Michelin Primacy 5: the first Michelin car tyre made in India

Michelin launched the Primacy 5 in India on Monday 3 August 2026, its first passenger car tyre to be made in the country. Built at the company’s plant near Chennai, it is a touring tyre for sedans and SUVs in sizes from 16 to 22 inches, designed for petrol, diesel, hybrid and electric cars alike. Michelin is selling it first as a replacement tyre, through its Michelin Tyres & Service stores and around 800 authorised dealers, with supply to car makers to follow later. It is also a sign of premium tyre makers bringing car tyre production to India as buyers move to larger cars.

Made in Chennai

Michelin signed an agreement with the Tamil Nadu government in 2009 for a plant at the SIPCOT Thervoy Kandigai industrial park, about 50 km north of Chennai, and began making truck and bus tyres there in early 2014. In September 2025 it rolled out its first India-made passenger car tyres from the same site, following an investment of nearly ₹686 crore, and said then that the tyres would reach the market in the second quarter of 2026.

“It is no longer a promise. It is actually happening,” Michelin India’s managing director, Shantanu Deshpande, said at the launch. The plant has a combined capacity of about 54,000 tonnes for truck, bus and car tyres, Michelin said, and will add more sizes and product lines, including the Pilot Sport 5 and LTX Trail, as passenger car production ramps up through the end of 2027. The home market comes first, though Michelin said it could also export car tyres from Chennai, as it already does truck tyres.

What Michelin claims

Michelin says the Primacy 5 was developed and tested on vehicles commonly used in India, using a new tread pattern, new compounds and what it calls its EverGrip and EverTread technologies. Its headline claims come from tests it commissioned from Applus+ IDIADA at the NATRAX track in Indore in May and June 2026, on a Hyundai Creta with 205/65 R16 tyres:

Test	Primacy 5	Average of competing tyres
Wet braking, 80 to 20 km/h, new	30.5 m	38.6 m
Wet braking, 80 to 20 km/h, worn to 2 mm	37.6 m	46.5 m
Dry braking, 100 to 0 km/h, new	38.1 m	42.2 m

Michelin also claims a comfort score 9% better than the rivals’ average, tread life 8% longer than the Primacy 4ST that the new tyre replaces, and rolling resistance 6.5% lower, which helps fuel economy and electric range. These are the company’s own figures from tests it paid for.

One detail is specific to India. Jean-François Rene, executive director of Michelin Chennai, said the Indian version uses the same basic compounds, machinery and quality standards as Michelin tyres made elsewhere, with extra material added to strengthen it against Indian road hazards, which makes it slightly heavier.

What it competes with

Michelin named its comparison tyres as the Bridgestone Turanza 6i, the Continental UltraContact UC6 and the Yokohama BluEarth-GT Max AE51. Depending on size and car, it will also meet Indian premium ranges such as the CEAT SportDrive, Apollo Aspire 4G+ and MRF Perfinza.

Nine days later Yokohama India launched its own premium range, the Geolandar X-CV for crossovers and SUVs, in 32 sizes from 16 to 20 inches. Both makers pointed to the same trend: utility vehicles made up about 68% of domestic passenger vehicle sales in April to June 2026, according to SIAM.

What it means for buyers

If your car runs on 16-inch or larger wheels, there is a new premium option made in India. For a side-by-side look at how Michelin’s Indian range compares with Bridgestone’s, see our Bridgestone vs Michelin guide; for electric cars, see our guide to EV tyres; and to see which brands we track in your size, use the tyre size pages.