BBC Superfactors expands van fleet
The Parts Alliance member BBC Superfactors has added five new Nissan NV200 vans to their growing fleet, helping support their ‘one hour’ order delivery target for garage customers.
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The Parts Alliance member BBC Superfactors has added five new Nissan NV200 vans to their growing fleet, helping support their ‘one hour’ order delivery target for garage customers.
Dmack has launched its latest tyre for the FIA World Rally Championship on the second round of the 2017 series, Rally Sweden. The new studded winter tyre delivered competitive times on one of the most specialist events for tyre manufacturers. The Carlisle-based brand said the tyre has built on “both success and technical information gathered from previous seasons” in producing the DMG-ICE2 tyre. The Dmack crew of Welshman Elfyn Evans and co-driver Daniel Barritt finished sixth, equalling their best finish in Sweden.
The GT Radial SportActive became available around a year ago as a new flagship tyre for the brand, distributed in the UK by Micheldever. Towards the end of 2016, Giti Tire held an event for its wholesale partner and a large group of its most successful dealers in Vilamoura, Portugal, with track-based demonstrations of the tyre’s capabilities at Portimao’s Autódromo Internacional do Algarve. GT Radial has leveraged a racing partnership before to market the tyre in the UK; it partnered consumer high performance driving magazine Evo for its popular 2016 series of track day events at the Bedford Autodrome, making its tyres available for amateur racing enthusiasts to try out on vehicles such as the Audi S3, Golf GTI, BMW 340i and Toyota GT86.
Zenises’ diamond and gold embellished world’s most expensive tyre has been featured on Jeremy Clarkson’s Amazon Prime vehicle, The Grand Tour. Launching the final show in the series from Dubai’s Burj Khalifa, Clarkson introduced the Guinness World Record-holding Z Tyre to the studio audience. The show concluded with co-host Richard Hammond drifting alongside the lead driver of Acorn Zenises Motorsport, Steve ‘Baggsy’ Biagioni.
The new van market got off to a positive start in 2017, with January seeing a small 1.2 per cent growth in registrations, according to data released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders. Heavy vans weighing between 2.5 and 3.5t, which make up the bulk of the market, rose 5.6 per cent in January. Meanwhile, pickups’ popularity continued to grow following a successful 2016, with registrations increasing 28.9 per cent.
Valeo Service UK has launched 14 new steering column switches and four clockspring and steering angle sensors specifically designed for Mercedes models.
The Federation of Engine Re-manufacturers (FER) has announced details of its Southern Regional Meeting that will be held on Thursday 8 February at Reigate Manor Hotel in Surrey, commencing 19:30. As the meeting is of a technical nature, certificates of attendance will be issued to members.
Valeo Service UK has launched HydroConnect, a new wiper blade range providing 96 per cent original equipment flatblade car parc coverage with 42 part numbers.
In response to a contracting market in 2013 and 2014, Italian wholesale giant Fintyre underwent a reorganisation, involving relocation north from Empoli to Seriate, Bergamo and a staff reduction of 60 employees. The overhaul of the company structure did not end there; it started a process in 2015, completed in late 2016, which has changed the face of Fintyre. This, it states, has consolidated its position as the leader of the Italian market with a share of around 25 per cent. In 2015, British investment firm BlueGem Capital Partners, which at that point held a 90 per cent share in Fintyre after its original 2009 investment, was recapitalised following a major financing agreement with GSO Capital Partners. The company then made two major acquisitions – Pneusmarket and Franco Gomme – which have helped to increase turnover from 255 million in 2014 to an estimate of more than 400 million euros in 2016.
The annual Momo Tires calendar represents a change of direction. While images were previously taken from the archive of wildlife photographer Ricardo Cisneros, the tyre brand said it would, in cooperation with Momo Italy, explore new options with different naturalist photographers in future editions. The 2017 version features avian images by Stefano Ronchi, which Momo calls “sophisticated and elegant”.
Mike Lawton has been appointed head of communications for Europe North at Michelin Tyre. Lawton joined Michelin as UK customer services manager in 1999 after stints at ceramics giant Wedgwood and fashion brand Austin Reed. For the last five years, he has been commercial director for Michelin Tyre’s agriculture and construction division, a position which was been taken up by Martyn Pointer.
New vehicles registered for the first time with the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) from 1 April 2017 will pay new first year licence rates based on carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions bands which are different from the ones currently in use. In some cases, these fees will almost double.
Atlas Copco has introduced a new generation of powerful yet quiet oil-injected rotary screw workplace air compressors, which are available in 7 kW, 11 kW and 15 kW variants with flows varying from 29.5-68.7 cfm. The G7-15 series of compressors replace the previous GX7EL and GX11EL models and offer a number of enhancements in terms of energy efficiency and reliability, including increasing Free Air Delivery (FAD) by up to 3 per cent.
2016 saw record used car sales of 7.7 million and this translated into a very busy year for auctions, as dealers bought cars to fill forecourts to meet consumer demands. “Following what could be described as an uncertain political and economic climate, 2016 marked a strong performance from the UK motor auction sector”, commented Louise Wallis, head of The National Association of Motor Auctions (NAMA).
Falken has expanded its product range, adding the Linam VAN01, a summer tyre tailored for light trucks and vans. The manufacturer says the Linam VAN01 offers significantly improved service life, enhanced safety and outstanding performance on wet and uneven road surfaces. The tyre will be available in spring 2017 in 21 sizes, spanning rim diameters of 14–16 inches, an aspect ratio of 60–82 and will come with speed ratings of R, S, T and H.
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