Pirelli says its new Cinturato All Season product is a response to burgeoning consumer demand for year-round capability requiring no change of tyre.
The Cinturato will be able to operate 365 days a year and be legislation compliant as the manufacturer looks to capitalise on the growing sector, which is forecast to grow at double digit rates to 2018.
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Demonstrating the capability of the new Cinturato tyre on the flanks of a snowy Mount Etna on Sicily, Pirelli said it “could not ignore” the growing demand for its All Season product as a core segment of consumers looks to drive with a single set of wheels the whole year round.
“We have a tyre that will give safety 365 days a year without changing it, Pirelli general director of operations, Gregorio Borgo, told just-auto on the sidelines of the product’s launch on the island of Sicily.
“I go skiing every weekend and I want to have the right shoes – but if you are living in the city and you are using the car for a few kilometres a day I think you don’t need to have a such specific tyre and you don’t want to go to a tyre dealer.”
The All Season sector in Europe is growing with a yearly expansion rate of double digits forecast from 2013-2018. Current data shows the market at around 4% representing a growth of 50% compared to last year and with yet further rises in the coming months.
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By GlobalDataPirelli demonstrated the Cinturato at the foot of Mount Etna in relatively balmy conditions of around 14C, before unveiling its performance on a wet racetrack and then climbing the still-smoking volcano to near its summit where it put the new tyre through its paces on deep snow.
Drivers can also opt for the Seal Inside technology on the Cinturato, which automatically plugs up the hole should a puncture occur, allowing the car to be driven without stopping. “The Seal Inside technology makes the tyre puncture-free – we are talking about 4mm,” said Borgo.
Pirelli says an airtight seal wraps around a foreign object as soon as it penetrates the tyre, ensuring air does not escape and the product stays up.
When the object is removed, the seal itself plugs the resulting gap. The sealant is protected by a film before the tyre is mounted on to the wheel.
In particular, the All Season tyre is aimed at women, young drivers and second family car owners, as well as to those in cities where winter conditions are not extreme.
It is designed for recently-manufactured vehicles with small to medium engines and will be a available in 15-inch, 16-inch and 17-inch versions. By the end of 2015 there will be 21 different sizes of All Season tyre.
“If every day you have to wear a jacket and tie, you have several jackets and several ties,” said Borgo. “You are going to wear winter clothes in winter and summer clothes in summer.
“But you can have a jacket that you can have all year. It is not a matter to be lazy – it is a matter you have other priorities. At the end of the day it depends from customer to customer – if you want to make it simple and not complicated…it is the right product.”
“We are not looking for quantity, but we are looking to be the right price proposition,” added Borgo. “We are looking for a 20% premium on the summer tyre.
“The total mobility tyre gives safety in every condition. It will be winter legislation compliant and puncture-free.”
Pirelli adds noise has been reduced with its Cinturato variant, both on the outisde and in the cabin in line with stricter European legislation.
