As part of efforts to strengthen its position in the Indian tyre market, Michelin has unveiled its first made-in-India passenger car tyre today, produced at its factory in Tamil Nadu. The French tyre maker sees India as the only country with true potential for exponential growth over the next decade and plans to capitalise on the growing popularity of mid-size SUVs and premium vehicles. The made-in-India Michelin car tyres are meant for premium cars, including SUVs, and will be available for sale in the first half of 2026.
- Sizes of made in India Michelin tyres range from 16 to 22 inches
- Made in India tyres include Michelin’s Pilot Sport 5 and Primacy 5
Made in India Michelin car tyres details
Compact SUVs like the Hyundai Venue, Kia Sonet and Tata Nexon could use the 16-inch tyres
Michelin says that the made-in-India car tyres cater to premium segments and larger cars, which is why tyre sizes range from 16 inches to 22 inches. For reference, many compact SUVs like the Hyundai Venue, Kia Sonet and Tata Nexon have 16-inch alloys wheels, while luxury SUVs like the Mercedes-AMG G 63 use 22-inchers.
From among its portfolio of tyres, Michelin is producing the LTX Trail ST, Pilot Sport 4 SUV, Pilot Sport 5 and Primacy 5 tyres at its Chennai plant.
“With better roads, distances have shortened and expectations of performance and safety heightened. For Michelin, the focus area is SUVs and big cars with tyres above 16 inches, and the brand is very excited about the prospect of offering high-quality Made-in-India Michelin tyres,” said Michelin India managing director Shantanu Deshpande.
Michelin India expansion plans
There are currently 75 Michelin sales and service points in India
The tyre maker says it has been expanding its presence in our country, and currently, it has 75 sales and service touchpoints. Last year, Michelin launched its first Experience Store in Nashik, Maharashtra, marking a milestone for the brand.
Michelin has been manufacturing tyres for trucks and buses from the Tamil Nadu plant for over a decade now. Last year in September, Michelin had announced an investment of Rs 564 crore to expand its manufacturing capacity at its Tamil Nadu plant, beyond truck and bus tyres to passenger vehicle tyres.
Now, the company has made an additional investment of over Rs 100 crores for the expansion, bringing the total investment for passenger car tyre capacity to Rs 686 crore. The plant now has a total tyre manufacturing capacity of 54,000 tonnes.
Michelin says that the 22,000 sq. m facility has zero-carbon footprint, zero liquid discharge, 100 percent recycling, 80 percent water usage through rainwater harvesting, and nearly 45 percent usage of renewable energy.
Apart from the production facility in Chennai, Michelin also has a global Research & Development and Digital and IT Centre in Pune. The company’s management said India is becoming a key growth market for them.
“If you look into the geography where Michelin is operating, I would say that the only country where there's true potential for exponential growth in the next 10 years is India. Eventually, at some point, maybe 10-15 years down the road, we could see some similar trends in Africa, but it is still, you know, at least 10, 15 years out,” said Vitor Silva, president for Michelin’s Africa, India and Middle East business.
Michelin expects its tyres with durability, safety, and comfort features could be relevant and could see good demand with the improvement of road infrastructure in India, where average speeds are increasing.
With inputs by Kiran Murali
Hormazd Sorabjee
Sahil Kukreja
