Tokyo (Jan. 29, 2010) - Bridgestone Corporation’s subsidiary in India, Bridgestone India Private Limited (Managing Director Hiromi Tanigawa), has announced that it will begin truck and bus radial tire (TBR) production in India in response to increasing domestic demand. The total investment will be approximately ¥3.3 billion, with production scheduled to begin in the first half of 2011. Production capacity is expected to reach approximately 400 units per day by the second half of 2012.

In India, TBR demand is expected to continue to grow due to the expansion of the expressways and other road infrastructure. This expansion of the road network is the result of economic growth in the nation as well as the introduction of higher-performance trucks. The Bridgestone Group will expand its operations at the Indore Plant, which currently manufactures passenger car and light truck tires, in order to produce the new TBR products. The Indore Plant began operations in 1998.

The Bridgestone Group continues to closely monitor trends in market demand and is committed to building optimized production systems in locations that match market needs.

Outline of the Indore Plant

1. Location: Madhya Pradesh (507km north-east of Mumbai, and 665km south of Delhi)
2. Start of operation: March 1998
3. Plant site: 265,500 square meters
4. Products: Passenger car and light truck radial tires (as of January 2010)
5. Current production capacity: Approximately 12,500 units per day
6. Employees: Approximately 970 (as of end of December 2009)

1. Start of operation: First half of 2011
2. Production capacity: Approximately 400 units per day (plan for second half of 2012, increase in capacity accompanying TBR production)
3. Employees: Approximately 190 (plan for second half of 2012, increase in employees accompanying TBR production)