Yokohama have announced that it is supplying its BluEarth-XT AE61 tyres as original equipment (OE) to Toyota Motor Corporation for use on the automaker’s new compact SUV, Yaris Cross, which was launched in Thailand in October 2023. The Yaris Cross is being fitted with 215/60R17 96H and 215/55R18 95V size tyres.
The BluEarth-XT AE61 is a summer tyre developed specifically for use on crossover urban SUVs. The tyre contributes to high steering stability worthy of Yaris Cross thanks to its specially tuned profile, in addition to the advantages of its lightweight design and further reduced rolling resistance. The performance of the tyre was achieved using a proprietary system to predict the values of key tyre characteristics based on Yokohama Rubber’s proprietary HAICoLab*, the AI-based development framework that aims to foster new discoveries and digital innovation by merging human inspiration and creativity with AI’s enormous data processing capability. The innovative technologies applied in development of the tyres are based on new knowledge obtained by collecting actual data and virtual data generated by simulations and then using AI’s predict, analyse and search functions.
* An acronym for “Humans and AI Collaborate” for digital innovation.
Yokohama is aggressively developing tyres employing its leading-edge BluEarth tyre technology, and many of these tyres are now coming factory-equipped on petrol-powered vehicles, hybrid cars and EVs such as a wide variety of new car models, including the latest-model sedans, SUVs, sports cars, and compact cars.