all-season UHP line in sizes covering 14- to 22-inch rim diameters; and Road Star Pro A/S, an all-season touring tire, in sizes covering 14- to 18-inch rim diameters.

For light trucks and SUVs, the new line includes the Road Star H/T, A/T, M/T and R/T iterations, while the medium truck tire offering includes the AR 1000 and AR 1100 steer/all-position tires and the AR 2000 and AR 2200 regional drive applications.

The brand is available in factory-direct, containerload shipments, the wholesale distributor said. WTD is offering limited treadwear warranties on the passenger and some light truck tire offerings of 40,000 to 50,000 miles.

WTD also has extended its Arroyo and Zestino proprietary brands, with a range of Arroyo radial truck/bus tires and an ultra-high-performance line under the Zestino brand, the Acrova, which will be marketed as a DOT-marked tire for grassroots drifting competitions.

WTD also distributes the Iris brand, the flag brand of Iris Tyres, a manufacturer based in Setif, Algeria, owned by Algerian consumer electronics and household appliances group Saterex-Iris E.u.r.l.

The distributor also debuted the Lock brand of custom wheels, designed predominantly for the off-roading sector. The Lock brand is available in a number of designs, most in matte black, bronze or gun-metal finishes and in sizes up to 20 inches in rim diameter.