Ceat, one of India’s leading tyre manufacturers, has inaugurated four new Shoppes (its exclusive premium tyre outlet) in Bengaluru.

The company sees the rising demand for SUVs to see consumer demand shift towards larger premium tyres especially in the 17-inch category.

Lakshmi Narayanan B, Chief Marketing Officer, Ceat, said, “Karnataka is a significant market for Ceat, and Bengaluru’s dynamic automotive landscape makes it a key focus area. These new outlets will serve customers who seek high-performance tyres and value superior service. This expansion aligns with our ‘Crafted for the Curious’ philosophy, catering to individuals who enjoy exploring new paths and are drawn to premium, superior quality products and experiences.”

The four new dealerships are located in Whitefield, Koramangala, Bommenhali and Chamrajnagar (Kollegal). It also plans to add two more outlets in Sarjapur and Vijayanagar in the coming month.

The Ceat Shoppes will house both two-wheeler and four-wheeler tyres including the SteelRads, Zoom X3, SecuraDrive, SportDrive and CrossDrive range.

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Citira, a Sweden-based company specialising in circular tyre management, has reached an agreement to acquire the Swedish truck and bus maintenance firm Malte Månson from the private equity group Accent Equity. The combination of Citira’s tyre expertise with Malte Månson’s vehicle servicing is designed to create a convenient, full-service offering for heavy vehicle fleets initially in Sweden, with further expansion planned across Europe.

For 108 years, Malte Månson has operated as a renowned independent maintenance partner for truck and bus operators throughout Sweden. The company has established a strong reputation for reliable day-and-night service, comprehensive drivetrain and ancillary equipment repairs and a warm customer approach. In 2025, the firm reported revenues of SEK 773 million (approximately USD 82.31 million).

The transaction remains subject to standard closing conditions and regulatory approvals, with finalisation expected in the third quarter of 2026. Following the deal, Staffan Lindewald and his fellow members of the management team are set to become co-owners of Citira.

David Boman, CEO, Citira, said, “Together with Malte, we can build a unique service offering for heavy vehicle fleets and users, delivering convenient and sustainable uptime, with only one point of contact for the customer. I am deeply impressed by the high-calibre team at Malte, which will be an excellent fit with our network of tyre shops.”

Staffan Lindewald, CEO, Malte Månson, said, “Citira felt like a natural fit for Malte. We share a position as an independent service-focused challenger. We share the same type of heavy vehicle customers for which we provide complementary services. With Citira, we can reach more customers, provide additional services to our existing ones and accelerate Malte’s growth journey.”

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Epsilon Carbon Pvt. Ltd., a leading global manufacturer of carbon black, speciality carbon and coal tar downstream products, has been recertified under the Responsible Care programme by the Indian Chemical Council, with the certification valid through March 2029. The recertification applies to the company’s integrated manufacturing complex in Vijayanagar, Karnataka, recognised as one of India’s largest fully backward integrated carbon complexes. This facility has an annual capacity of 215,000 tonnes of carbon black and 220,000 tonnes of speciality carbon.

Responsible Care represents the global chemical industry’s leading voluntary initiative, focusing on safe chemical management throughout the product lifecycle. The programme has helped Epsilon Carbon embed safety and responsibility into daily operations, employee training and cross-functional decisions, moving beyond mere regulatory compliance.

For customers, partners and investors, the recertification offers third-party verification of operational integrity from raw material handling to product dispatch. Many industrial manufacturers accept Responsible Care certification as a sufficient global standard, and Epsilon Carbon has secured long-term supply contracts as a preferred supplier, reinforcing trust regardless of the company’s growth scale.

Gaurav Mathur, Chief Executive Officer, Epsilon Carbon, said, "We adopted Responsible Care early in our journey, well before it was a norm for a company of our scale. At that time, our focus was on building it right, not doing it quickly. That discipline has shaped our safety culture, our systems and the trust we have built with global customers and financial partners. As we expand into Odisha and grow our product portfolio, this recertification is a signal that our commitment to responsible operations continues to scale alongside our ambitions."

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Bridgestone has launched a new range of underground mining tyres engineered to perform in extremely harsh conditions, enabling greater productivity with fewer resources. The VMNT, VMDL and VMMS products are specifically designed for underground applications, where abrasive rock, high moisture and continuous operations create one of the toughest environments for tyres.

All three models debut Bridgestone’s Subterranean technology, allowing haulers to carry heavier loads without raising inflation pressure. This innovation also lowers the risk of cuts, penetrations and costly downtime. The tyres form part of the company’s Moving More with Less philosophy, balancing higher capacity, durability and safety to help operators maximise output underground.

The tyres reduce penetrations by enveloping rocks instead of allowing them to cut into the rubber while preserving grip and operator comfort. The VMNT offers extended wear life for underground haulers, the VMDL uses a unique lug pattern for traction on load and haul dump machines and the VMMS features a smooth grooveless design where traction comes from terrain contact, plus cut-resistant sidewalls. Available sizes include 26.5 R25, 29.5 R29 and 35/65 R33.

This release strengthens Bridgestone’s off-road tyre portfolio and reinforces its commitment to innovative solutions that improve productivity, durability and safety in specialised global applications.

Rob Cole, Key Account Manager – Off Road Tyres, UK and Ireland, Bridgestone, said, “These tyres are specifically designed for the harshest terrains that you’ll ever come across. Underground mines are among the most demanding and challenging environments imaginable. The beauty of these tyres is that they can carry 15 percent extra load capacity without increasing the pressure. Traditionally, the thinking in this sector was to make the casing stronger and simply put more air into the tyre to carry more load. In reality, that can be counterproductive in these conditions.

“If a tyre fails underground, it can fail with a tremendous amount of force, costing operators huge amounts of money in downtime and, more importantly, potentially endangering life. The machines themselves are getting heavier, so the tyre beads have also been strengthened to help carry more load safely and effectively. What Bridgestone has developed here is a tyre range capable of handling the severe realities of underground mining while helping operators move more with less.”

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The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd. has confirmed that its flagship ADVAN brand tyres powered the JR2 Class victor at 2026 WRC FORUM8 Rally Japan, the seventh round of the FIA World Rally Championship. The race took place from 28 to 31 May on courses spanning Japan’s Aichi and Gifu prefectures.

The ADVAN A051T tarmac rally tyres delivered the grip, control and wear resistance essential for navigating the event’s technically demanding stages under high surface temperatures. The JR2 Class is designated for national and regional rally vehicles with engine displacements above 1600 cc and up to 2500 cc. The winning car was a TOYOTA 86 fielded by K-ONE RACING TEAM, driven by Yuta Yamamoto and Shizuka Takehara.

Their well-coordinated, precision driving, combined with the ADVAN A051T tyres’ performance, allowed them to clock the fastest time on every stage except SS10, where a Notional Time was applied. The pair finished over 17 minutes ahead of the second-place car. Yamamoto has now claimed first place in the JR2 Class at Rally Japan for five consecutive years, with ADVAN tyres contributing each time.

Beyond Rally Japan, Yamamoto also competes in the Japanese Rally Championship, where he has secured the JN-3 class series title for three straight years, again supported by ADVAN rally tyres. Rally Japan is the country’s round of the WRC, which ranks alongside Formula 1 and the FIA World Endurance Championship as a premier global motorsport series. The competition is run entirely on tarmac roads, and this year’s WRC calendar features 14 rounds across different nations worldwide.

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