SD International wants to make an impact in the U.S. with its Zeta private brand tire line. Manufactured by Qingdao Sentury Tire Co. Ltd. in Thailand, Zeta is being marketed as a third-tier replacement tire.
Company executives, including Managing Director Mike Zhang and Sales and Marketing Director Peter Nicholls, discussed their plans for the brand with Modern Tire Dealer at the 2016 Specialty Equipment Market Association Show, which runs Nov. 1-4 in Las Vegas.
There are seven lines to date (with the mileage warranties in parentheses):
- Verdant (60,000). The high performance broad-line tire is available in 24 sizes ranging from 185/70R14 88H to 205/45ZR16 XL 87W.
- Meglio (50,000). The UHP tire is available in 20 sizes ranging from 215/55ZR17 XL 98W to 275/30ZR20 XL 97W.
- Etalon (50,000). The CUV tire, built for CUVs like the Ford Edge, is available in 19 sizes ranging from 215/70R16 100H to 255/55R18 XL 109V.
- Impero (50,000). The SUV tire, built for vehicles like the Chevrolet Tahoe, is available in 14 20-, 22- and 24-inch sizes.
- Impero A/T (50,000). The all-terrain tire is available in 19 LT sizes and four metric sizes.
- Consenso H/T. The highway light truck tire is available in nine 10-ply LT sizes (40,000-mile limited tread wear warranty) and two 20-inch metric sizes (50,000).
- Impero M/T. The mud-terrain tire is available in eight 10-ply, Q-rated LT sizes.
Sales Manager Bob Stewart says SD International backs all seven lines with a complete dealer program that includes rebates; sales spiffs for the counterpeople; a co-op program; dealer incentive trips; a 30-day test drive for consumers; and a "dealer friendly" road hazard warranty that covers the first 25% of tread wear.
"We want to ultimately vie for second or third replacements," adds North American Sales Director Dan Wheeler.
