Car radials chosen as Original Equipment for Hyundai Grand i10 assembled by Abans Auto

Representatives of CEAT and Abans Auto led by the CEAT Kelani Chief Operating Officer Mr Shamal Gunawardene and Abans Auto Director Strategy & Business Development Mr Amanda Gooneratne (4th and 5th from left respectively) at the Hyundai Grand i10 showroom.

CEAT has been chosen as the original equipment tyre for the 2024 Hyundai Grand i10 assembled, sold and serviced in Sri Lanka by Abans Auto, clinching another OEM partnership for the country’s highest-selling tyre brand.

The partnership, which brings together two significant players in domestic value addition and a leading global automobile brand, paves the way for German-engineered 15-inch CEAT radials tyres to be fitted on to Hyundai Grand i10 hatchbacks assembled at the Abans Auto plant in Seeduwa.

The tyres, designed and tested by German engineers at CEAT’s own Research & Development Center in Frankfurt, Germany, meet the stringent Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) performance criteria for the Hyundai Grand i10, and will not only enhance the vehicle’s looks but also ensure superior safety and performance, the Company said.

CEAT is also 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.

“We welcome Hyundai and Abans Auto to our growing list of OE customers in Sri Lanka,” CEAT Kelani Chief Operating Officer Mr Shamal Gunawardene said. “As the largest manufacturer of tyres in the country, reducing dependency on imports is a key objective of CEAT, and our numerous partnerships with local vehicle assemblers is enhancing value addition and helping conserve foreign exchange, thereby supporting national priorities as well.”

Director Strategy & Business Development at Abans Auto (Pvt) Ltd. Mr Amanda Gooneratne added: “The Sri Lankan assembled Hyundai Grand i10 represents the pinnacle of Sri Lanka’s automobile assembly industry, showcasing the country’s growing capabilities in assembly and component manufacturing. Sri Lankan consumers now have access to high-quality, reliable, and globally-recognised vehicles from Hyundai, the world’s third-largest automotive brand. It is appropriate that these vehicles are fitted with CEAT car radials, which are world-class tyres that have been designed and engineered specifically for local roads.”

Incorporated in 2011, Abans Auto is a leading automotive retailer in Sri Lanka with over 1000 touchpoints island-wide. Specialising in the assembly, marketing and distribution of two-wheelers, three-wheelers and four-wheelers, Abans Auto is Sri Lanka’s exclusive authorised distributor for Hero, Yadea, Piaggio, Vespa and Aprilia scooters and motorcycles and TVS three-wheelers, and in 2019 was appointed as the authorised distributor and subsequently, the authorized assembler for the Hyundai vehicle range in Sri Lanka.

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.