Enthusiasts rejoice, Michelin has finally launched its made in India tyre for the mass market passenger car segment, the new Primacy 5. The primacy range has been one of the most popular tyre ranges from Michelin in it’s long tyre making history and the Primacy 5 will be available in India from a massy 16-inch to a more premium 22-inch size. The tyre will basically be available for a plethora of hatchbacks, sedans and SUVs across the spectrum. Prices for the Michelin Primacy 5 will start at ₹10,000
While Michelin tyres have been available in India for ages, mostly either via a private import route or more recently imported to India by Michelin India itself, the manufacturing of the Primacy 5 is a huge step towards this highly favoured brand officially being available in India - both at a higher market presence and at a more standardised price point across the country.
As mentioned, the Primacy 5 will be available across various sizes, starting from as small as a 16-inch size that will cater to the likes of hatchbacks and sedans like the i20, Fronx, Baleno, Slavia and Virtus while Michelin will also offer more mass market 17 and 18 inch sizes for the likes of the hugely popular compact SUV market - that constitutes the likes of the Hyundai Creta, etc.
While the actual material and chemical properties of the new Primacy 5 are pretty much identical to what Michelin uses across the world, the Indian tyre in specific has been made stronger with a more robust sidewall construction keeping into mind the road conditions our country has to offer. The tyre gets a stiffened sidewall that can take a lot more battering, which has in turn resulted in a slightly heavier overall tyre as compared to the standard Primacy 5 available internationally.
That said, Michelin claims that the Primacy 5 is the best tyre in the segment, a claim we would be happy to put to the test in the future. Michelin already has plans to make the Pilot Sport 5 high performance range and the LTX SUV range in India very soon too, which will be a huge boon to several high performance car owners in India and will stop the import of grey market tyres without the necessary certification.
