"Eventually I´d like to see Dunlop get to be a 5% (replacement market share) brand," Jon Rich, president of Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co.´s North American Tire unit, has told moderntiredealer.com.
"We have some work to get there, but I think we have a tremendous game plan for Dunlop."
Goodyear unveiled three new Dunlop tires this past weekend as part of its strategy for the brand, which it acquired five years ago.
They include:
* the Dunlop SP Sport Maxx, which will serve as Dunlop´s flagship ultra-high performance tire in North America. The Sport Maxx is available in 26 sizes, ranging from 16 to 22 inches in diameter.
* the Dunlop Direzza DZ101, which targets the sport compact market. The Direzza will complement Dunlop´s other tuner tire, the SP Sport FM901. It comes in 12 sizes.
* the Dunlop Grandtrek AT20, "a cross between (the) passenger car and light truck tire," which is engineered for luxury cross-over vehicles. The tire is available in 18, 15- to 17-inch sizes.
"The position for Dunlop is the in-the-know driving enthusiast who is passionate about what he does and how he drives," says Andy Traicoff, director of Dunlop consumer tire marketing. "We´ll be targeting that kind of consumer mindset.
"From a production standpoint, we´ll have new products that meet all consumer needs in passenger, performance, light truck and SUV, but the message is about the performance capabilities of the product."
