During the inauguration ceremony of the new production line, Jean-Dominique Senard, Chief Executive Officer of Michelin Group said: "India is a priority market for us and growing demand for our products in the country reaffirms our commitment to keep innovating for our customers here. In a very short time, our Chennai plant has evolved to become one of our most advanced manufacturing facilities globally. The purpose of this plant was to cater to the needs to the Indian market and I am happy to see that we are on target in this journey. The MICHELIN X Guard was conceived to address the Indian market's need for a tyre that is fuel efficient, safe and lasts longer and to this end we adapted the very best of Michelin technologies to produce a premium tyre at an affordable price."

At the inauguration of the new production line, H.E. Mr Alexandre Ziegler, Ambassador of France to India, said: "I am delighted to be here with Senard of the Michelin Group at a time when the company is expanding its presence in the Indian market. This is another successful example of how our French companies actively contribute to "Make in India" and innovate in India."

Speaking on the occasion, Vinod K. Dasari, CEO and Managing Director, Ashok Leyland said: "We are pleased to partner Michelin for our latest range of 37T trucks. The MICHELIN X Guard radial tyres provide us tremendous fuel efficiency, helping us offer a differentiated product in this segment.  It is heartening to see the new tyre developed using Michelin's world class innovations right here in India."

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