Apollo Launches Winter Tyre Range

India’s Auto Expo 2008 motor show in New Delhi has been the venue for another first from Apollo Tyres – the company’s chairman and managing director, Onkar S Kanwar, unveiled Apollo Tyres’ – and India’s – first winter tyre ranges. Called the Acelere Ice and Hawkz Ice, the new tyres will be produced in sizes to fit passenger cars and 4x4s.

The Ice range of winter tyres have been designed for European and North American markets, and utilise the compounds (100 per cent silica), siping and tread patterns traditionally associated with this market segment. Apollo reports that both the Acelere Ice and the Hawkz Ice underwent extensive testing at the Ivalo Test Track in Finland prior to their unveiling, and will become available for purchase in the autumn of 2008.

Apollo’s interest in winter tyres is understandable when considering that in Europe, the world’s largest winter tyre market, winter tyres now account for about 25 per cent of the replacement market, and the segment is experiencing a growth rate of about 4 per cent, more than double the overall growth rate.