Bridgestone Americas revives LeMans brand tyres

Bridgestone Americas is reviving the LeMans brand, which has been absent from the market for the last four years. The company will be distributing the tyres exclusively through its Tire Wholesale Warehouse subsidiary (TWW). Under the LeMans brand, the company will offer three all-season tyre options including Performance A/S, Touring A/S and SUV A/S.

Bridgestone is positioning these tyres as entry-level products for price-conscious consumers. Tire Wholesale Warehouse will distribute the tyres to associate dealers through its 22 warehouses. TWW has also started an exclusive website that will focus on the LeMans tyre brand launch and other related information. However, the company has not disclosed the pricing for these tyres.

The tyres will be manufactured under contract by Shandong Guofeng Rubber & Plastic Co. Ltd. in China. According to the US Commerce Department database, Shandong Guofeng was levied 56.17 per cent US import duties earlier in 2015.

"The reliable performance of the LeMans all-season tyre line demonstrates that value and quality can go hand-in-hand," said TWW Director Alan Starc. He added, "TWW’s status as sole supplier of the LeMans tyre brand will allow our independent dealer customers to create a point of differentiation in the market, helping in setting them apart from their competitors."

TWW has 25 wholesale distribution centers throughout the US that cater to independent tyre retailers with consumer tyre products.

Nashville-based Bridgestone representative said the company is offering limited treadwear warranties on the SUV A/S and the Touring A/S tyres - 80,000 kilometres on the former and 88,000 kilometres on the latter with T speed rating while giving 64,000 kilometres' warranty on the H and V speed-rated Touring A/S variants.