Bridgestone India introduces Sturdo tyres for aftermarket, gears up to roll out EV-specific products

Bridgestone India, a wholly owned subsidiary of Bridgestone Corporation, Japan, rolled out its Sturdo range of tyres for the small car, sedan and compact utility vehicle segments in the domestic automotive aftermarket. The tyre maker revealed that Sturdo-branded tyres, which replace its B290 range, will be available in 27 sizes ranging from 12 to 16 inches with multiple variants and will be catering to both personal and shared mobility segments.

While unveiling the products, Parag Satpute, managing director, Bridgestone India, said, “At present, the size of the automotive tyre aftermarket stands at 2 million units per annum and we have a 20 percent share in that space. With the launch of this product, we are confident of enhancing our share further.” Asked about export plans, he said, “We develop products keeping local conditions in mind and hence it will only be catering to the domestic market.”

Bridgestone India claimed that the new Sturdo range of tyres, with a special tread compound, has up to 29 percent longer life and would improve ride quality on uneven roads. Having large centre-blocks with 3D tread grooves, the tyre delivers great grip for better safety, even on the wettest roads, as per the company's claims.

Bridgestone India is also gearing up to roll out electric vehicle (EV)-specific tyres in the next 12-18 months. Currently under development at its R&D centre in Rome, the range will cater to both the OEM (original equipment manufacturer) and aftermarket verticals and will be priced in the range of Rs 3,000 to Rs 50,000, depending on the segment.

“Being a global tyre-making firm, we have been catering to EV markets in the US, Europe and Japan. As EVs are gaining traction in India, we are well geared to serve this market here too. We have already been in active discussions with the top five carmakers in their EV projects and will start supplying them once they start building their e-cars,” Satpute told Moneycontrol, adding, “Electric buses is another sub-segment we would explore with our tubeless radials.”

Meanwhile, the Indian arm of Japanese tyre giant anticipates robust growth over next two years with demand from both the aftermarket and OEMs remaining buoyant in the domestic market.

Having already invested Rs 2,000 crore capex  on on expanding production capacity and upgrading technology across its both its facilities at  Indore in Madhya Pradesh and Pune in Maharashtra, Bridgestone India is currently running a total installed capacity of 30,000 units per day . The company is now firming up plans to recalibrate its manufacturing lines to churn out EV-specific tyres but is yet to finalize the investment outlay.