Vredestein to launch Ultrac Pro UHP car tyre in spring 2024

Apollo Tyres will launch Vredestein’s new Ultrac Pro ultra-high performance summer car tyre in spring 2024. The manufacturer said the tyre will target both “advanced handling capabilities and superior driving comfort” at what it calls an “accessible price”. The development tyre is currently in its final phase of real-world testing. The manufacturer will bring the tyre to market in a wide range of 18-24” sizes, compatible with a broad spectrum of sportscars, supercars and high-performance saloons, hatchbacks and SUVs. The Ultrac Pro is Vredestein’s first all-new UHP summer tyre since the Ultrac Vorti in 2012.

While Vredestein has optimised the Ultrac Vorti over the past decade “to maintain its competitiveness”, the all-new Ultrac Pro will feature new structure, tread design and materials. The manufacturer says it “represents a significant step forward from the current Ultrac Vorti+ family of tyres.” The tyre benefits from considerable recent R&D and manufacturing investments by Apollo Tyres. The manufacturer recently rolled out an in-house, state-of-the-art virtual prototyping and simulation platform.

The Vredestein Ultrac Pro launch will also mark 25 years of collaboration with design and engineering firm Italdesign/Giugiaro, which is responsible for the new tyre’s sidewall design. Apollo says it will create “the industry’s first truly asymmetric look”, which it says will help the tyre’s distinctive aesthetic to stand out amidst an “intensely competitive segment.”

Benoit Rivallant, president and CEO of Apollo Tyres Europe said: “Vredestein is particularly well known in the all-season tyre segment, but the summer and high-performance categories are increasingly important for us – both commercially and in terms of our market penetration across Europe. Developing performance-focused all-season products, including Europe’s first all-season EV tyre, is helping us set new standards in the summer tyre category. Across key performance criteria that matter most to customers, the Ultrac Pro will redefine expectations in the category.”

Further details, including the tyre’s size range and testing data, will be made available at the tyre’s launch.