Michelin India Technology Centre has been operating for over five years. Could you highlight how the centre has been playing its role in research and development for Michelin's domestic and international markets?

The centre has grown over the years in terms of developing competencies and delivering products and solutions to businesses in the local market, region and globally. The agility and flexibility in delivery of solutions to sustainable mobility is one of our key strengths. The product solutions that are developed in conjunction with other regional teams have the cutting edge, keeping Michelin ahead of the curve. The gender and domain diverse team at the centre has brought unique dimensions to meet customer aspirations specific to different vehicle platforms. There are forward looking concepts and products that are being developed in different life cycle stages by the team in India that have upgraded their skills due to their world class training. Our teams are also exposed to global norms and developments in mature markets, thus enabling them to bring in such perspectives while developing products in the domestic market. 

What will drive the Indian truck and bus tyre market in future?

This is very interesting and all of us have seen a reset of a new normal due to Covid-19 in ways we are conducting the different facets of our businesses. The Indian market is smart, agile and ahead in their thought process compared to some of the other markets. The digital solutions, smarts, AI and services will drive the Indian truck and bus tyre market. Customers, whether they own transportation fleets or personal vehicles, want the worry-free ‘fit and forget’ tyre solutions. At Michelin, we have many such services, charging cost per kilometre to customers, which have been deployed in mature markets as well as in India, allowing our customers to focus on other aspects of their business models or personal routines.

The other driving factor will be ‘smarts’ in the tyre industry. The embedded chips in tyres for V2X interfaces are a huge opportunity for the mobility ecosystem with a vast application playfield that includes monitoring tear wear, tyre rotation periods, driver behaviour, inputs fed to active integrated suspensions for ride comfort, adjusting speed depending on terrain for safety and ergonomics of driver comfort as well as cargo movement.

Advanced materials will change the game with growing percentages of recycled rubber in tyre design and manufacturing. These will be an enabler in reducing carbon footprint of a vehicle and the holistic ecosystem including tyre dust. Faster curing materials, self-sealing tyres are around the corner in India. There are pilots and that will be the real ‘aah-ha’ moment for the industry and consumers. 

The centre also has a material testing lab. Sustainable raw materials are growing focus of tyre companies. What are the activities of the centre in the material testing space?

Materials, we believe, will be the strategic edge of our products and solutions as mentioned earlier. The centre does leverage material testing, monitoring various aspects of product development. The automation of test data for faster evaluation and upstream design actions is an important aspect with regard to speed to market. This is something that our teams are good at creatively innovating at the centre and the lab downstream.  

How do you distinguish the product requirements for developed and developing countries?

It is not the product but the solutions and services that are adapted for different regions. This is decided based on local regulations and norms, and the ecosystem and the infrastructure available there to support it. Product development also considers the tech savviness in the totem poles of the customers. The smartness in deploying the right solutions at the right price, at the right time will continue to be a distinguishing and winning factor for us across the globe.

MITC joined hands with IIT Bombay and ARAI. According to you, how will the new mobility shape in India, and how are you preparing, through R&D work, to offer the customised products in India?

This is one amazing aspect of India that we believe can be leveraged to the advantage of the Indian ecosystem. The Indian competitiveness for delivering ‘more customer value with lesser resources’ will help Michelin progress with these engagements. We will have students exposed to mature markets, working with global academia and experienced Michelin engineers to straight-on take the lead in their careers and solution mindset. We are confident that these and such partnerships are the diving boards to our collective growth. To use the cricket analogies, we are here to play well, in both the T20 and the test matches, and we are building teams that can switch on and off the pace between such situations due to their exposure, mentoring and talent acceleration.    

Will you be open to more partnerships in India?

The power of Collective Intelligence is second to none when it comes to delivering smarts to our customers through such valuable partnerships. The centre is already working with few of the academic institutions in India and is in discussions with the right-minded players that are on the same page. We have a clear understanding of ‘where to play’ as it forms our evaluation matrix when we are exploring start-ups, incubation parks and innovation accelerators. We will continue this journey as it helps with the step-change in the Indian ecosystem on many aspects of mobility and related solutions that are beneficial to all stakeholders.

According to you, what are the more significant challenges for scientists and engineers in the tyre industry?

Challenges are to find, train and retain individuals with the right kind of skill-sets. The gestation period to train and get an engineer to deliver high quality smart solutions requires patience and commitment. The more experienced scientists and engineers are at cross roads to delegate to the pipeline of talent that graduates out of our engineering institutions in their early professional journey. The infra and technical power needs to grow in India since the AI solutions and digitalisation can be catapulted very well in an existing innovation mindset for deployment. The race to get to the senior positions without developing a depth in domains is a challenge and not sustainable for growth in the long term. Talent in AI and data analytics tied to tyre and mobility domains is growing, but this talent is enticed by other non-mobility industries, creating a churn and dampening the speed to market and ability to provide attractive solutions and products to our customers. (TT)

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Cooper Tires has unveiled the all-new Discoverer HT, a highway mixed-terrain tyre engineered for drivers who depend on their vehicles daily. Designed specifically for popular trucks and SUVs, the tyre was created to handle the tasks that let drivers take full advantage of their vehicle's potential.

The tyre features tall, straight sidewalls and an optimised footprint that places a maximum amount of tread in contact with the road, helping provide confident handling and stability even when carrying heavy loads. Engineered for long-lasting value without compromising performance, the mixed-terrain tyre carries a 70,000-mile/115,000-km limited treadwear warranty on Metric sizes and a 55,000-mile/90,000-km limited treadwear warranty on LT-Metric sizes. Its durable construction is designed to support hauling, towing and carrying heavy loads, while the optimised tread footprint and sidewall design deliver stable handling. 3D Micro-Gauge technology enhances traction throughout the tyre's life, and the long-wearing tread is designed for durability and a quiet ride even on rough and uneven surfaces.

The Discoverer HT will be available in 19 popular sizes beginning in October 2026, with an additional 16 LT sizes anticipated in the first quarter of 2027. Rim sizes range from 16 to 22 inches, and the tyre is offered at local Cooper authorised retailers and online store. It is manufactured at three US facilities: Texarkana, Arkansas; Findlay, Ohio and Tupelo, Mississippi. Cooper also introduced a refreshed brand identity signalling strength, purpose, and confidence, with branded merchandise and apparel available through a dedicated page on the Goodyear website.

Brad Heim, Vice President – Product Development Global Consumer, Goodyear, said, "The toughest jobs aren't always the biggest ones. They're the ones you show up for every day. Constructed for today's truck and SUV owners, the Cooper Discoverer HT combines everyday comfort with dependable highway performance, helping drivers stay confident whether they're pulling a trailer, carrying a heavy load, driving across town or covering hundreds of miles in a single day."

Alain Kohnen, Vice President, Global Manufacturing, said, "The Cooper Discoverer HT reflects more than a century of US manufacturing expertise behind the Cooper brand. This new tyre showcases what our teams do best: build high-quality, US-made products that deliver the durability and dependable performance drivers count on every day."

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DUNLOP (company name: Sumitomo Rubber Industries) will present its latest innovations at the Rubber & Elastomer Technical Exhibition, scheduled for 3–6 November at the Aichi International Convention & Exhibition Center (Aichi Sky Expo). The event runs concurrently with the International Rubber Conference 2026 (IRC2026 AICHI), marking the first time in a decade that the conference is held in Japan since IRC 2016 Kitakyushu.

The company’s booth (#82) will highlight efforts to generate new value in mobility, sports, healthcare and daily life through its proprietary Rubber and Analytical Technology, refined over many years. Under its Long-term Corporate Strategy R.I.S.E. 2035, the firm envisions continuing to deliver new experiential value born from rubber to everyone. The exhibition will feature latest technologies tied to further innovation originating from rubber, identified as a growth driver for that vision.

Attendees will be able to observe how the proprietary technology is being applied across the four fields. A key tyre display is the SYNCHRO WEATHER, a next-generation all-season tyre using Active Tread Technology that lets rubber properties change with road conditions. Also featured is the WINTER MAXX ICE Pro, a new studless winter tyre engineered to maximise on-ice performance through newly developed rubber compounds and a new tread pattern design, alongside a reference exhibit of sustainable tyres made with Russian dandelions as a raw material.

Additional exhibits span several categories. In sports, a reference exhibit of the SRIXON Z-STAR +e80 golf ball carries a sustainable materials content of 82 percent. Industrial products include MIRAIE, a vibration damper for detached wooden houses that reduces building vibration amplitude during earthquakes via high-damping rubber, and safe, high-quality rubber parts for medical applications developed with polymers, rubber-processing technology and clean technology. New business displays comprise reference exhibits of rubber materials for 3D printing that retain rubber’s inherent elasticity, resilience and durability, and space-grade rubber materials, showcasing R&D initiatives and prototype materials for harsh space environments.

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Michelin has introduced the Michelin X Multi Energy Z2, a new truck and bus tyre developed and tested for Indian road conditions.

The new products are manufactured at the company’s facility in Chennai, and the tyres will be available across India from 1 November 2026.

The Michelin X Multi Energy Z2 is designed for all-position fitment on commercial vehicles and incorporates the Carbion tread compound blend alongside InfiniCoil and Duracore technologies.

Testing conducted by Michelin indicates fuel savings of up to six percent in the 295/80R22.5 dimension and up to 13 percent in the 295/90R20 dimension compared to commercial competitors. The design delivers a footprint up to five percent larger to improve grip in wet and dry conditions, alongside an 11 percent increase in summit strength and up to 25 percent longer tread life.

In terms of sustainability, the tyres contain up to 30 percent recyclable materials, and the Chennai manufacturing plant operates using 45 percent renewable energy. The model will be distributed through Michelin Tyres & Service stores and 300 authorised dealerships nationwide.

Shantanu Deshpande, Managing Director, Michelin India, said, "India’s commercial vehicle sector is the backbone of the nation’s economy, and fleet owners are increasingly looking beyond the upfront cost of a tyre to its overall value throughout its life. Developed for Indian highways, the MICHELIN X Multi Energy Z2 addresses these needs by combining fuel efficiency, longer tyre life and enhanced robustness to help reduce Total Cost of Ownership (TCO). With up to 13 percent fuel savings, 25 percent higher mileage and 11 percent better ply strength enabled by our Duracore technology, it is designed to help fleet operators optimise operating costs, improve productivity and strengthen their margins. At Michelin, we are committed to being a performance partner to Indian fleet owners, bringing advanced, locally relevant mobility solutions that help make every kilometre count."

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Pirelli has chosen the softest trio in its range for the Mexico City Grand Prix, with the C3 as Hard, the C4 as Medium and the C5 as Soft. This departs from last year, when a compound step using the C2 as Hard proved less appealing than the softer alternatives. The second round of the Americas triple-header takes place at the circuit named after brothers Pedro and Ricardo Rodríguez, unique on the calendar due to its altitude of over 2,000 metres.

A large portion of the circuit has been resurfaced, covering Turn 16 to Turn 1 and Turn 7 to Turn 16, leaving only the first sector largely unchanged. New asphalt normally brings higher grip and lower roughness, though its actual characteristics will need assessment during the opening stages. The track is often dirty early on, with grip improving lap after lap, and that evolution could be more pronounced this year.

The Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez has traditionally been one of the least demanding circuits on tyres, with low-speed corners and limited lateral loads keeping wear under control. The thin air reduces aerodynamic load, increasing tyre slip and making graining a factor to watch, possibly more so with the smoother asphalt. The circuit's low severity could favour a one-stop race, though tyre management to extend stints will remain important, particularly for the rear axle.

Strategy may depend more on driver confidence in a compound than on genuine tyre life limitation, with some teams favouring softer compounds for grip and others the Hard for consistency. The Soft could play a central role, having shown strong characteristics on low-severity circuits. Braking performance also warrants monitoring, as the altitude reduces aerodynamic efficiency and the long main straight into Turn 1 could increase lock-up risk. Last year's grid was split between one-stop and two-stop strategies. This will be the sixth Grand Prix under the Mexico City Grand Prix name, with Max Verstappen the most successful driver at the venue with five victories, matching Red Bull. The Pirelli Podium Cap celebrates Día de los Muertos, which falls on race Sunday.

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