Goodyear Canada is revving up for the launch of a high performance version of its Aquatred tire.
Launched two years ago, the Aquatred has a deep circumferential groove and angled cross grooves that enable it to displace water easily and, thus, manoeuvre well in wet driving conditions.
It is Goodyear’s premium all-season tire for the family car market.
Goodyear has now decided, in the new Eagle Aquatred, to marry the wet-traction features of the Aquatred with the wide-tread of its Eagle GT + 4 brand of high performance tire.
Don Moore, Goodyear’s Ontario marketing manager, says a knock against high performance tires is that their extra width makes them more likely to hydroplane.
To combat this tendency without sacrificing width, which provides for better cornering and handling, Goodyear has designed the Eagle Aquatred with a second deep circumferential groove.
It is the only tire of its kind of the market, and Moore says he expects it will generate a great deal of interest among high performance tire purchasers.
‘This is big news,’Moore says. ‘No other tire on the market offers both wet traction and performance handling.’
20% of sales
Performance tires, which are typically bought by owners of mid-to-large-sized sedans, represent about 20% of Goodyear’s tire sales.
The company will introduce the Eagle Aquatred to its Ontario dealers in April. Western and Eastern Canada will follow in May.
In Ontario, a consumer marketing campaign, in the form of newspaper and radio advertising, is scheduled to begin June 20.
Spill from a u.s. tv campaign supporting the launch in the u.s. is already reaching the Canadian market.
Because product supply is expected to be tight in the spring and beyond, Goodyear’s Eastern and Western divisions have yet to decide on consumer launch dates.
Goodyear’s ad agency is Due North of Toronto. PA
