Japanese tyre major Yokohama said it was targeting double-digit growth in passenger car radial tyres on the back of growing demand for SUVs in the Indian market. It is also planning to increase production from 4.5 million units to 6.3 million units in two to three years, a top executive said.

“We plan to 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,” Nitin Mantri, Member of the Board and Senior Managing Officer and Co-COO of Yokohama Rubber Co., and Chairman of Yokohama India.

The incremental volume was being driven by rising demand for its tyres in the replacement tyre market in India, he added. 

He said India is the 4th biggest market for Yokohama after Japan, the U.S. and China.

“Our continued investments in manufacturing, technology and premium product development reflect our confidence in the country’s long-term growth,” Mr. Mantri said. 

The company runs two car tyre plants at at Bahadurgad, Haryana and Vishakapatanam in Andra Pradesh.

Yokohama India on Wednesday introduced the new Geolander X-CV tyre range for crossover and premium SUVs.

The company plans to offer the tyres in 32 sizes across 16- to 20-inches, dedicated 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, Harrier EV, Mahindra XUV700 and Kia Seltos.