Much like Michelin’s plan, Goodyear will offer Chinese tire buyers a two-year package that includes 24-hour roadside assistance, flat tire repair, towing and other services.
The newspaper said that Goodyear’s program may “signal the start of fierce competition in the replacement market at a time when millions of Chinese auto owners may be getting ready to retire their original treads.”
Analysts say that the replacement tire market China will take off this year as a result of an auto-buying fever that occurred in 2003. Some two million passenger cars were sold, an increase of 75% from a year earlier, and many will be needing new tires.
