Michelin has introduced an upgraded Defender for passenger vehicles, featuring an 80,000-mile warranty and an increased speed rating.
The new Defender will be an H speed-rated product for use in both T and H applications, which will ease confusion for consumers and dealers and increase market coverage for up to 83 percent of passenger vehicles in the marketplace today.
The new Defender will be available in 12 sizes beginning this month, with a total of 32 sizes available by late 2017. The manufacturer’s starting suggested retail price is $115.
Michelin North America chief executive Scott Clark said: “We know that many consumers make tire-purchasing decisions based on warranty and price, but tire warranties, unfortunately, do not always accurately reflect the actual wear performance of a tire. Our testing shows that specific tires from several leading competitors with mileage warranties between 80,000 to 90,000 miles will have a difficult time delivering the wear-life proclaimed by their mileage warranty.”
Michelin says the new Defender “delivers a promise of longevity, uncompromising safety performance and comfort to provide consumers peace of mind at point of sale and on the road.”
The new Michelin Defender complements the Defender LTX M/S introduced in 2015 with Maxtouch Construction, the Evertread Compound, Intellisipe Technology and Comfort Control Technology.
Key vehicle fitments for the product line include: Buick LaCrosse, Chevrolet Malibu, Chrysler Pacifica, Ford Focus, Honda Odyssey, Nissan Altima and Toyota Sienna.
