A wave of emerging brands is set to enact the biggest shake-up of the premium tyre sector in a generation, the boss of Pirelli has told Autocar.
This impending push, especially from the Chinese market, is facilitated by the ability of the newcomers to "quickly catch up, both in quantity and quality terms", said Pierangelo Misani.
"In the past, we were used to looking at the traditional competitors, but today we have to have a wider view. We can't neglect that there are newcomers, especially from Asia, or China itself, that are extremely aggressive and are progressing fast," he said.
"It isn't just a matter of innovation only but [also] a matter of speed of innovation, so they're catching up."
A prime example is Chinese company Triangle. A decade ago, it was used as "a typical economy alternative" by major European rivals when demonstrating new premium tyres. Now it has launched its own high-performance Sportex range and is being tipped as one of the industry's future leading brands.
Esta historia es de la edición September 06, 2023 de Autocar UK.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición September 06, 2023 de Autocar UK.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
The venomous nature of the Cobra
Last week, Matt Prior drove a totally new kind of AC Cobra. This is a car with one of the strongest allures of all - but also an incredibly complex and controversial history.
SKODA KAMIQ
A long getting-to-know-you trip to Spain reveals all
THE SEVEN-YEAR TITCH
Outgoing baby Jag is plush, practical and now eminently affordable
'Our time has come'
Honda may be late to the EV party, but a barrage of bold new battery-powered cars is on the way. JAMES ATTWOOD speaks to boss Toshihiro Mibe at its R&D base to find out what's in store
Lion kings
Plush, powerful four-door cars are an endangered species - and now Peugeot has called time on its latest, the 508 PSE. STEPHEN DOBIE compares it with its most significant ancestor, the 505 GTI
VOLKSWAGEN GOLF
Wolfsburg gives the lesser-known Golf PHEV a big-impact refresh
PORSCHE PANAMERA GTS
Stuttgart's latest 'bahnstormer targets driver appeal over outright punch
MERCEDES-AMG GT 63 PRO
Hardcore variant of V8 sports car engineered with track days in mind
TESLA REVEALS ROBOTAXI
Firm unveils Cybercab coupé and 20-seat Robovan in autonomy push
DACIA PLOTS AMBITIOUS EXPANDED EURO LINE-UP
Firm teases something different’ ahead of impending C-segment reveal