Pirelli Tyres

Origin and Expansion

Pirelli is a Milan, Italy based multinational tyre manufacturer which is the 7th largest worldwide by production volume. Founded in 1872, Pirelli is one of the oldest in the tyre business, manufacturing products for passenger cars, motorcycles and bicycles. The company is named after the founder Giovanni Battista Pirelli and is commercially operated in 160 countries across the world, including Europe, Asia-Pacific, North America and Latin America.

In India, the brand has its headquarters in New Delhi. Though it has minimal presence and currently exports tyres from its factories in other countries, it has multiple tyre centres that cater to all-tyre services in the Indian market.

India has been an important market for tyres and with people steadily inclining towards bigger cars, the Italian tyremaker aims to increase its visibility in the country. And since India is a key market, the company is constantly working on technological innovation to stay ahead in the game.

With a vision to achieve high-end technological and innovation excellence, Pirelli sells tyres for performance motorcycles, passenger cars and SUVs in the Indian market. It presently has a tie-up with Mercedes-Benz for supplying tyres.

In 2012, Pirelli entered into a joint venture with Indonesia’s PT Astra Autoparts for building a motorcycle tyre manufacturing unit with an investment of USD 120 million. With this, the tyremaker aimed to cement its position in the Southeast Asian region, the largest motorcycle market in the world.

Pirelli is also involved in sponsoring football teams, including its long term relationship with the Italian football club Inter-Milan. In 2009, Pirelli became the title sponsor of China’s top-tier football league known as the Chinese Super League (CSL).

Apart from football, Pirelli is currently the event title sponsor of the Spanish and Hungarian Grands Prix and also sponsored the 2018 French Grand Prix. It is the only brand allowed in FIM World Superbike Championship since the year 2007 and the sole global tyre partner in Formula One World Championship since 2011. Presently, the company takes part in more than 350 car and motorcycle sport events and has won over 181 out of them.

In the field of innovation and technology, the Italian tyremaker has many feathers in its cap when it comes to increasing driving comfort and ensuring total mobility. The company has developed a Pirelli Noise Cancelling System™ (PNCS) that reduces the tyre noise inside the vehicle with the help of a sound-absorbing device integrated within the circumferential wall of the tyre, cutting the noise level by half.

The Run-Flat technology offers greater control of the car under emergencies and allows continuous safe driving even during a rapid loss of air pressure. The Seal Inside is a self-sealing technology that allows constant safe driving after a puncture without compromising on stability and comfort.

Facilities

Pirelli has a dedicated workforce of 2100 people in 11 countries for research and development. The Milan headquarter also acts as the R&D centre along with 12 local technology centres. Over the years, the tyremaker has 6700 patents to its portfolio. The brand is involved in 100 plus R&D collaborations around the world with premium OEM projects. 

Achievements

• In 2018 Dow Jones World and Europe indices, Pirelli was recognized as the Sustainability Leader in the Automobiles & Components sector
• In January of 2020, the Company was reconfirmed as one of the Global Leaders in the fight against climate change
• Sole company to be granted the “Gold Class Distinction” in the SAM Sustainability Yearbook 2020, published by S&P Global.
• Topped the 2003 J.D. Power and Associates rank in satisfaction for its original equipment car/compact van tyres
• Won ‘Tyre Manufacturer of the Year’ at Tyre Technology Awards 2018 held in Hannover, Germany
• Ranked first in J.D. Power 2020 U.S. Original Equipment Tyre Customer Satisfaction in the passenger car segment
• At the 20th annual Ford World Excellence Awards, Pirelli was acknowledged as the top-performing global supplier for Ford Motor Company
• Honoured with a Design Award for its 2013 annual report, while its North American wing was named a reputable company and a top-performing supplier by Ford

Passenger Car Tyre

The passenger car tyre range of the Pirelli brand in India consists of city cars, SUVs, sedans and sports cars. The vast catalogue covers summer tyres, winter tyres and all-season tyres, made specifically looking at the Indian road conditions.

Pirelli offers premium tyres with excellent durability and unmatched performance that speaks the Italian build quality. Some of the top names in the passenger cars category include Cinturato P1, Cinturato P7, P Zero Rosso, Scorpion Zero and Scorpion Verde among others.

Motorcycle and Scooter Tyre

The wide range of tyres manufactured by Pirelli in the two-wheeler category is unrivalled. The tyremaker offers tyres right from city commute, racing, on road to off the road. Some of the prominent names in the motorcycle and bike category include City Demon, Night Dragon, Sport Demon, Diablo Rosso Series, Diablo Supercorsa Series, Scorpion Trail II and MT 60 Series.

The ANGEL SCOOTER tyres are exclusively designed for top wet performance, dynamic urban handling and utmost comfort.

Truck Tyre

Pirelli produces truck tyres that offer unmatched durability standards and outstanding stability. Some of the big names in the truck category include Pirelli FW 01, Pirelli FH 01, Pirelli TH 01, Pirelli TW 01, Pirelli FR 01 II, Pirelli TR Series, Pirelli ST Series and Pirelli Amaranto Series.

Manufacturing facilities in India and abroad

The Italian tyre giant has 19 production plants spread in 12 countries and a strong commercial presence in over 160 countries across the globe. The manufacturer has a production capacity of about 77 million as of 2019. In India, it currently imports tyres manufactured in its factories located in other countries.

Pirelli Sales Network

Pirelli has a vast sales network that includes nearly 16,500 points of sale in 160 countries. In India, the company’s operation is presently restricted to the replacement market, where it sells about 18,000 tyres a month.

The company has tyre centres in various cities including Delhi, Mysuru, Mangalore and Vadodara. The brand has plans to double the distribution network from 600 to 1200 in India.