Falken manufacturer SRI debuting Active Tread next year
Sumitomo Rubber Industries (SRI) confirms that it will introduce tyres featuring its ‘Active Tread’ technology in 2024. Active Tread will arrive with SRI’s next-generation all-season tyre.
Sumitomo Rubber Industries (SRI) confirms that it will introduce tyres featuring its ‘Active Tread’ technology in 2024. Active Tread will arrive with SRI’s next-generation all-season tyre.
Campaigning by automotive industry trade bodies has led to the Department for Transport (DfT) to extending the current 4-1-1 MOT consultation’s closing date to 22 March 2023.
Apollo Tyres Ltd has launched its Vredestein-branded Pinza AT tyres in India. Dubbed “dedicated and premium tyres for SUVs in India”, the Vredestein Pinza AT products feature “all-weather grip”, “excellent stability” and are said to deliver “comfortably rugged” and “quieter rides”, according to the company.
German motoring association ADAC will soon publish its 50th anniversary tyre test together with partner clubs in Europe. To honour the occasion, it has tested 50 tyres in two sizes instead of the usual 30 or so. The half-century milestone is also accompanied by a shift in focus: In addition to safety-relevant driving qualities, in future it will place a greater emphasis upon each tyre’s environmental and sustainability characteristics.
VMI is celebrating the opening of three new assembly halls at its manufacturing site in Leszno, Poland. This brings VMI’s total available floor space in Poland to almost 30,000 square meters. The expansion of the VMI operation, which is part of technology company TKH, follows a number of years of strong growth in VMI’s core tyre and pharmaceutical business.
In order to satisfy increasing local demand, Yokohama Rubber is expanding passenger car tyre production capacity in India. It will invest US$82 million in its Yokohama India manufacturing and sales subsidiary to increase capacity from 2.8 million tyres per annum to 4.5 million tyres.
The UK’s used car market fell -4.3 per cent in the final quarter of 2022, with 1,571,295 transactions. The twelve months of the year saw transactions down -8.5 per cent. “Whilst 2022 experienced a decline in used car sales this was as a result of a particularly strong 2021. Franchised dealers continue to see strong demand in the used car segment, driven by a combination of consumer demand and a lack of supply of new vehicles”, said Sue Robinson, chief executive of the National Franchised Dealers Association (NFDA), commenting on the latest SMMT’s used car figures.
Falken Motorsports is set to return to NLS and the Nürburgring 24 Hours competition in 2023 with two brand-new Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) for what promises to be another action-packed season of racing on the Nordschleife.
Goodyear has released a tyre it designed to “optimise performance in compact cars.” The new EfficientGrip Compact 2 strengthens the EfficientGrip offering for the small passenger vehicle segment, complementing a tyre family that also includes EfficientGrip Performance 2, EfficientGrip 2 SUV and EfficientGrip Cargo 2.
As in other years, Auto Bild is divvying up its 2023 summer tyre test into two parts, a preliminary round of stopping distances on wet & dry surfaces and, for those making the grade, a more thorough evaluation of performance, comfort and environmental characteristics. This year Auto Bild looks at size 225/45 R18 95Y and began proceedings with 50 tyres. Just 20 roll into the second round.
Tyre-related business profit at Sumitomo Rubber Industries (SRI) stood at 67.9 billion yen in 2016 and was still a respectable 41.4 billion yen in 2021, but last year dropped to 12.3 billion yen (£76.2 million). It’s therefore no surprise that SRI believes it has been investing too much capital in unprofitable businesses, and the company intends to change this.
Dunlop has officially unveiled its 50/50 trail tyre, Trailmax Raid. Designed for 50 per cent on-road and 50 per cent off-road use, the new offering is the latest addition to the brand’s strong presence in the adventure and trail segment.
Genan has appointed Michael Christensen as its new application development manager. Christensen lives in Denmark and has more than 40 years of experience in tyre and rubber recycling. Effective 1 February 2023, Christensen will act as the link between sales, marketing and innovation in Genan.
The Yokohama Rubber Co. Ltd. and its employee-backed Yokohama Magokoro Fund is giving a total of ¥1 million (¥500,000 each from the company and the Fund) to the Japanese Red Cross Society in support of relief efforts in the earthquake-stricken parts of Turkey and Syria.
Bridgestone is donating 1 million euros to efforts to offer relief to those struck by the recent earthquake in Turkey and Syria. Writing in a statement released on 14 February, company officials said:
If you would like the latest news from the Chinese tyre industry in Chinese, visit our partner site TyrepressChina.com. Or click below to continue on Tyrepress.