Apollo Tyres will invest INR 58 billion over three years to expand passenger car and truck tyre capacity at its Andhra Pradesh plant, as utilisation in India moves into the high 80s and truck and bus radial lines approach full capacity.

The board has approved the capital expenditure for financial years 2027 to 2029, with about INR 20 billion scheduled for FY2027. Total consolidated capex in FY2027 is expected to be about INR 30 billion, including roughly INR 7 billion of maintenance and operational spending and ongoing expansion in Hungary.

Neeraj Kanwar, Managing Director And Vice-Chairman, said the company was “running at close to 100 percent utilisation” in truck and bus radial tyres and was seeing shortages in truck, passenger car and farm segments.

For the quarter ended December 2025, consolidated revenue rose nearly 12 percent year on year to INR 77.4 billion, the highest quarterly revenue on both a standalone and consolidated basis, the company said. EBITDA stood at INR 11.9 billion, with a margin of 15.3 percent, compared with 14.9 percent in the previous quarter and 13.7 percent a year earlier.

In India, revenue was INR 51.4 billion, up more than 13 percent, with mid-teens volume growth in OEM and replacement channels and exports growth just short of 20 percent. The company said utilisation across India operations was in the high 80s for both passenger car radial and truck and bus radial tyres.

In Europe, revenue was €180 million, broadly flat year on year, reflecting a subdued market. The European passenger car replacement market declined 4 percent in the quarter. EBITDA in Europe was €32 million, with a margin of 17.9 percent, compared with 17.7 percent a year earlier and 12.7 percent in the preceding quarter.

In Europe, the group will close its Enschede plant in the Netherlands by the end of June 2026. Production is being transitioned to Hungary and India. Management expects the benefits of the restructuring to begin flowing through from the second half of FY2027, although it declined to provide margin guidance.

The India expansion will lift passenger car tyre capacity by 10,500 tyres per day from an existing base of about 58,000 tyres per day, an increase of 17–18 percent. Truck and bus radial capacity of more than 15,000 tyres per day will rise by 3,600 tyres per day, or more than 20 percent. Some capacity will come on stream in FY2028, with the full benefit expected by FY2030.

Gaurav Kumar, Chief Financial Officer, said the expansion equates to roughly INR 170 million per metric tonne of added capacity, compared with INR 115-120 million per tonne in the previous Andhra investment in FY2021. The increase reflects “inflationary pressures” and the adoption of “state-of-the-art” technology to cater to global OEMs in India, Europe and the US.

He added that the decision marked a shift from incremental debottlenecking to larger civil construction. “We reached a stage where we could not further increase the capacity by line balancing and hence, any further increase in capacity needed civil,” Kumar said.

The company expects to take on some additional debt during the capex cycle. Consolidated net debt fell to INR 13 billion at the end of December 2025, from INR 26 billion at the end of September, driven by lower short-term borrowings and stronger operational cash flow. Net debt to EBITDA declined to 0.4 times from 0.8 times.

Kumar said net debt to EBITDA would remain below the long-term ceiling of 2.0 times “even at the peak levels” of capex.

Return on capital employed is running at 13.5 percent, below the 15 percent target previously outlined by the group. Management said it would revisit capital allocation and return metrics as it formulates a new five-year plan to March 2031.

On raw materials, the company expects costs to remain steady in the fourth quarter. In the December quarter, natural rubber was about INR 195 per kg, synthetic rubber INR 170 per kg, carbon black INR 115 per kg and steel cord about INR 155 per kg.

Apollo does not hedge rubber or crude oil. “We came to the conclusion to stay away from rubber or crude oil hedging,” Kumar said. Foreign currency borrowings are fully hedged, while operational exposure in India is hedged between 75 percent and 100 per cent.

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Pirelli's medium and soft compounds shaped the Mexico City Grand Prix, where Max Verstappen took victory for Red Bull and Kimi Antonelli secured the Formula 1 World Championship with a third-place finish. Lewis Hamilton completed the podium in second for Ferrari at the circuit named after the Rodríguez brothers.

Verstappen triumphed through a two-stop strategy, beginning on mediums before switching to softs on lap 27. After 18 laps on the C5 compound, a red flag stopped the race, and the Dutchman used the pause to fit another set of softs, then resisted Hamilton's challenge to the finish. Hamilton had started on softs, moved to mediums and took another set of softs during the Safety Car that preceded the red flag, later choosing a previously run soft set at the restart while setting fastest laps on both compounds.

Antonelli, at 20, becomes Formula 1's youngest World Champion, breaking Sebastian Vettel's record of 23. The Italian started on softs, switched to mediums on lap 43 and used the red flag to fit another used set of softs, a strategy that delivered third place and the title. The podium contained only World Champions, with Verstappen on four titles, Hamilton on seven and Antonelli on his first.

Antonelli is the third Italian driver to claim the championship. His predecessors also won exclusively on Pirelli tyres, with Giuseppe Farina taking the inaugural 1950 title across six races and Alberto Ascari securing his second consecutive crown in 1953 by winning all eight Grands Prix he entered.

Dario Marrafuschi, Pirelli Motorsport Director, said, “Congratulations to Kimi Antonelli on winning the World Championship. It is a thoroughly deserved success, built on the consistency he has demonstrated throughout the season and sealed today with another outstanding performance, culminating in a podium finish in a race packed with drama alongside two World Champions. Without the neutralisations, a one-stop strategy would have been the most competitive option for this Grand Prix. Both the Soft and Medium compounds proved capable of covering around half the race distance, making it possible to complete the event with a single tyre change. The C5 once again confirmed itself as the benchmark compound in terms of grip and driver confidence, although the performance gap to the C4 was very small, with both compounds showing similar levels of degradation. It was therefore no surprise that every driver chose the Soft for the final stint after the Safety Car, despite also having the Hard compound available.

“From a technical perspective, tyre behaviour was very positive. We recorded no significant graining, and degradation remained within expected levels, proving lower than what had been observed on Friday. A lock-up by Leclerc at the restart following the red flag also provided further evidence of the robustness of Formula 1 tyres. The tyre sliding across the asphalt caused particularly severe localised wear on the front-left tyre, bringing it very close to the internal structural layers. This is certainly not a routine occurrence, but it is one that is consistently taken into account throughout Pirelli’s development and validation processes, including through rigorous indoor testing programmes. The ultimate objective is to ensure that the tyre maintains an appropriate level of integrity even under extreme conditions, allowing drivers to continue racing in complete safety.

“The performance of the Soft compound was particularly interesting, as demonstrated by Antonelli’s lengthy stint. He completed 43 laps while maintaining very limited degradation and a competitive pace right through to the closing stages of the race. The C3, meanwhile, was not considered by the teams because, under race conditions, it did not offer any performance advantage over the two softer compounds. Overall, the data collected confirmed a very clear picture, fully consistent with the simulations carried out before the event, both in terms of degradation and the competitiveness of the various strategic options.”

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Goodyear has expanded its presence in Norwood with a new Goodyear Auto Service store at 981 Boston Providence Hwy., situated in the Automile area just off Route 1. The store marked its arrival with a grand opening ribbon-cutting ceremony on 30 September, giving local drivers fresh access to professional tyre and automotive care.

Motorists visiting the location can choose from Goodyear and Cooper tyre lines, which cater to a range of vehicles, budgets and driving preferences. Among the Goodyear offerings are the Eagle F1 All Season for year-round capability, the Wrangler Steadfast HT for dependable comfort, the Assurance WeatherReady 2 for all-weather conditions and the ElectricDrive 2 for electric vehicle performance.

Beyond tyre sales and installation, the Norwood team provides oil changes, alignments, brake service, battery replacement, air conditioning service and preventive maintenance. With heavy commuter traffic along Route 1 wearing down tyres and colder weather elevating the need for proper care, the store invites drivers to receive a complimentary tyre air pressure check or consultation. Tyre rotation, wheel balancing and TPMS inspections are also available.

Several promotional offers are currently available. Through 30 November, customers who purchase and install select Goodyear or Cooper tyres with the Goodyear Credit Card can receive up to USD 200 back, while a full-synthetic oil change is priced at USD 69.99 through 1 December at participating locations. Qualifying oil changes and services also earn up to USD 20 in Valvoline rebates through 31 December. The store operates Monday through Saturday from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Marsha Nelson, Store Manager, said, “Backed by more than 125 years of expertise, our Goodyear team is ready to help customers choose the right tyres and provide the service their vehicles need to get them where they’re going with confidence. We’re committed to exceptional customer service and top-quality products, and we look forward to building lasting relationships with Norwood-area drivers and their vehicles.”

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Maxxis International will display its Victra RC-1 tyres on Nissan's Project NAT2 SCCA Touring 2³ car at the SEMA Show 2026, scheduled for 3–6 November at the Las Vegas Convention Center, continuing a partnership with the Nissan Acceleration Team (NAT) that dates to 2020. NAT is an all-volunteer motorsports group staffed by Nissan employees, and the Victra RC-1 has become a popular choice among club racers and enthusiasts for its grip, handling and heat cycle performance.

Project NAT2 is a Nissan Z fitted with upgraded engine, suspension and braking systems for the SCCA T2 road-racing class, which balances performance across production-based sports cars and sedans through rules on eligibility, modifications, weight and tyres. The car will run on 100TW Victra RC-1s in 275/35ZR18, retaining much of its production character while being prepared for serious wheel-to-wheel competition with safety, handling, braking and reliability upgrades.

Visitors can see the Project NAT2 Z and its Victra RC-1 tyres at Nissan's Booth #21521 in Central Hall at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Additional Maxxis tyres are on display at the outdoor booth #82002 in the Silver Lot and the indoor booth #41086 in South Hall Lower near the Bronze Lot.

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Hankook Tire held its 2026 Design Innovation Day on 30 October at Hankook Technodome, the company’s advanced research and development centre in Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, South Korea. The event, themed ‘Shaping Identity, Sculpting Performance’, gave employees a chance to learn about the tyre maker’s design strategies and major accomplishments.

A central highlight was the company’s first public presentation of a unified product design identity framework covering its principal brands: iON, the world’s first full-lineup tyre brand dedicated to electric vehicles; Ventus, its flagship line and Dynapro, its SUV-focused brand. Hankook Tire also introduced a next-generation product design language for the first time and explained how it will be applied to future products, clarifying each brand’s design direction and creating a consistent approach across the portfolio.

The programme featured three sessions. One addressed design strategies for conveying product performance while preserving brand identity and introduced guidelines for turning ‘invisible performance’ developed during R&D into design elements consumers can recognise, with approaches tailored to different product characteristics. Another session presented the next-generation design language for iON, Ventus and Dynapro, translating each brand’s core values into distinctive design elements. Hankook Tire further shared a framework for collaboration among R&D, product planning, marketing and design teams so they can develop products under unified design standards.

Through the event, Hankook Tire seeks to align design strategies and direction across the organisation, improve product development efficiency and speed decision-making while strengthening global brand recognition and its premium image. The company also aims to bolster design competitiveness in original equipment collaborations with global automakers and in product development for global markets. Hankook Tire continues to earn international design recognition, including three Product Design awards at the 2026 Red Dot Design Awards for Ventus evo, iON AT and Laufenn S FIT2, plus six Design Concept awards comprising two Best of the Best honours and four Red Dot awards.

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