Apollo Tjaarda tyres

Apollo Tjaarda tyres launched at Auto Expo

Till recently, he was known as an ace car designer. Tom Tjaarda, who has designed more than 70 cars, has found a new field of interest ? tyres. Tjaarda has reportedly designed concept tyres for the Apollo group.
Called the Apollo Aspire TT, the tyres are currently on display at the ninth Auto Expo being held in New Delhi. According to Apollo Tyres, the Aspire TT combines the inherent strengths of performance and safety. The tyre combines a bidirectional asymmetric tread pattern, created for greater grip, maneuvering and comfort.
Apollo is looking keenly at the segment of concept tyres for the development of future products. Apart from the Aspire TT, another Tjaarda-designed tyre concept is also on display. Brand-named Dolphin, it is supposedly very effective on wet surfaces, with an aggressive off-shoulder for performance on uneven surfaces. The two concepts are seen as Apollo Tyres? demonstration of its ability to deliver on the various aspects of design and technology.
The two tyre concepts are expected to hit the market later in 2008. The Apollo pavilion also showcases the company?s product range including the two successful brands such as Apollo and Regal. These apart, high-speed passenger radial and 4x4 ranges - both summer and winter tyres, commercial vehicle radials and cross-ply and OTR tyres are also on show.
Apollo has posted revenues of over $1 billion and has four manufacturing units in India. Its' overseas presence translates into two manufacturing units in South Africa and two more in Zimbabwe. In South Africa, it has over 900 dealerships, of which 190 are Dunlop Accredited Dealers.