In India, the production of Michelin passenger car tires has started
Michelin has introduced the first passenger car tires manufactured at the company's plant in Chennai (Tamil Nadu, India). The production of tires for the local market is scheduled for the first half of 2026, and the first tires to be produced at the facility will be the Michelin Primacy 5, which will later be joined by models such as Michelin LTX Trail ST, Pilot Sport 4 SUV, and Pilot Sport 5. The tires will be available in sizes with diameters from 16 to 22 inches.
The launch of the new production is related to the growing demand for premium-class tires in the country, including large-diameter tires and those designed for crossovers, which accounted for 50% of new passenger car sales last year.
Michelin notes that the demand for premium tires is driven by the growth of population income and the improvement of road infrastructure, which leads to Indians being willing to buy more expensive cars with a high level of technology and comfort, and this is also reflected in the tire market.
Initially, the project was planned to invest $63 million, but it was decided to increase the investment by $11 million. The Chennai plant, which opened in 2014, also produces tires for trucks and buses and cooperates with local automakers such as Tata Motors and Ashok Leyland. In total, Michelin has invested $315 million in the Indian plant.
The new production is considered one of the most highly automated in the Indian tire industry, and only 200 employees are employed, which is 2.5 times less than the industry average. The project was implemented in record time, and it took only 12 months from the announcement of its launch to the start of production. In addition, the workers underwent a total of 50,000 hours of training at Michelin's foreign plants.
"Currently, around 10-12 million tires with a diameter of 16 inches are sold in the country per year, and we forecast that in the next three to five years, sales volumes will approach 17-18 million units, which is a significant growth for this segment, which we will focus on," said Shantanu Deshpande, Managing Director of Michelin India.
Michelin also has a research center in India, which was opened in 2014 and is located in Pune, and is engaged in developments in the field of artificial intelligence and other digital technologies.
Photo: indiatoday.in