Michelin gets India’s first fuel efficiency 5 Star rating for passenger car tyre category
Mumbai : Michelin, the world’s leading sustainable mobility company, has become the first tyre brand in the passenger vehicle segment in India to be accredited with the newly introduced star labelling program by Government of India. MICHELIN Latitude Sport 3 and MICHELIN Pilot Sport 4 SUV tyres receiving 5 Star rating is a real endorsement of Michelin’s commitment to offering the best of global sustainable technology and state-of-the-art products to its Indian customers. Recently, Michelin became the first brand in India to receive 4 Star rating by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) for it’s made in India commercial vehicle tyre MICHELIN X® Multi Energy Z.
Manish Pandey, Commercial Director B2C for India Region said, “At Michelin, we believe that for mobility to have a future, it will have to be increasingly eco-friendly, efficient, safe and accessible. After receiving the first 4-Star label for our commercial vehicle tyre recently, we are thrilled to be recognised once again with India’s first 5 Star rating for two of our most popular passenger car tyre-lines in India. For our brand, this first 5 Star rating will add greater confidence among our customers, where they will be better placed to select tyres that are fuel-efficient, safe and contribute to decreasing carbon footprint in the country. We are dedicated to offering our Indian customers the most advanced technology best tailored to keep them safe, comfortable, and efficient on Indian roads”
Government of India continues to make consistent efforts towards infrastructure development, with the pace of national highway (NH) construction in the country touching a record 37 km per day in 2020-21. To make these roads safer and drives more efficient, comfortable, and confident, the tyre industry has played a crucial role, with consistent efforts towards creating a more innovative contribution to the industry. As part of an ambitious road map by the Ministry of Power and Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas for a smooth transition towards green mobility, a final notification was published in 2021, proposing that the tyres of cars, buses, and trucks meet requirements of rolling resistance and wet grip as specified in BEE Schedule 30 based on Stage-I of the Automotive Industry Standards (AIS). Under this process, Michelin India is one of the first brands to register for both commercial vehicle as well as passenger car segment and was subsequently awarded India’s first 5 Star rating for Michelin Latitude Sport 3 and Pilot Sport 4 SUV tyres.
The new regulations will demand that all tyres sold in India meet crucial performance and safety standards such as rolling resistance and wet grip. When this regulation becomes mandatory, all domestic and foreign manufacturer and importers of truck, bus and passenger car tyres will be required to attribute BEE star label to tyres sold in India.
MICHELIN Latitude Sport 3 is the third generation of Latitude on-road SUV tyres from Michelin’s global line-up. The tyres are uniquely designed to offer the best in the segment, driving experience, better performance in terms of fuel consumption and an outstanding grip on all types of terrains. It provides better road grip on wet roads with minimal roll resistance, adding to better fuel efficiency. The tyre’s exceptional design offers a high level of comfort and maximum torque transfer while braking or accelerating, thus improving steering precision.
MICHELIN Pilot Sport 4 SUV tyre is a high-performance, premium SUV tyre developed to deliver unlimited driving pleasure, excellent longevity, impressive braking performance, and dynamic handling. Pilot Sport 4 SUV tyres outperform peers in dry and wet on-road braking, with shorter braking distances. Moreover, this tyre provides better roll resistance, resulting in greater fuel efficiency and Safety.
PARAMETERS FOR STAR LABELLING:
AIS conducts star labelling test on tyres on various aspects, such as testing of rolling resistance coefficient and wet grip index. The rolling resistance coefficient test is done on the rolling ratio to the tyre’s load. In contrast, the wet grip Index test is done on parameters of the ratio between performance of the candidate tyre and the performance of the standard reference test tyre. Each test must meet the minimum threshold for each star rating band. 5 Star category has a lower limit of 0 kg/ton and an upper limit of 8 kg/ton.
IMPACT OF FUEL SAVINGS AND 5-STAR SIGNIFICANCE:
A 5 Star product, on average, consumes up to 9.5% less fuel when compared to any other lower star-rated tyre, co-relating to lesser greenhouse gas emissions, a significant cause of global warming. On an average, there would be up to 750 kg less Co2 emissions when you switch to a 5-star product vs a lower-star rated tyre. As the fuel prices across the globe remain volatile, consumer can save a significant amount of money by switching to 5-star rated tyres.