Pirelli Tire North America is targeting the all-terrain (A/T) segment with a new tire that’s also the first product in a new line.
The recently introduced Pirelli Scorpion XTM AT is the debut tire in the company’s newly unveiled Scorpion XTM range, the next iteration of Pirelli’s Scorpion family, which premiered in North America more than 25 years ago.
“The Scorpion line has been iconic for Pirelli, especially in the SUV segment, where it has built a reputation for balancing performance and comfort,” according to Pirelli officials. “With the introduction of the (Scorpion) XTM AT, Pirelli is taking this legacy to the next level by pushing the Scorpion family to its extreme.”
The Scorpion XTM AT will be available in 37 P-metric and LT-metric sizes fitting wheels ranging from 17 inches to 24 inches in diameter.
It’s designed for both electric vehicles (EVs) and internal combustion engine (ICE)-powered vehicles.
The tire contains Pirelli’s Elect EV technology, which is designed to minimize both noise and rolling resistance, and will first roll out for EV applications, according to Ian Coke, Pirelli North America chief technical officer.
“We’re known for EV,” Coke told MTD during a March 27 ride-and-drive event in Death Valley, Calif. He said it was therefore natural for Pirelli to ask, “’Why don’t we do our first (all-terrain) product as an EV (tire), then quickly follow up with ICE?’”
Target EV fitments for the new tire include the Rivian R1T, Rivian R1S, Jeep Wrangler 4xe, Dodge Ram 1500 REV, Ford F-150 Lightning and others. The Scorpion XTM AT also is appropriate for popular ICE pickups like the Chevy Silverado, Ford F-150, Ford F-350, Jeep Wrangler and Nissan Titan XD, according to Pirelli officials.
In addition to Elect technology, the Scorpion XTM AT features an aggressive, high-void tread pattern for optimal performance on dirt, gravel, mud, sand and other off-road surfaces. It also sports a “radical design with reinforced shoulder technology to provide added protection from obstacles,” according to Pirelli officials. “This combination is tailored for maximum traction and durability for off-road adventures,” while delivering “on-road stability.”
The tire has earned 3-Peak Mountain Snowflake certification for handling and traction in snow.
A/T and EV-first
When asked why Pirelli chose to launch its new Scorpion XTM line with an all-terrain (A/T) tire while prioritizing an EV-first strategy, Coke told MTD that Pirelli “didn’t have a name in the A/T world.
“Pirelli is not synonymous with off-road tires, so what we wanted to do was launch something where we feel we are quite strong, which is in the EV world. We tried to match all the OE fitments for EVs to show we can do what we say. The rest of the fitments will follow.”
The Scorpion XTM AT has been in development for more than three years, Coke told MTD. “A/T is an iconic (segment). There are a lot of brands out there ... and we want to be known as a tier-one in the A/T world. The benchmarks we did were against tier-one brands. That’s why it took a little longer” to develop the tire.
“We also want to be very visible,” said Coke. “We will make a (highway-terrain) tire going into the end of next year, but we want to see how the market takes our venture into A/T. We think that’s a nice fit for us to evolve our portfolio in North America.”
In the replacement channel, the Scorpion XTM AT will be available through Pirelli’s network of independent tire dealers. And Pirelli is pursuing OE fitments “within the Big Three” on both EV and ICE models. (The tiremaker already has fitments with EV automaker Rivian.)
‘Extremely competitive’
The Scorpion XTM AT is engineered and manufactured for the North American market with North American consumers in mind, Coke told MTD.
“The tire will be made in Mexico currently,” he said. “The second wave is coming from Brazil. Probably around May, those will start to arrive in the warehouse. And then the third wave, we’re happy to say, will be made in the United States at our plant in Georgia. The third wave will come in around January of next year. We’re actually building a new process to do it.
“We took our time” developing the Scorpion XTM AT, said Coke. “We didn’t want to sacrifice anything. We think we have an extremely competitive product.”
