Now, Yokohama launches a 'made-for-India' tyre

Japanese tyre giant Yokohama is all set to increase its foothold in the Indian tyre market with the launch of the all-new Earth-1 series of tyres, designed for Indian conditions. The company is also readying its first manufacturing plant in the country to cater to the growing demand of the Indian tyre market.

The Earth-1 tyre is available across Yokohama dealerships nationwide and currently will be available in three rim sizes, namely 13-, 14-, and 15-inch, with each size having three profiles.

Currently, the tyres will be imported from the Philippines. However, the Yokohama tyre factory being built on a 25-acre plot in Bahadurgarh, Haryana, is set to commence production by July 2014 and will roll out the Earth-1 tyres in a total of 25 different variants, across the three rim sizes.

The factory is expected to have an initial capacity of 2,000 tyres per day. However, once Phase-I of the plant runs at full capacity, it would produce 7 lakh tyres annually.

The Earth-1 boasts a precision-based tread design which involves a groove-in-groove design to limit stress and uneven tyre wear, arrow grooves to maximize wet-condition performance and straight grooves to control hydroplaning and further improve wet-road performance of the tyre.

A total of ¥4.4 billion (`275.4 crore) has been invested in Phase-I of the Indian manufacturing facility which will remain a wholly owned subsidiary of Yokohama Rubber. Apart from Earth-1, Yokohama India has plans to introduce other models made locally in the years to come.