As BKT Tyres accelerates its push into India’s consumer tyre market, it is unifying its off-highway and on-road businesses under one brand identity while expanding its focus beyond products to services. In our July issue, we spoke with Mahesh Koppad, chief marketing officer, India, BKT, about the company’s consumer ambitions, brand strategy, innovation roadmap and growth plans.

Explaining BKT’s decision to invest more aggressively in the consumer mobility space, Koppad pointed to the company’s established off-highway tyre business and the changing mobility landscape in India.

He shared, “BKT has been a market leader in the off-highway tyre business, with that foundation built on engineering excellence and product quality. Over the last 10 years, we have seen that the model has worked very well in India, which is now one of our fastest-growing markets.”

Koppad added that improvements in road infrastructure and vehicle quality, coupled with consumers travelling more and undertaking longer journeys, made entering the consumer business a natural evolution for the company.

As part of this transition, BKT also refreshed its brand architecture, bringing its off-highway and on-highway businesses under BKT Tyres.

This led to the brand proposition ‘Elevate Your Drive’, which Koppad said reflects an ambition to move beyond simply manufacturing tyres.

“The promise we make is that BKT will not just provide great products but build an entire ecosystem that can truly elevate consumers’ journeys. In many ways, we’re moving from making great tyres to elevating the entire journey," Koppad stated.

Its ‘You Forward’ initiative builds on this proposition by extending BKT’s relationship with consumers beyond purchase. According to Koppad, expectations shaped by quick commerce are increasingly influencing service ecosystems as consumers expect brands to come to them.

He voiced, “The idea behind ‘You Forward’ was that while consumers are out on journeys, we don’t want them to get stuck. We want them to travel without anxiety. When a consumer experiences a flat tyre or gets stranded, that’s when we want the brand to go to the consumer rather than expecting the consumer to come to us.”

For BKT, this service-led approach also forms an important part of building trust in the consumer tyre category. While product performance remains the first layer, Koppad believes engagement must continue throughout ownership.

“Trust isn’t built at purchase; it’s built across the consumer lifecycle," Koppad added.

Beyond advertising, BKT is attempting to strengthen this relationship through sports, consumer engagement and its channel partners. During the T20 League, where it sponsors eight teams, the company launched ‘Sound of BKT’, inviting fans to create hook steps around its sonic identity.

According to Koppad, the initiative received more than 300 entries. He shared, “This helps us evolve from being a brand that simply sponsors a sporting property to one that engages with consumers meaningfully.”

Looking ahead, BKT is focusing on durability, EVs and understanding how smart tyres can solve genuine consumer problems. Koppad said innovation will increasingly need to give consumers greater confidence and useful information during their journeys.

“The future lies in tyres that give consumers more confidence on every journey. We need to understand how we can make tyres that provide consumers with more information about their journeys and solve real problems," Koppad explained.

From a growth perspective, BKT is expanding its two-wheeler SKUs and working towards radial tyres for the segment. The company also plans to officially launch its passenger car radial tyres in Q3.

Beyond expanding its product portfolio, Koppad indicated that BKT will continue exploring services that add value beyond the tyre itself, with ‘You Forward’ serving as the first step towards building that wider consumer ecosystem.

Read the full interview in the July issue of Manifest, which can be purchased here.