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French tyre major Michelin is looking to have a bigger play in the Indian two-wheeler market for which it is expanding its product portfolio.
The company, which on Wednesday launched two series of radial tyres meant for medium and superbikes in India, is also looking to tap the lower end of the motorcycle market in India with bias tyres.
“There is a gradual but sure shift in the usage of bikes from utilitarian to leisure and recreation in India...This segment is only going to increase, with industry analysts pegging the annual growth at 25 per cent,” Michelin India Commercial Director Pradeep Thampy told reporters here.
The two new series of radial tyres - Michelin Pilot Street Radial and Michelin Pilot Road 2 - are targeted at 250 cc-500 cc bikes and 500 cc bikes and above, respectively. They are imported from Thailand. “We would like to be the pioneers in this category,” Thampy said.
When asked if the company is also targeting other segments of the market, he said: “The Indian motorcycle market is the fastest growing in the world, clocking consistently over a million units a month. There is a huge potential and we have bias tyres of different sizes to cater to the 150 cc and below range of motorcycles in India.”
Michelin currently sells a range of tyres catering to trucks, buses, passenger cars and two-wheelers in the country. The company is setting up a plant in Chennai to produce radial truck and bus tyres.
The Michelin Pilot Road 2 tyres, which are priced between Rs 8,772 and Rs 12,808, can be used as a fitment for various motorcycles including Ducati Monster, Honda CBR 1000 R and Triumph Speed Triple.
On the other hand, Michelin Pilot Street Radial can be used by Kawasaki Ninja 250, Honda CBR 250 and Honda CBR 300R. The tyres are priced between Rs 4,502 and Rs 5,927.
Headquartered in France, Michelin is present in more than 170 countries and has 69 production facilities. It employs more than one lakh people.
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