Apollo Tyres is said to be finalising plans to establish a new greenfield factory in Asia. Indian financial daily The Economic Times reported on 8 April that the tyre maker is close to making a decision on location.
Bridgestone’s fuel economy focused Ecopia truck tyre range has added a dedicated trailer product to its ranks for the first time: the new Ecopia H-Trailer 001. Bridgestone says the tyre has been designed to achieve increased fuel saving in highway operations, courtesy of improved rolling-resistance and wet grip performance. The manufacturer adds that the Ecopia H-Trailer 001 has strong mileage and durability characteristics.
New car sales figures, released today, show month on month sales were up 5.9 per cent compared to March 2012. Fleet registrations increased by 3.7 per cent last month whilst private registrations increased by 7.8 per cent. The car industry received the news very positively, but market analysts were more cautious. In any case increased registrations are good news for the tyre business albeit in the medium to long term.
Avon is offering motorcycle customers £15 off the fitting of Avon 3D tyres purchased from selected dealers between 1 April and 30 June. The 3D Ultra Sport, Supersport, Xtreme or the new Storm 3D X-M tyres purchased from selected Avon Tyres stockists will qualify for £15 towards the fitting of each new tyre. Customers will be asked to complete a form and the discount will be applied at the time and point of purchase.
Avon Tyres has launched its new Storm 3D X-M sports-touring bike tyre, manufactured in Britain for the hypersport motorcycle market. The tyre aims to combine the performance of the Storm 3D Ultra tyre with the increased longevity demanded by riders using their bikes more regularly. The tyre will be available from UK dealers in April.
As we saw in March, the new Goodyear EfficientGrip comes in at BA 65dB on the European tyre label. With further additions said to be on their way, this puts the manufacturer in a leading position both within its own stable (Dunlop offers dry and high performance biased characteristics that don’t look as good as this on a label) and in the wider market. Following the introduction of the latest EfficientGrip Goodyear Dunlop reports that it covers three out of four sizes of Europe’s high performance summer tyre market tyres labelled CC or above.
A Kidderminster motorist has been named the winner of Bridgestone’s national competition to win a new £8,000 Volkswagen Up! hatchback. Lynne Wilson was automatically entered into the draw when she purchased a set of Bridgestone tyres from her local National Tyres and Autocare centre in Worcester Road – only to forget all about it.
The link between Continental’s sponsorship of top level footballing events such as the UEFA Champions League and Euro 2012 and its tyre business was made explicit during the latter of these events. In Poland Coaches for players and fans were fitted with Conti’s HSR2 tyre and a specially modified HSU1 respectively by the Conti360⁰ network. Public transportation and its role in Europe remained high on Conti’s agenda moving into 2013 as the manufacturer introduced the first commercial vehicle tyres of its “third generation”: a three product speciality coach tyre line-up. Once again, Conti chose to introduce these products alongside its football sponsorship at St George’s Park in rural Staffordshire, the English Football Association’s new training and development site of which Conti is an official supporter, its branding displayed in various places around the impressive state of the art facility.
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In response to growing demand in Asia for tyres to fit full-size motorcycles, Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd. has decided to install equipment for the production of motorcycle radials at its factory in Thailand. Approximately 1.4 billion yen (£9.9 million) is being invested in the motorcycle tyre project, and the new facility is scheduled to begin production in January 2015. By the end of 2018 the plant is expected to have the capacity to manufacture 64,000 motorcycle tyres a month.
Huw Lewis Tyres, a family run tyre dealer with three sites in and around Aberystwyth, became the first independent tyre dealer to sign a long term contract with Michelin in March. The agreement follows a partnership begun in the second half of 2012 with ATS Euromaster, for whose fleet customers Huw Lewis Tyres provides local services. From the acquisition of the former ATS Euromaster Aberystwyth site in 2009, the tyre retailer has since expanded to three sites with Lampeter and Machynlleth run by Lewis’s two sons – all this merely seven years after Huw started his business.
Hangzhou Zhongce lead brand Westlake Tyres has announced that it will stage the official launch of its new RP28 passenger car tyre at this year’s Autopromotec in Bologna. The manufacturer says the 50 size line-up demonstrates its support of Westlake as a growing force in the European tyre market. The brand states it will also preview an extended line of SUV/4×4 products.
The SMMT has launched a nationwide campaign to help motorists reduce MOT failures, backed by 5,545 manufacturer main dealers across the UK.
Research from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) indicates that around 1.5 million MOT failures each year could be avoided if motorists notify the dealer of simple problems with the vehicle before the annual roadworthiness test is carried out. In the biggest campaign of its type, 5,545 manufacturer main dealers across the UK will be giving guidance to motorists on the simple pre-MOT visual checks they can carry out on their own car.
"Independent petrol forecourts are experiencing a rise in crime rates yet the support of local police forces can greatly differ" said Brian Madderson, Petrol Retailers' Association (PRA) Chairman.
According to figures published by the Rubber Manufacturers Association, or RMA, US tyre shipments in 2012 amounted to 284 million units. This is unchanged from the previous year – the RMA says a ten per cent increase in original equipment shipments offset a nearly two per cent decrease in replacement shipments, and it states this absence of overall growth can primarily be attributed to a “cautious consumer as well as economic uncertainties in both the commercial and consumer sectors of the replacement market.”
The classic motorcycle market is growing and interest in bikes from the 1980s is strong, and therefore Continental considers now an opportune time to reintroduce two former patterns, the TKV11 front and TKV12 rear sports tyres. The pair are suited for mounting on classic 1970s and 1980s bikes and fit machines as diverse as Yamaha XJ600’s and FJ1100, Kawasaki’s GPZ600R and GPZ1000RX, Suzuki’s GSX1100E and 1100 Katana, BMW’s K75 and K100, Honda’s XBR500 and Ducati’s Pantah range.
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