The container has already been shipped to the Philippines, and the initial expectation is a volume of 6,000 units. Photo: Publicity.
Deal signed with Asian distributor aims to compete not on price, but on the premium quality of off-road motorcycle products
São Paulo – In 2025, Rinaldi, a Bento Gonçalves, Rio Grande do Sul-based manufacturer of tires and inner tubes for motorcycles, agricultural and industrial vehicles, and ATVs, set out to significantly increase its share of exports. It established a target: by 2028, to double exports as a share of the company’s revenue to 20% and increase the number of destinations from thirty at the time to fifty.
An important – and bold — step was taken toward expanding the company’s global presence. After a six-year hiatus, Rinaldi’s return in 2024 to EICMA, one of the world’s leading motorcycle and accessories trade shows, held annually in Milan, Italy, opened up new opportunities for the company. The first was the export of tires to Asia, specifically the Philippines.
Defying the logic of a continent that is the world’s largest tire exporter, with prices that are difficult to match, Rinaldi secured a distributor as a customer that was interested not in cost, but in product quality — Lyr Motorparts. An initial container of tires was shipped, and the initial expectation is a volume of 6,000 units, representing approximately US$ 150,000 in off-road products for competition motorcycles and recreational use.
“They got to know us at EICMA, saw the brand’s positioning and understood that we have growth potential”, André Ricardo Fiorese, Rinaldi’s Export Manager, told Agência AutoData. “Lyr, which operates in the off-road sector, requested samples. We made a significant investment to ship sets of tires by air, and they conducted tests with riders. That is when the opportunity to do business arose”.
The brand will be launched in the Philippines in June, and the company expects to use the trip to expand its contacts, including in other countries on the continent. This year, Rinaldi expects exports to account for 14% of its revenue, compared with 11% last year. In volume terms, this means shipping 400,000 units, compared with 350,000 units in 2025. By 2028, the target is to more than double this volume to 840,000 units.
Price is not the key to expanding presence in Asia
Fiorese made it clear that the company understands it can no longer compete on price in this market.
“We are therefore focusing heavily on product quality and development. We want to position the brand globally as a premium, high-quality product that competes with major companies”.
According to the executive, it is precisely this bet on high-quality, high-performance tires that will make the difference in gaining acceptance in different markets, including Asian markets. Compared with products manufactured in Asia, prices can be 70% to 100% higher: “There is no recipe for dealing with this. What we have is a plan, a combination of factors we are working on to prospect new markets for the brand, position it at a global level and begin generating demand. We have already submitted quotations to Japan and are working with Australia. These are opportunities we do not let pass us by”.
Rinaldi considers establishing an office in Europe
To provide greater support for its export expansion plan and be closer to its international distributors, Rinaldi is considering establishing an office in Europe, possibly in Portugal, Spain or Italy, beginning next year, although the location has not yet been determined. Progress on the project, however, will depend on how geopolitical volatility develops and even on the stability of the global economy.
As for the distribution center in the United States, which was ultimately shelved amid Donald Trump’s tariff increases, Fiorese said the idea will be revived at a more opportune time.
Meanwhile, the company, which has been in the market for 56 years, is investing in expanding the distribution center at its Bento Gonçalves plant to better accommodate the projected growth in volumes to be sold in Brazil and shipped abroad: “We have already increased the space by 50% and will expand it further this year and next year, when the project will be completed”.
Its storage capacity will be 300,000 units.
Regarding projected tire and inner tube sales for 2026, the plan is to increase from 3.1 million units last year to 3.25 million, an increase of 4.8%. Rinaldi expects to keep pace with growth in the motorcycle market and is currently one of Brazil’s leading manufacturers focused on the replacement market.
Rinaldi currently has a presence in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, Ecuador, Colombia, Guyana, Venezuela, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Mexico, the United States, Haiti, Cuba, Germany, Belgium, Spain, France, England, Italy, Poland, Portugal, the Czech Republic, Turkey, Finland, Latvia, Sweden, Cyprus and, now, the Philippines as well.
As part of its international project, Rinaldi maintains an active schedule of engagement with foreign markets. Fiorese said that its international initiative calls for two trips per year to visit at least twenty countries, with the aim of strengthening relationships with customers and understanding local demands. The primary focus is on the markets of Europe, Asia and Africa.
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Rinaldi in the Media
