VISHAKAPATANAM: Japanese Yokohama tyre major on Wednesday said it was targeting higher double-digit growth in passenger car tyres on the back of growing SUVs and sedans in the world’s third largest car market valued at over Rs 22 lakh crore.
“Last year, our car tyre sales grew over 10 per cent and with steady demand rising for our tyres, we are targeting over 15 per cent growth over the next two years,” Nitin Mantri, Member of the Board and Senior Managing Officer and Co-COO of Yokohama Rubber Co., and Chairman of Yokohama India told FC.
He said India is the 4th biggest market for Yokohama after Japan, the US and China.
“Our continued investments in manufacturing, technology and premium product development reflect our confidence in the country’s long-term growth,” Mantri said.
India continues to be one of Yokohama’s most strategic markets globally, he noted.
“Our continued investments in manufacturing, technology and premium product development reflect our confidence in the country’s long-term growth,” Mantri said.
The company has invested over Rs 1,500 crore in its car tyre business at its two plants at Bahadurgad, Haryana and Vishakapatanam in Andra Pradesh.
“We will scale up production capacity of passenger car tyres to 6.3 million units annually over the next two years from the current 4.5 million units,” Mantri said, adding the incremental volume was being driven by rising demand for its tyres in the replacement tyre market in India.
Yokohama India on Wednesday introduced the new Geolander X-CV tyre range for crossover and premium SUVs, bringing a product originally developed for luxury SUVs to 16-inch wheel sizes for the first time.
The company plans to offer the tyre in 32 sizes across 16- to 20-inch wheels, making it its widest dedicated range for crossover and premium SUVs in India. Of these, 17 sizes are currently available, while the remaining 15 will be introduced over the next two to three months.
The range is aimed at vehicles spanning compact SUVs and electric SUVs such as the Maruti Suzuki Brezza, Kia Sonet, Tata Nexon EV and Harrier EV, to larger models such as the Mahindra XUV700 and Kia Seltos.
Yokohama also targets premium SUVs including the BMW X5, Porsche Cayenne, Volvo XC90, Mercedes-Benz GLS, Audi Q7 and Range Rover models.
The company’s new tyre range comes as SUVs and utility vehicles take a larger share of India’s passenger vehicle market, creating demand for larger and more premium tyres.
As per the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers, utility vehicles accounted for about 68 per cent of domestic passenger vehicle sales in the April-June 2026 quarter, up from 66 per cent a year earlier. UV volumes increased 28.6 per cent year-on-year during the quarter.
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