TVS Srichakra launching radial motorcycle tyres

TVS Srichakra Limited is set to launch a radial motorcycle tyre range in April. Speaking to the local The Hindu newspaper, company director P. Vijayaraghavan said the new range would “initially cater to the needs of the expanding high-end motorcycles market”.

TVS Srichakra, part of the Chennai-based US$8 billion TVS Group, recently launched tractor rear radial tyres in Europe.

Vijayaraghavan told The Hindu that the growth rate of the lcoal two-wheeler tyres industry would gain momentum in 2016-17 though it had declined steeply in the current financial year. At present, the market size for two wheeler tyres was estimated 7.5 million units a month.

The industry recorded just 1 to 1.5 per cent growth rate during the first three quarters of the current year against a growth rate of 7.8 per cent in 2013-14 and 9.8 per cent in 2014-15. The growth rate is stated to have declined this year due to a dip in the demand for two wheelers in the rural sector.

There is also said to be steady growth of two-wheeler sales in the last two years, meaning new replacement tyre demand is on the horizon. Furthermore, Vijayaraghavan said that the need for replacement tyres was growing as average driving distances increase and with “the youth travelling a lot during weekends”.