Apollo Tyres Limited

Who owns Apollo Tyres?

Apollo Tyres is publicly traded on India's National Stock Exchange (APOLLOTYRE) and BSE (500877), with the Kanwar family holding controlling promoter shares. Onkar Kanwar is chairman and Neeraj Kanwar is vice chairman and managing director.

What brands does Apollo Tyres own?

Apollo Tyres owns the Apollo brand for India and global emerging markets, the premium Dutch brand Vredestein for Europe, and ReifenCom, a German tire retail chain. It acquired Vredestein in 2009.

Is Apollo Tyres publicly traded?

Yes. Apollo Tyres is listed on the National Stock Exchange of India under APOLLOTYRE and on the BSE under 500877. Consolidated revenue for fiscal 2026 was INR 284.7 billion.

When was Apollo Tyres founded?

Apollo Tyres was incorporated in 1972 and began commercial production in 1977 at Perambra, Kerala, India. The company is headquartered in Gurugram, Haryana.

Does Apollo own Vredestein?

Yes. Apollo Tyres acquired the Dutch tire brand Vredestein in 2009 and operates it through the subsidiary Apollo Vredestein B.V. in Amsterdam. Tire production at the historic Enschede plant ended in June 2026.

How many employees does Apollo Tyres have?

Apollo Tyres employs approximately 17,000 people across its Indian plants, European operations in Hungary and the Netherlands, and global sales offices.

Apollo Tyres was incorporated in 1972 and began commercial tire production in 1977 at Perambra in Kerala, India. Founder Raunaq Singh established the company during India's industrialization drive; leadership later passed to his son Onkar Kanwar, who built it into a multinational.

The company consolidated its domestic position through the 1980s and 1990s, becoming a leader in Indian truck and bus radial tires as the market radialized. International expansion came through acquisition. Apollo bought Dunlop's South African operations in 2006, then acquired the Dutch tire brand Vredestein in 2009, renaming it Apollo Vredestein B.V. and gaining an immediate European premium presence.

A global R&D center opened in Enschede, Netherlands, in 2013, and the European head office moved to Amsterdam in 2015. The ReifenCom acquisition in 2016 added a German retail footprint. A greenfield plant in Gyöngyöshalász, Hungary, came online in 2017, giving Apollo modern European manufacturing capacity.

Pressure on European tire manufacturing led to restructuring: Apollo announced in 2020 that it would end regular passenger tire production at Enschede with 750 job cuts, and in April 2025 confirmed the plant's full closure. Tire production ended definitively on June 30, 2026, with production consolidated in Hungary and India while Enschede's R&D center remained.

Fiscal 2026 results showed growth despite the restructuring: consolidated revenue rose 9 percent year over year to INR 284.7 billion for the year ended March 31, 2026. Also in 2026, the company decided to exit the Vredestein bicycle tire business in Europe and entered advanced talks to transfer that line to new ownership.

The Enschede plant closure generated significant controversy in the Netherlands, where the decision ended more than a century of local tire manufacturing and drew criticism given Apollo had received Dutch Top Employer recognition in early 2026. Dutch unions and local officials protested the closure process.

Beyond labor matters, Apollo faces routine industry regulation around tire labeling, EU standards, and Indian manufacturing rules. No major product safety scandals are on record.