TBR imports into India soar to meet rising demand

India’s Automotive Tyre Manufacturers Association reports that imports of truck and bus radials into the country increased 57 per cent year-on-year to 280,000 units in April and May 2016. The 150,000 tyres imported in May alone accounted for almost 40 per cent of India’s replacement market demand, according to association figures.

The majority of truck and bus radial imports into India arrive from China, and local manufacturers accuse Chinese tyre makers of dumping their products in the Indian market ATMA claims that the per unit price of these products is sometimes lower than the cost of their component raw materials in India. During the previous financial year, Chinese products accounted for 90 per cent of all truck and bus radial imports, as opposed to 70 per cent in the prior year and 40 per cent in the year before that.