CEAT develops new original equipment radial tyre for DIMO’s Tata Xenon Yodha

Representatives of CEAT and DIMO at the formalisation of the OEM partnership.

Tata Xenon Yodha single cab pick-up trucks assembled by DIMO will ride on purpose-developed CEAT light truck radial tyres manufactured in Sri Lanka, in a coming together of two performance-driven automotive brands via a significant original equipment (OE) partnership.

With this synergy, CEAT Kelani Holdings has manufactured a new radial tyre for the locally assembled Tata Xenon Yodha by DIMO, to meet the performance specifications of the vehicle, and the high expectations of users.

The CEAT 215/75 R16 WINMILE X3 R tyre is built for Low Hysteresis Loss, reducing the energy loss associated with carbon black reinforced rubber. This results in reduced rolling resistance, less wear and tear and a smoother ride. The use of a high mileage compound and improvements in the footprint shape of the tyre also promise extra mileage.

Considering the Tata Xenon Yodha’s payload capacity of 1250 kg, the new tyre is built to the 90D Ply Line Concept with balanced Rim Flange Pressure to ensure higher loadability, while a two-layer cover strip and a low-deformation belt contribute to improved durability, complimenting the vehicle’s attractive cost to performance proposition, the Company said.

“Every new Original Equipment Manufacturer partnership we enter into provides us an opportunity to develop products that meet new performance benchmarks,” CEAT Kelani Chief Operating Officer Mr Shamal Gunawardene said. “Since CEAT has its own R&D as well as testing facilities in Germany and India, and our USP is our ability to manufacture products for local road conditions, these partnerships lead to continuous improvements that benefit the overall market, while supporting domestic value addition.”

CEAT is also the official tyre for Tata Ace HT series compact trucks, popularly known in Sri Lanka as “DIMO Batta,” which are assembled by DIMO in collaboration with India’s largest automobile manufacturer TATA Motors.

Notably, CEAT is the only locally manufactured tyre brand to be IATF 16949:2016 certified by the International Automotive Task Force (IATF) for compliance with the International Standard for Automotive Quality Management Systems.

Commenting on the partnership with CEAT, Mr Rajeev Pandithage, the Executive Director, who steers the Mobility cluster of DIMO said: “We are happy to partner with CEAT Sri Lanka as our official tyre supplier for the locally assembled Tata Xenon Yodha. We look forward to a successful partnership that will drive innovation and customer satisfaction in the Sri Lankan automotive industry.”

Tata Motors, one of the world’s leading automotive manufacturers, along with its authorised distributor DIMO, recently launched the locally assembled all-new Tata Xenon Yodha, addressing the growing demand for a versatile and reliable pick-up vehicle in the market. It caters perfectly to the evolving needs of customers in Sri Lanka, seamlessly transitioning between personal and business use. The new Tata Xenon Yodha is assembled at DIMO’s state-of-the-art vehicle assembly facility in Weliweriya. Committed to quality, the plant employs rigorous control measures and remains agile in meeting current customer needs while being strategically poised to introduce new products as market demands evolve.

The CEAT brand originated in Italy and is backed by extensive research and testing facilities in India and Germany. The largest domestic manufacturer of cross-ply and radial tyres in Sri Lanka, CEAT’s emergence as the top brand in the country’s tyre sector is the result of substantial investments over several years that have seen not just exponential increases in volumes but expansion of the product range, the deployment of new technology and quantum improvements in quality. The company’s manufacturing operations encompass pneumatic tyres in the radial (passenger cars, vans and SUVs), commercial (Bias-ply and radial), motorcycle, three-wheeler and agricultural vehicle segments.

CEAT Kelani Holdings currently manufactures half of Sri Lanka’s pneumatic tyre requirements, and exports about 20 per cent of its production to 16 countries. The joint venture’s cumulative investment in Sri Lanka over the past decade alone exceeds Rs 8.5 billion.