Why not type makers pass on AIR PRICE FALL benefit to consumers?

摘要

The prices of natural rubber, the main raw material for the tyre industry, have been sliding in recent times. However, there is widrespread resentment that the tyre companies have not so far passed on the benefits of sliding NR prices to the consumers. Are the tyre makers justified in keeping tyre prices high even in the context of falling NR prices? Or, do they have any compelling reasons to maintain the same price level? in this article, experts address these questions in the larger perspective of factors impacting tyre prices such as input costs, macro economic situation, fall in NR consumption by tyre industry, decline in auto sales etc.