Michelin releases latest market figures

On 5 September Michelin updated its tyre market statistics, and reported a four per cent year-on-year upswing in Europe’s (including Russia and Turkey) original equipment passenger car tyre market for July 2012. Year-to-date, however, the segment market is still down three per cent. A six per cent decline was reported for Europe’s replacement market passenger car tyre business. Replacement sales are down ten per cent year-to-date.

In the heavy truck tyre sector, Michelin reports that the European market shrunk one per cent year-on-year in July, a slight improvement on the two per cent year-to-date decline. The replacement market truck market deceased 11 per cent during the month, again better than year-to-date results, which show a 23 per cent reduction.

North America continued to deliver positive results. According to Michelin’s estimate the original equipment passenger car tyre grew 26 per cent year-on-year in July, higher than the year-to-date average of 22 per cent. Replacement market results for the month show an eight per cent year-on-year improvement, although year-to-date replacement is still down one per cent.

The original equipment truck market was up 13 per cent year-on-year in North America for the month of July, and year-to-date figures show a 17 per cent improvement. A two per cent replacement truck market improvement for July contrasted with a year-to-date reduction of four per cent.

The third market covered by Michelin’s latest market data, Brazil, experienced a flat month in the original equipment passenger car tyre market. Year-to-date, this market is down six per cent. The replacement market declined three per cent year-on-year in July, while year-to-date results show growth of one per cent.

Heavy truck markets continue to plummet in Brazil. The original equipment segment showed a year-on-year decline of 30 per cent in July and is down 33 per cent year-to-date. The replacement market dropped ten per cent in July 2012, double the year-to-date level of decline.