GREENVILLE, S.C. (Feb. 9, 2004) — Michelin North America Inc. will upgrade its Pilot performance tire offerings across the board this year, starting with the launch of the top-of-the-line Pilot Sport PS2 in late February.
Declaring 2004 the “Year of Performance” for consumers in North America, Michelin has targeted five product families for new product roll-outs, spanning fitments from sport motorcycles to luxury touring sedans to high-performance sports cars. All told, the performance initiative will cover about 150 new SKUs this year, the company said.
Already this year, the company has launched the Pilot Power tire for sport motorcycles.
Next up will be the Sport PS2, Michelin's Y-speed-rated “flagship ultra-high-performance passenger car tire,” in 17- to 22-inch diameter fitments. It will be available in dealers' showrooms by March, the company said. The tire maker offered a sneak preview of the tire last November during the Specialty Equipment Market Association/International Tire Expo show in Las Vegas.
Also slated for upgrade are: the V- and W-rated Pilot Exalto PE2 in 15- to 17-inch sizes (available to dealers by June); the W-rated Pilot XGT Z4 in 16- to 18-inch fitments (June); and the H- and V-rated Pilot Alpin PA2 winter tire in 15- to 18-inch sizes (September).
Underlining the company's commitment to the North American performance consumer, Michelin has secured a place as the race tire supplier to General Motors Corp.'s factory-backed Corvette Racing team. The two-car team will compete in the American Le Mans Series GTS category and at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, France, endurance race.