Asked specifically whether Goodyear has plans to expand the facility over time, Darren Hayes-Powell, the project director, told Tire Business: “We have some capabilities to expand it, but it depends on the market.
“For us, this is the first plant we (will) have built in the Americas for 25 years. It's something we are really very excited about.”
The last new plant Goodyear built in the Americas was the radial car and light truck factory in Napanee, Ontario, which opened in 1990.
Mr. Hayes-Powell said San Luis Potosí is “really a Mexican plant, but it can supply the rest of Latin America and North America.”
According to Goodyear, light vehicle production in Mexico increased to 3.6 million a year between 2010-2015 from 2.2 million, "and it's estimated it will grow to 5 million by 2020.”
The number of light vehicles on the road rose to 17 million today from 15.5 million in 2010 and is likely to reach 19 million in 2020, the tire maker added.