Apollo Tyres Ltd. has launched in Europe and now aims to get in business with BMW AG and Volkswagen AG. Apollo Tyres, the 34-year-old top tire maker in India, made its European debut at the Reifen tire show.

According to Apollo Managing Director Neeraj Kanwar, talks with BMW representatives are ongoing for it to supply tires for BMW’s European operations. Currently, Apollo supplies tires to BMW in India. In addition, Apollo Tyres is aiming for a European fitment deal with the VW Group, according to Apollo Chief Marketing Officer Marc Luyten.

Apollo Tyres presently supplies Apollo-brand original equipment tires in India and South Africa to VW. Luyten revealed that within the next two to three years, Apollo will invest a huge amount of money to produce the brand in Europe and for its products to have a good reputation similar to what it has in India.

In May 2009, Apollo acquired Dutch tire maker Vredestein Banden BV so it isn’t exactly new to Europe. But Apollo wants to make a name for itself as a provider of both original and replacement tires.
Later this year, Apollo will penetrate the aftermarket this year in Germany, Netherlands and the UK. And in 2011, it will also start selling replacement tires throughout Europe. In a statement, Managing Director Kanwar said that Apollo aims to provide affordable, high-quality replacement tires for cars in Europe’s small, mid-sized and SUV segments.

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