Apollo Tyres Ltd has launched the Vredestein Superpasso Pro competition-ready road bicycle tyres. This is the first model in the company’s all-new range of high-performance bicycle tyres scheduled for launch throughout the coming year.

The Superpasso Pro was developed using Apollo Tyres' cutting-edge ‘TriComp’ technology in Europe, which combines several rubber compositions for the tread and sidewall to maximise rolling resistance, puncture prevention and traction in both wet and dry situations. While the tyre's shoulder is composed of a softer composition to improve cornering grip at all speeds, the centre of the tread features a tougher compound to reduce rolling resistance and to prevent penetration. The new Superpasso Pro achieves a 14 percent improvement in rolling resistance, a 23 percent increase in puncture resistance and an eight percent weight reduction when compared to its Vredestein predecessor.

For TLR tyres, the new ‘Active Control’ technology offers a novel design that substitutes a bridging gap for the conventional overlapping centre join. Because of this development, the tyre is lighter and quicker, offering better control, better feedback and unwavering comfort. In order to increase puncture resistance and provide consumers the assurance that they can go farther, the Vredestein tyre also has a reinforced breaker layer. As part of a business collaboration with Apollo Tyres, the Dutch professional cycling team BEAT Cycling Club has put the Superpasso Pro through a rigorous testing process. Three sizes of the new Vredestein tyre are available: 700x25C, 700x28C and 700x32C. Both tubeless-ready (TLR) and tube type choices are available.

Nic Knippers, Division Head – Vredestein Two Wheel Tyres, Apollo Tyres Ltd, said, “The Superpasso Pro represents a significant leap forward in tyre technology, offering cyclists a product that excels in both performance and durability. With its innovative design and advanced materials, it delivers unmatched speed, comfort and reliability for cyclists of all levels.”

Thijs Zonneveld, Sportive Director, BEAT Cycling Club, said, “As a team that consistently pushes the limits of performance, we’ve been thoroughly impressed by the Superpasso Pro. The advancements in rolling efficiency, grip and durability have been evident in both race-day conditions and intense training sessions, and we’re excited to continue using it in competition.”

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JK Tyre & Industries Ltd. has secured a Silver Rating from EcoVadis, the esteemed international sustainability assessor. This recognition situates the company within the top seven percent of all evaluated firms globally, highlighting its superior standing in corporate responsibility. The evaluation is based on comprehensive performance across four core pillars: Environment, Labour & Human Rights, Ethics and Sustainable Procurement.

JK Tyre earned an impressive total score of 77 out of 100, with its environmental efforts being particularly notable at 89 points. This high score underscores tangible achievements in climate action, energy efficiency, and emissions control. The accolade collectively reaffirms the company's dedicated focus on ethical operations, a safe and inclusive work culture and the proactive integration of sustainable practices throughout its entire value chain.

Dr Raghupati Singhania, CMD, JK Tyre & Industries Limited, said, “This significant performance in our EcoVadis performance is the outcome of focused initiatives across environmental stewardship, ethical governance, labour practices and responsible sourcing. The Silver rating is a strong validation of our integrated sustainability approach and the dedication of our teams. It further motivates us to continue strengthening our sustainability journey and creating long-term value for all stakeholders.”

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Hankook Tire continues its role as the Founding and Official Tire Partner for the second season of TGL. The company's integrated branding will be featured throughout the next three matches, scheduled to be held on the 2^nd, 6^th and 13^th of January 2026 at SoFi Center in Florida, US, leveraging on-site displays and broadcast coverage to reinforce its premium positioning for an international audience. This multiyear partnership exemplifies Hankook's strategic commitment to connecting high-performance mobility with elite sports.

The upcoming schedule features key matchups beginning with Boston Common Golf versus Los Angeles Golf Club. Boston Common, led by Rory McIlroy and Keegan Bradley, is widely regarded as a championship-calibre team yet to secure a TGL match win. They face a formidable opponent in Los Angeles Golf Club, which previously defeated them and fields a cohesive team including Collin Morikawa and Justin Rose. Subsequently, The Bay Golf Club, with stars like Ludvig Åberg and Wyndham Clark, will challenge the defending champions, Atlanta Drive GC. Atlanta, led by Justin Thomas and Patrick Cantlay, demonstrated its strength by winning the Season 2 opener and holds several Season 1 performance records.

A highlight of the schedule is the Season 2 debut of Jupiter Links Golf Club, featuring Tiger Woods alongside Max Homa and Tom Kim. The Florida-based team will enjoy local support as it faces New York Golf Club, seeking to overturn a prior defeat. New York, the Season 1 runner-up with a roster including Xander Schauffele and Matt Fitzpatrick, is similarly motivated to return to winning form. Through its prominent partnership, Hankook Tire is directly integrated into these compelling storylines, enhancing global brand engagement through premier sports entertainment.

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The Vredestein Quatrac Pro+ has been named ‘All Season Tyre of the Year’ at Spain’s prestigious industry awards organised by Neumáticos y Mecánica Rápida magazine and Posventa.com. This premium tyre, manufactured in Europe by Apollo Tyres Ltd, prevailed in a competitive field by excelling in critical areas such as safety, technological innovation and everyday usability, as determined by both an independent expert jury and reader votes.

The tyre earned this honour by delivering exceptional, versatile performance across diverse conditions, providing reliable safety and control on dry roads, in wet weather and through light snow. It also achieves high marks for driving comfort and efficiency. Developed to meet the needs of passenger cars and high-performance SUVs, the Quatrac Pro+ responds to the growing consumer demand for a single, year-round tyre solution that does not compromise on capability or driver confidence.

This award solidifies Vredestein’s position as a leading and innovative reference brand within the all-season tyre market. The official award ceremony is scheduled for February during the annual Tyre of the Year event, which will convene prominent representatives from across Spain’s tyre, automotive and aftermarket industries to celebrate the year’s top products.

Yves Pouliquen, Vice President, Commercial EMEA, Apollo Tyres Ltd, said, “This award is a strong endorsement of our commitment to delivering premium, high-performance all-season tyres tailored to the needs of European drivers. The Quatrac Pro+ encapsulates Vredestein’s longstanding expertise in all-season technology, combining safety, comfort and innovation.”

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A population of over 1.4 billion people catapulting into the world’s third largest automobile market with four million trucks plying across a road network of 6.3 million kilometres supported by a USD 13.4 billion tyre market and a mining sector contributing around 2–2.5 percent of the country’s GDP demonstrate the strength of India’s automobile, freight and tyre sectors.

The story doesn’t end there as the Central Government adopts a strategic approach on reducing carbon emissions across these verticals, especially automobile and tyres, with targets such as the Net Zero Carbon Emissions by 2070, battery electric vehicles target by 2030, zero-emission truck corridors, Extended Producer Responsibility for the tyre sector; the list just goes on.

Amidst all such statistics and targets, a silent spectator remains the old and varied sector of tyre retreading. In a recent news story reported by Tyre Trends, the Indian Tyre Technical Advisory Committee (ITTAC) had made a proposal to Tyre Retreading Education Association (TREA) for mandating certain standards that will improve the quality of retreads.  ITTAC has made recommendations to the BIS committee. TREA is part of the same committee. ITTAC and TREA are recommending different standards.

These standards included BIS retread standards, namely IS 15725, IS 15753, IS 15524 and IS 9168. The ITTAC had partially aligned Indian requirements with ECE R109, the European regulatory benchmark.

In a reply to the proposal, which was accessed by Tyre Trends, TREA urged the Indian Tyre Technical Advisory Committee to seek a deferment or non-applicability of BIS standard IS 15704:2018 for retreaded commercial vehicle tyres, warning that mandatory enforcement could cripple the sector.

In the letter, TREA argued that IS 15704:2018 is largely modelled on new tyre manufacturing norms and is technically unsuitable for retreading, which is a restoration and recycling process.

The standard mandates advanced laboratory tests such as spectrometer-based rubber analysis, endurance testing and compound uniformity checks, requirements that most retreading units, particularly small and medium enterprises, are not equipped to meet

The association highlighted that even large retreaders lack the infrastructure and skilled manpower needed for BIS-grade testing, while the sheer number of retreading units would make inspections and certifications operationally unmanageable for regulators.

TREA warned that compliance costs linked to machinery upgrades, audits and quality control could force 70–80 percent of units to shut down, leading to job losses, higher fleet operating costs and adverse environmental outcomes due to reduced recycling

Instead, TREA proposed that BIS prioritise retreading-specific standards such as IS 13531 and IS 15524, which focus on materials, process control, safety and quality consistency.

The body has also called for a phased transition roadmap, MSME support and industry training before any stricter norms are enforced, stressing that abrupt implementation would undermine the sector’s role in India’s circular economy.

The conundrum

India has a total of 36 administrative divisions comprising 28 states and 8 union territories. The tyre retreading sector has been continuously supporting circularity goals since the early 1970s across the world’s largest economy without getting mainstream recognition.

Even after five decades in service, the industry battles different bottlenecks including fragmentation, manpower shortage, tax pressures brought about by the recent GST revisions and now the implementation of such standards, just to name a few.

The sole practice that can simultaneously reduce carbon emissions from tyres and extend tyre life is assumed the nemesis of an ‘infamous and dangerous practice’ in some states of the country.

However, the industry has been drawing its techniques and quality parameters from the world’s oldest retreading economy, Europe.

“Big retreaders in India already have the necessary processes in place that conform to IS 15524 standards. However, as the standard is not yet mandated, we have voiced support for it because it is process-oriented and outlines how retreading should be carried out, including buffing and building procedures,” said TREA Chairman Karun Sanghi.

He added, “This standard focuses on how the work is done rather than imposing product-level testing that cannot be practically implemented. The current debate on IS 15704 stems from it being fundamentally incompatible. The standard includes requirements such as sidewall marking and destructive testing of retreaded tyres, which are impractical in a retreading environment where each tyre differs in brand, size, application and usage history,” he added.

Destructive testing, he argued, assumes uniform batch sizes. In retreading, where every casing is unique, testing even a single tyre would mean destroying finished products without yielding representative results. Applying such a framework would effectively require the destruction of every tyre in a batch, making compliance unviable.

“We have submitted our response to ITTAC and are awaiting feedback from the committee. We remain open to continued dialogue and will engage further once the committee responds to our submission,” said Sanghi.

According to him, a typical retreader processes about 300 tyres a month across multiple brands including MRF, JK Tyre, Apollo and Michelin and applications ranging from buses and trucks to mining vehicles. These casings vary widely in load cycles, operating conditions and duty patterns, often across several models from the same manufacturer.

The committee has cited European standard ECE R109, but Sanghi points to structural differences: “Europe is a global retreading hub where tyre manufacturers such as Michelin and Bridgestone dominate operations, collect their own tyres, retread them and return them to fleets, making batch-based destructive testing relevant. A similar model exists in US, where large tyre companies lead retreading and largely self-regulate without a single overarching standard. The Indian scenario is different, especially with a fragmented market.”

He stressed that the industry is not opposed to standards but to those that cannot be practically applied, warning that adopting European manufacturing-oriented norms without accounting for India’s market structure and operating realities would be counter-productive.

The debate is no longer about whether standards are needed but whether they are fit for purpose. Without accounting for India’s fragmented retreading ecosystem, enforcing impractical norms could dismantle a circular industry in the name of compliance.

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