Pirelli has announced the introduction of two new motorcycle tyres in 2025: the DIABLO POWERCRUISER and the SCORPION MX32 MID SOFT. These additions will further expand the company’s diverse range of motorcycle tyres.
DIABLO POWERCRUISER: A new custom-touring tyre
The DIABLO POWERCRUISER represents a new chapter in Pirelli’s Custom-Touring range, explicitly tailored for high-performance sport Cruiser and Bagger motorcycles. Designed for bikes with powerful torque and sharp handling, it targets owners who seek a blend of aesthetic appeal and superior performance.
Part of the DIABLO family, which embodies Pirelli’s sporting DNA, the DIABLO POWERCRUISER combines the brand’s performance heritage with the free-spirited ethos of the custom bike community. The tyre delivers exceptional grip, stability, and handling across various conditions, including wet surfaces, while offering durability in line with its segment.
Key features include a slick shoulder for enhanced dry performance and a central tread pattern showcasing Pirelli’s iconic Flash design. The tyre will be available from March 2025 in popular sizes for American Cruisers and Baggers.
SCORPION MX32 MID SOFT: Built for champions
The SCORPION MX32 MID SOFT, successor to Pirelli’s highly successful motocross tyre, builds on the brand’s dominance in the FIM Motocross World Championship, where it has secured 82 titles since 1980.
Developed with insights from decades of top-level competition, the new SCORPION MX32 MID SOFT offers enhanced braking performance and cornering for the front tyre, while the rear provides improved traction for quicker starts and corner exits. It is also more versatile on medium-hard terrain.
The tyre will debut in the next Motocross World Championship, equipping bikes ridden by top competitors. Like all Pirelli racing tyres, it will also be available for purchase by motocross enthusiasts.
Advanced technology
Both new tyres feature high-contrast sidewall lettering for improved readability. Additionally, the SCORPION MX32 MID SOFT includes a distinctive yellow Pirelli label for easy identification at the track.
With these innovations, Pirelli aims to strengthen its position across both custom-touring and motocross markets, ensuring riders benefit from the latest advancements in tyre technology.
Toyota’s Lexus GX550 OVERTRAIL+ To Run On DUNLOP GRANDTREK H/T31T Tyres
- By TT News
- October 31, 2026
DUNLOP (company name: Sumitomo Rubber Industries) has confirmed that its GRANDTREK H/T31T tyres are now fitted as original equipment on the Toyota LEXUS GX550 OVERTRAIL+, a variant of the premium SUV that was refreshed for the new model year in September.
First introduced to the market in 2002, the LEXUS GX550 has been sold chiefly in North America, developing a reputation as a luxury SUV that remains comfortable even on unpaved surfaces. The latest update sharpens both ride comfort and handling stability, further elevating ride quality and delivering assured control across varied terrain. The OVERTRAIL+ grade gains larger tyres, growing from 265/65R18 to 265/70R18, together with greater minimum ground clearance, boosting off-road ability on demanding terrain while pairing a bold, muscular appearance with a quiet cabin on the road.
Developed afresh to deliver on-road capability alongside the reliability and durability cultivated across the GRANDTREK line, the H/T31T employs a highway terrain tread pattern and new tread rubber compound. These enhancements raise high-speed stability, quietness, fuel efficiency and wear resistance while the tyre balances ride comfort with the strength required to support the LEXUS GX550's hefty body. A redesigned sidewall reinforces toughness and presence, echoing the vehicle's commanding styling and merging rugged SUV solidity with urban refinement.
The GRANDTREK family comprises DUNLOP-brand tyres tailored to SUVs and pickup trucks. Its wide lineup of dependable products, proven through fitment on numerous new SUV and 4x4 models, addresses a broad range of customer requirements.
Kenda To Supply Original Equipment Tyres For The Blank Slate
- By TT News
- October 30, 2026
Kenda Tires will serve as the official original equipment tyre supplier for The Blank Slate, the electric pickup from Slate Auto. The global tyre and wheel manufacturer has been tapped to equip the vehicle with its KLEVER S/T EV, a tyre built around the performance, efficiency and durability demands of Slate's eagerly awaited truck.
Engineering personnel from both firms collaborated on the research, development and production of a tyre calibrated to the Slate truck's weight, torque output, efficiency targets, ride and handling traits and expected driving conditions. Kenda will also furnish accessory tyre lines, giving buyers room to personalise their trucks without compromising the platform's performance, safety and quality benchmarks.
Slate Auto has attracted broad industry attention for its unconventional take on electric vehicle ownership, centred on affordability, simplicity and personalisation. Bringing a dedicated OE tyre supplier on board marks a meaningful milestone as the company works toward a production-ready vehicle and supply chain.
The KLEVER S/T EV was purpose-built for the Slate application, with features that address the heft and instant torque characteristic of electric drivetrains. Its low rolling resistance design helps stretch efficiency and range, while reinforced construction bolsters durability, handling and tread life. Engineers at Kenda's American Technical Center in Akron, Ohio, supported development, collaborating closely with automakers on tailored solutions for emerging mobility platforms. The tyre debuts as original equipment on The Blank Slate when production starts in November 2026, timed to Slate Auto's schedule.
Jimmy Yang, Global President, CEO and Chairman, Kenda Industrial, said, "As the automotive industry continues to evolve, Kenda remains committed to delivering innovative tyre technologies that meet the needs of both manufacturers and its consumers. Our collaboration with Slate Auto represents an exciting opportunity to support a company that is reimagining electric mobility through accessibility, personalisation and practicality. We are proud to contribute our engineering and production expertise with our EV-focused technology to help bring The Blank Slate to market."
Brandon Stotsenburg, Vice President of Automotive for American Kenda Rubber, said, "This partnership reflects Kenda's continued growth in the original equipment automotive market and our ability to develop purpose-built solutions for next-generation vehicles. The KLEVER S/T EV was designed to address the specific challenges EVs present, from increased vehicle weight and instant torque to efficiency and ride comfort requirements. Working alongside Slate throughout the development process has allowed us to create a tyre solution that complements the vehicle's performance while supporting its affordability and personalisation goals."
FALKEN Secures Original Equipment Supply For Audi Q7 And Q9 With AZENIS FK520 (R0)
- By TT News
- October 28, 2026
FALKEN has secured original equipment supply approval from Audi for its AZENIS FK520 summer tyre, which will be fitted to the premium brand’s flagship SUVs, the Q7 and Q9. Production begins in May 2026, with the tyres carrying the R0 designation to mark the Audi-specific fitment. The deal reinforces FALKEN’s standing in the premium original equipment market.
The AZENIS FK520 (R0) comes in three sizes covering 20- to 22-inch wheel diameters, with vehicles assembled at Audi’s Bratislava plant in Slovakia. Buyers can inspect the fitted tyres and their EU tyre label data through Audi’s vehicle configurator. The ultra-high-performance tyre is built for sporty road cars, offered in reinforced Extra Load versions across all sizes and rated to Y speed specifications for up to 300 kmph, targeting drivers focused on stability, precision and safety.
FALKEN’s original equipment record with premium marques spans many years and includes Audi, Porsche and Mercedes-Benz. The AZENIS FK510A SUV gained Porsche Macan approval in 2018, and the AZENIS FK520 (NG0) followed in 2026 for the Porsche Cayenne Electric. Since 2011 the brand has maintained a motorsport presence, campaigning a Porsche 911 GT3 R in the ADAC RAVENOL Nürburgring Endurance Series and the ADAC RAVENOL 24h Nürburgring.
Christian Stolting, OE Sales Director, Dunlop Tyre Europe GmbH, said, “It is an important step for our original equipment business to fit the Q7 and Q9, two models of great importance to Audi, with the FALKEN AZENIS FK520 (R0) as a factory-fitted option. The choice of our tyres for these Audi models reflects confidence in the performance and quality of FALKEN in this segment.”
New Nissan Fairlady Z To Run On Yokohama ADVAN Sport V107 Tyres
- By TT News
- October 27, 2026
The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd. has secured an original equipment supply deal with Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. for the automaker's new Fairlady Z, which reached the Japanese market in August 2026. Yokohama's ADVAN Sport V107 will be fitted in size 245/45R18 100W.
Belonging to Yokohama's flagship ADVAN range, the Sport V107 sits in the ultra-high-performance (UHP) segment aimed at premium vehicles. It is engineered to reconcile qualities that usually pull in opposite directions – combining confident dry and wet grip and stable steering with comfort and safety – and in this Fairlady Z application it pairs high-speed handling composure and quick steering response with a comfortable ride.
Nissan's new Fairlady Z carries forward its heritage-inspired design language alongside contemporary technology, and the model remains celebrated for its characteristic driving feel, with the refresh sharpening performance while honouring the nameplate's lineage. The fitment advances Yokohama Rubber's Yokohama Transformation 2026 medium-term plan covering 2024–2026, under which the consumer tyre business is working to lift the proportion of high-value-added tyres sold by winning original equipment contracts for its ADVAN range and its GEOLANDAR tyres for SUVs and pickup trucks.
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