Bridgestone India, subsidiary of global leader in tyre technology and solutions Bridgestone, and MOTORINDIA, reputed commercial vehicle magazine, have undertaken a one-of-its-kind initiative – the ‘Go Extra’ campaign with the primary aim of showcasing Bridgestone’s new M721 tyre, the 15% extra mileage tyre, to key stakeholders in the commercial vehicle (CV) industry including fleet operators, drivers and mechanics at key trucking hubs across the country. The campaign also involves the participation of an elite set of brands from the commercial vehicle industry including Ashok Leyland as Trucking Partner, Delux Bearings as Bearing Partner, Jamna Auto Industries as Suspension Partner and Excelite, DH Lighting India as Lighting Partner.

As part of the ‘Go Extra’ campaign, a 14-wheeler heavy-duty Ashok Leyland ‘AVTR’ truck fitted with Bridgestone’s new M721 tyres in the drive axle started its journey from Delhi’s Sanjay Gandhi Transport Nagar in late January. After highly-engaging sessions with fleet operators, drivers and mechanics at multiple locations across Delhi and the states of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh the truck has traversed through important trucking hubs in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh namely Hyderabad, Vijayawada, Guntur and Nellore where similar engagement sessions have been conducted at the transport nagars in the respective locations.

The on-ground events at all locations received tremendous response from the local audience who demonstrated some of the best solutions currently available in the market when it comes to tyres, truck, bearings, suspensions and lighting systems. Apart from showcase of products and solutions, engagement activities and games were also conducted for the audience to pep up their spirits with prizes being given away for the winners.

The Go Extra campaign will run for 50+ days, with the truck covering 6,500+ km from start to finish. After Nellore, the truck has moved to Tamil Nadu for on-ground events at Chennai, Vellore, Salem, Namakkal and Sankari and will then travel to Karnataka, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Rajasthan, before returning to Delhi.

Apart from the engagement sessions at the transport hubs, the truck will also make stops at dhabas for interactions with truck drivers to make them familiar with Bridgestone’s new tyre and other offerings.

Mr. Tushar Bansode, Head Marketing – Commercial Business, Bridgestone India Pvt. Ltd., said, “We are delighted to partner with leading commercial vehicle magazine MOTORINDIA for the ‘Go Extra’ campaign, aimed at promoting our all-new V-STEEL Mix M721 tyre. The ‘Go Extra’ truck will cover 30+ locations and travel over 6,500 km across the country, introducing our tyre to key CV industry stakeholders including fleet operators, truck drivers and mechanics along the way, while also offering valuable tips, suggestions and solutions to help them improve their business. Targeted towards the general cargo segment, the largest portion of the CV segment, our new tyre promises to deliver 15% extra tyre mileage and subsequently help reduce the Cost Per Kilometre (CPKM) for fleet operators. We are excited with the enthusiastic response for the on-ground events being held at the transport hubs and are confident this campaign will help us make major in-roads into our target segment for the M721.”

Mr. Avijit Lahiri, Strategic Marketing Manager and Head – Go Extra Campaign, MOTORINDIA, said, “It is a privilege for MOTORINDIA to be partnering with a world-class brand like Bridgestone for such a unique campaign that involves a heavy-duty truck traversing through key transport hubs across the country, sharing knowledge, tips and best practices to help fleets reduce their total cost of operation (TCO). We have been in the industry for 65 years and have created a very strong presence in the commercial vehicle space which is our primary focus segment. We look forward to an eventful campaign, one that would impact thousands of lives in the CV sector and help them go the extra mile and take their business to the next level. We would like to thank our Title Partner Bridgestone, Trucking Partner Ashok Leyland, Bearing Partner Delux Bearing, Suspension Partner Jamna Auto Industries and Lighting Partner Excelite, DH Lighting India for joining us in this initiative.”