Italian tyre major Pirelli plans to scale up its presence in India as it expects demand for high performance tyres to grow in the country with road connectivity getting better and people moving to bigger cars.
In order to increase visibility, the company plans to expand its exclusive 'tyre centres' in the country.
"We expect demand for ultra high performance tyres in India to grow with better roads being built. Also with rising disposable incomes, people are moving towards bigger and powerful cars," General Manager for Pirelli Tyres in India Sanjay Mathur told PTI.
Besides, stricter safety regulations coming into play would also push for better quality tyres going ahead, he added.
"The high-end car segment is growing at around 20 per cent year-on-year and there is space. It is also expected to keep on growing," Mathur said.
In order to be future-ready, the company aims to enhance its presence in the country, he said.
"India has always been an important market for Pirelli. We plan to have around 20 tyre centres across the country by this year end to cater to our customers," Mathur said.
However, he did not disclose details about the investment plans.
The company opened its third centre in Delhi today, taking the overall number to five in the country. The other centres are located in Mysuru and Mangalore.
Pirelli Tyre Centre is a one-stop shop catering to all tyre-specific services, including sales and services.
All Pirelli centres are equipped with features such as wheel servicing equipment, computerised wheel alignment and wheel balancing, automated tyre changing, nitrogen inflation and air care.
Pirelli currently imports all its tyres from various factories across the world as it does not have manufacturing operations in India.
It produces tyres for cars, bikes, scooters and trucks, with prices ranging from around Rs 3,000 to Rs 1.5 lakh a tyre.
Headquartered in Milan, Pirelli is one of the world's largest tyre manufacturers.
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