Dubbed “Aspire,” the new tyre was unveiled by Dilip Chhabria of DC Design and Onkar Kanwar, chairman and managing director, Apollo Tyres Ltd. at the Autocar Performance in Mumbai.
This latest offering from the Apollo stable comes close on the heels of the launch of the V-speed rated Apollo Acelere Sportz earlier this week. Meant for sporty car lovers, currently the 17-inch Aspire can be shod on the Mercedes E and C Class, Audi A6 and A4, Toyota Camry, Skoda Superb, Laura and Octavia and the Honda Accord. More sizes are going to be added in the coming months.
The last time a car has been especially created to compliment a tyre was in 2004 when Maybach produced a one-off Maybach coupe for Fulda’s Excelero brand. Speaking at an informal press meet, Kanwar, CMD, Apollo Tyres, said: “This one is for the real car enthusiasts. They are going to truly enjoy the performance of Aspire. My thanks to Chhabria for paying us such a huge compliment with his own rendition of a car called Aspire. Even though the Aspire’s primary market will be the European automobile lovers, we hope discerning buyers looking for a performance product in India will enjoy the Aspire.”
Marketed through selected high-end tyre dealers across the country, the Aspire will be delivered only against customer bookings. This marketing strategy is another first in the Indian tyre industry. Only those dealerships capable of providing the highest levels of after-sales service will be hand-picked in India. Production of the Aspire will commence soon at Apollo’s Limda plant in Gujarat, with Europe and Southeast Asia as the key export markets. Deliveries against bookings in India will commence from January 2007.
According to the company, a 100% silica compound has been used for the Aspire, making it ecologically friendly and high on fuel efficiency with low rolling resistance. The directional tread pattern of the tyre allows rapid water drainage, contributes to directional stability, low noise levels and has a quick steering response. The low aspect ratio of the sidewalls increases handling and cornering.
“This tyre is at its best on wet conditions, with excellent braking, traction and handling. Like the Apollo Acelere Sportz, the Aspire too has been tested extensively at the ATP proving grounds in Papenburg (a DaimlerChrysler test facility), where it has outperformed chosen benchmark in wet conditions,” an official statement on the launch read.
