The market will keep bringing opportunities: Dunlop's Edouard Carpentier on niche markets, motorsport & innovation

摘要

NUMEROUS NICHE SUBCATEGORIES now exist within key segments of the motorcycle market, a phenomenon mirroring the high proportion of bike owners riding for pleasure. This blurring of traditional segment boundaries presents a challenge to tyre makers, who must decide between a 'one size fits all' approach or striving to meet the individual needs of a growing number of rider groups. For Dunlop, it was an easy decision. Goodyear Dunlop's Edouard Carpentier views this proliferation of segments and subsegments as "opening a lot of opportunities for Dunlop to design the right tyre for every type of rider." Demand for Dunlop to fulfil this remit is fuelled, he believes, by a level of end user engagement that makes the motorcycle segment unique within the tyre industry.