Pirelli launches all-terrain replacement light truck tire

LAS VEGAS — Pirelli & C. S.p.A. has long touted its tires as original equipment on many of the world's finest automobiles, but with its new Scorpion All Terrain Plus light truck and SUV tire, it's focusing squarely on the North American replacement market.

The Scorpion AT Plus is the first product line Pirelli has developed as a replacement line only, Andrea Clerici, the company's vice president of car replacement sales for the U.S., said.

"It's not a pull from an OE-dedicated line that has been tuned for the replacement market," he said. "It's a pure specific (aftermarket) development."

Pirelli Tire North America launched the All Terrain Plus — which replaces the 10-year-old Scorpion ATR — during a ride-and-drive event at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, April 4-6, attended by tire dealers, distributors and the tire and automotive trade press.

The tire maker originally signaled its intention to add this product 18 months earlier at the 2016 Los Angeles Auto Show, saying at that time it was looking to grab a larger share of the light truck/SUV tire market in North America.

Along with hearing product briefings, dealers and journalists tested the new tire at the speedway on various road surfaces, including wet and dry pavement and on dirt and gravel. Testing included transitioning at high speed from pavement to gravel roads and back.

Pirelli is targeting the Scorpion AT Plus at the growing market for 17-inch rim diameter and larger all-terrain tires, especially drivers who use their vehicles 95 percent of the time on-road, but who take them off-road occasionally.

"That's most of the users of the pickups and the big SUVs you see driving around on the road today," Steve Carpino, senior consultant – product design and development for Pirelli, said.

The Scorpion AT Plus fits into Pirelli's "high-value" strategy that focuses on the personalization of products and services, based on customer needs and supported by the search for innovative technological solutions, Pirelli Tire North America Chairman and CEO Marco Crola said in his first event as the company's top executive.

This approach has led to cutting-edge products and technologies such as Connesso, Cyber Car, Color Edition, run-flat, Noise Canceling System and self-sealing, he said.

Worldwide sales of prestige vehicles are predicted to grow nearly 8 percent from 2016-20, Mr. Crola said in explaining the high-value strategy, while the total vehicle parc is forecast to increase by only 3.4 percent, including premium and standard vehicles. At the same time, demand for 18-inch and larger tires is expected to grow 9.1 percent over that time period, a trend similar for North America.

"So what it means is that this segment is the winning segment," he said. "It is the segment in which you are able to make much more sales to satisfy more customers, and do more profit because they are more expensive tires," he said.

The tire also needed better off-road performance as well as better traction in snow, not just when the tire is new, but after it has a few miles on it. In addition, it had to be quiet and provide a comfortable ride.

A similar growth trend is occurring in the U.S. pickup and SUV market, Mr. Clerici said, which accounts for nearly 60 percent of new vehicle registrations.

Pirelli has targeted the Scorpion All Terrain Plus for this vehicle segment.

In developing the new tire, Pirelli took into account what end-use customers and tire dealers wanted in the tire, including aesthetics and performance.

Compared with the outgoing Scorpion ATR, the new tire needed a more aggressive look to stand out from all the choices in the all-terrain tire market. Mr. Carpino said. An aggressive look is important, he said, because in the showroom or in a catalog "you have got a few seconds to have the right look to catch that customer."

To achieve these goals, Pirelli gave the All Terrain Plus a more aggressive tread pattern and wider tread face than the Scorpion ATR, a tread compound designed for improved wet performance, durability and traction and more siping for better grip on snow. The latter resulted in the tires being marked with the three-peak mountain snowflake designation indicating its suitability for winter conditions.

For an even more aggressive look, Pirelli designed the tire with robust shoulder and upper sidewall blocks, which Mr. Carpino said also help protect against impact cuts.

In addition, Pirelli placed conical stone ejectors in the tire's tread grooves to repel small stones from the tire's tread and for mud and snow traction.

In subjective driving on the tire, dealers and journalists generally seemed impressed with the tire's quietness and on- and off-road performance.

"I was extremely impressed with the transition from gravel to pavement and vice versa," said Dan Seitler, senior vice president of procurement for American Tire Distributors Inc., who attended the ride-and-drive. "The tire was very predictable and delivered outstanding performance."

The Scorpion All Terrain Plus carries a 50,000-mile treadwear warranty for all sizes and is available in a range of 16- to 20-inch rim diameter sizes. The majority of the product line is available to order in the most popular sizes, with the full product range available by the third quarter.

Pirelli did not discuss pricing for the new range.

The Scorpion All Terrain Plus is "a long overdue addition to the Scorpion lineup," Mr. Seitler said. "They hit the mark with the cosmetic look of the product while delivering the usual outstanding technological benefits."