Michelin reports its Pilot Sport Cup 2 will premiere on the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Coupé Black Series. All versions of this particular car will be fitted with the new tyre, which Michelin says was developed together with Mercedes-AMG.
Pirelli UK has formally presented BMTR with its annual Performance Centre of the Year Award at a presentation at its flagship outlet. The presentation took place on Tuesday 26 February at BMTR’s Perry Barr, Birmingham outlet following a tour of the depot and warehouse. In attendance at the presentation was Pirelli UK managing director, Dominic Sandivasci, as well as Pirelli UK’s marketing and sales directors, Wayne Nickless and Jason Sugden.
Pirelli & C. SpA has announced the resignation of Mario Greco from his role as a member of the company’s Board of Directors. The reason given for his resignation is the “considerable commitment” required of him by the reorganisation of the Generali Group (Assicurazioni Generali). Greco took over as CEO of the Italian insurer in August 2012.
In addition to debuting its Alnac 4G, Apollo Tyres has released its latest Vredestein-branded product at the Geneva Motor Show. This new Apollo Vredestein release is the Ultrac Vorti R, an ultra high performance tyre with an “increased focus on grip and sportiness.” The Ultrac Vorti R was developed in collaboration with Italian design house, Giugiaro.
Just a day after Bridgestone announced it will close its passenger car tyre factory in Bari, Italy, DB Equity Research Automotive analyst Gaetan Toulemonde comments that the tyre industry has reduced its passenger car tyre capacity in Western Europe by 38 million units. Toulemonde puts the current Western European passenger tyre market at 275 million units; 65 million are supplied to OEM customers, the remaining 210 million are sold on the replacement market. This number, Toulemonde adds, has remained stable over the last five years – the decrease in local production being compensated by higher imports such as those from China, which have doubled over the last five years to 50 million units a year.
Al Dobowi Group company Eskay Tyres has announced the selection of Agripan SA as the authorised Westlake distributor for Greece.
Bosch Car Service reports that its all-new service booking website, www.boschcarservicebooking.co.uk, is now live. The new site is aimed at making the process of booking a vehicle into a local Bosch Car Service garage even more convenient, and it provides information for those customers who don’t fully grasp the work mechanics carry out during a vehicle service. New step-by-step animations provide motorists with a visual explanation of the work carried out as part of their chosen service.
Schrader is partnering with Fuller Brothers, the manufacturer of the Tire Life tyre and rim protection product, in order to distribute Schrader’s complete Off-The-Road (OTR) range. The partnership was formally announced at the 2013 Tire Industry Association OTR Conference held from 20-23 February 2013 in Puerto Rico.
In the future we may return to the past, at least when it comes to tyre dimensions – tomorrow’s tyres may take their cues from the large diameter, thin tyres of the 1920s and 1930s. By giving tyres a larger vertical diameter and increasing their internal air pressure, it is possible to limit changes in the shape of the contact patch, the section of the tyre that comes in contact with the road. Furthermore, by optimising the structure of tyres created using this technology and using appropriate materials, a significantly lower rolling resistance coefficient can be achieved. And when these tyres are narrower than those typically used today, air resistance is also decreased.
Fears that UK motorists will steer clear of this month's '13' registration plate for new cars are unfounded, say CAP – the car information experts. Nor does the company believe superstitious motorists will cause increased depreciation via reduced demand for 13 plate cars by avoiding them in the future used car market.
Franchised vehicle dealers believe there has been an overall improvement in the day to day relationship with their manufacturer. Sales incentive programmes and improved profitability boosted partnerships, according to the National Franchised Dealers Association (NFDA) Dealer Attitude Survey Winter 2012/2013 results.
After a double-dip recession in the UK last year and with widespread financial turmoil across Europe, no-one is denying that these are tough times for garages, autocentres and tyre specialists. And in tough times you need options. So this month we are taking a look at the role that non-tyre services play in the tyre business and asking what they offer garages. For the purposes of this feature we are lumping together everything that is not a tyre and calling it all “ancillary garage services”. Everything that’s not a tyre is probably a clearer definition, but this offers a clear category for all the products that aren’t our beloved round black circles.
By the time you read this it will be nearly six months since tyre labelling became mandatory in the UK and across Europe. However, while the rules associated with this regulation have been anticipated for years, and indeed a rolling introduction began in May 2012, nearly a year after we all began talking about who got what label there is still something of a gap when it comes to enforcement. We have talked through the various options available to the British government in the pages of Tyres & Accessories before (see our 2012 Tyre Labelling special supplement for more on this) so there’s no-need to retrace those steps here. However the central point that rules are only as strong as their enforcement still stands. And the need is getting more urgent. As long as we don’t have an enforcement body in place there is a disincentive for dealers and other parts of the tyre trade to invest what’s necessary in systems and training to ensure labels are being talked about during the sales process. In its place all we have is de facto Andrex-soft enforcement.
A web-based seminar hosted by TyreSafe has prompted Trading Standards Officers around the country to increase their investigation of the illegal sale of potentially dangerous part worn tyres, the road safety organisation reports. The online event attracted more than 80 participants from around the UK, and TyreSafe chairman Stuart Jackson said that the organisation is “looking forward to helping… Trading Standards Officers around the country carry out local investigations and initiatives.” While the governmental Used Tyre Working Group data acknowledges that part worn tyre sales have increased in the UK to 4.4 million units, around 90 per cent of which are estimated to be sold without conforming to existing regulations, tackling this problem has proved strategically problematic.
Based on the results of a feasibility study, German chemicals firm Lanxess has opted to convert its Triunfo factory in southern Brazil from the manufacture of emulsion styrene butadiene rubber (E-SBR), as used in standard tyres, to solution styrene butadiene rubber (S-SBR), which is used in used in high-performance, green tyres. Lanxess notes that it is the first company to carry out such a conversion.
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