Maxxis tyres have been in the Nepali market for over a decade now and have managed to capture a slice of the lucrative spare parts market thanks to their excellent tyre performance and strong build quality. Bhagawati International is the sole distributor of Maxxis tyres in Nepal. According to them, they are the current market leaders in the light commercial vehicle sector. They initially focused on the light commercial vehicle and van segments and slowly expanded their portfolio to include motorcycle tyres, passenger car radials, 4×4 off road tyres and more. We sat down with Rishav Khetan, director of Bhagwati International to find out how they managed to stand out in a segment that is becoming increasingly crowded.

How did Bhagwati International become associated with Maxxis tyres?

We have been working with Maxxis tyres for over a decade now. They are one of the world’s most trusted tyre brands, delivering high-quality products to customers in nearly 180 countries and employs more than 30,000 people. We initially only offered tyres for commercial vehicles and vans. But the market response was beyond our expectations and we soon expanded our product portfolio. We now offer more than 130 sizes in the passenger car and light truck segments.

What makes Maxxis tyres different from the rest of the competition?

Maxxis tyres are known for their high-quality, efficiency and innovation. Our tyres have been acknowledged with numerous honours and awards such as Ford Motor Company World Excellence Award, Taiwan’s National Quality Award and more. Furthermore, Maxxis tyres cost on average, 20 percent less than the competition. We offer the most fuel-efficient and high-performance tyres for all types of vehicles as well.

To highlight the high-quality of Maxxis tyres, we offer a lifetime guarantee for any manufacturing or material defects. If the defect is more than 80 percent, we will replace the tyre for free. Compared to other tyre brands in Nepal, Maxxis offers the best value proposition.

How does Maxxis maintain this level of quality on their tyres?

Maxxis invests heavily in its research and development efforts with five R&D centres around the world. The tyres are then brought to the 850,000-sq-metre proving ground in Shanghai, which houses a state of the art test track with 13 real-world surfaces and intelligent watering system for precise wet testing. This allows the company to rigorously test the tyres before they hit the market. 

What challenges did your company face as the authorised distributor of Maxxis tyres in Nepal?

The major issue with the Nepalese market is that the majority of consumers here are uninformed. They don’t know what they want or have much information about the product they are buying. Therefore, you see many shops promoting inferior products where they can earn the most profit instead of recommending the right tyres. We want customers to get better performance out of their vehicles and Maxxis tyres are one of the best in the market.

The tyre industry is dominated by Indian brands and while we do have a strong foothold in the truck and bus segments, we simply cannot compete with them in the motorcycle segment.