ROME, Ga. – Touting control and confidence, Pirelli Tire North America L.L.C. is introducing a new generation of its Scorpion all-season light truck/SUV tire for the North American market.
Dubbed the Scorpion AS Plus 3, the new offering comes in 37 sizes covering 17- to 22-inch rim diameters and was designed with computer modeling to help create products that come with 70,000-mile warranties, the company said May 17.
The new model is designed specifically for crossovers, sport utility vehicles and light trucks.
"This past year has been not easy for all of us. But at Pirelli we used this time to focus on the two most important things we have, our customers and our products. We invested more than ever in research. Today we are shifting gears to put a much higher focus on the needs of our American customer with our Plus product lines," Pirelli Tire North America CEO Pietro Berardi said during an online presentation.
"The Plus product lines have been designed specifically for North America and its American customers, providing more mileage and all-season performance," he continued. "We are delivering this technology to the most important segment — crossovers, SUVs, pickups and electric vehicles," Mr. Berardi said.
Pirelli said the all-season segment is an important market that dominates sales in the U.S., Michael Gerowitz, head of product marketing for Pirelli in North America, said.
"The U.S. market is very stable, with 90% of the market being the all-season group and the CUV /SUV representing more than 30% of these fitments. The growth is driven by 18- and 19-inch sizes that we see emerging in new generations of CUVs and SUVs," Mr. Gerowitz said.
This is the third generation of the tire, following its introduction in 2013 and an update in 2019. The company, this time around, relied heavily on computer work to test a variety of approaches.
"The Plus 3 technology is an all-season tire that can be used all year for more years. This technology incorporates advanced digital modeling and design tools that gave our development teams a clear technological advantage before a physical tire had been built. This allowed Pirelli to virtually build and test dozens of prototypes to arrive at the best all-around tire," Mr. Gerowitz said.
Pirelli relied on new polymers to create the line of tires that extend the "working temperature range even at low temperatures, while still bringing significant mileage improvements and maintain strong wet capabilities," the company said.
"The tread pattern employs a specific distribution of siping that is designed to give the tire more uniform stiffness and promote a regular wear pattern as the tire wears down," Pirelli added. "This translates into greater mileage and excellent product performance."
Along with a 70,000-mile treadwear warranty, Pirelli also touted the new tire's performance in dry, wet and snow-covered conditions while also providing for reduced road noise and a "quiet, comfortable ride."
Danica Patrick, a retired race car driver and Pirelli promotional partner, also touted the Scorpion AS Plus 3 during the company's online presentation and while taking laps around Las Vegas Motor Speedway in an Ford Explorer.
