Goodyear India Ltd said on Tuesday it would invest 500 million rupees ($11 million) to strengthen its sales network in India's fast-expanding automotive market.
The unit of Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co, the largest US tyre maker, manufactures tyres at its plants in Aurangabad in the western Maharashtra state and Ballabgarh in northern Haryana state.
Goodyear India will set up 50 shop-in-shop branded stores by the end of 2006 and at least 250 more by end-2008, it said. There are nearly 9,300 tyre retailers across the country, Goodyear estimates, besides thousands of informal sellers.