Andrew is an editor for WhatTyre, Tyrepress, and Tyres & Accessories magazine. He has more than a decade of experience in editing, writing, and journalism.
The used car market is starting to reach the long-predicted tipping point into oversupply – with values coming under pressure as a result, reports Glass’s. Rupert Pontin, head of valuations, said that the volume of vehicles at auction had already increased by 3.7 per cent in 2016 and that a wide range of models were starting to fall in value as a result.
Consumables and components distributor Randstad – sole distributor of the TerraClean engine decarbonising brand – is sponsoring both PP Motorsport in the UK Clio Cup and double British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) champion, Colin Turkington during the current series. With the brand growing at a rapid pace, TerraClean is eager to promote its service within the motorsport community to gain even greater media coverage.
RMI Bodyshops (NAB/VBRA) has teamed up with Hella Gutmann Solutions and several of their training provider members to help spread the word on complex systems such as Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) through a series of national evening events.
Hyundai Motor Group has outlined plans to bring connected cars to reality and is currently working on technology that, it claims, will “remotely diagnose and fix vehicle issues before they become apparent.”
The Retail Motor Industry Federation (RMI) and Scottish Motor Trade Association (SMTA) are seeking to survey their members and the motor industry to assess the impact of the Government’s latest changes to road tax on the annual MOT test. Both organisations have concerns that following the removal of the paper tax disk and the introduction of monthly direct debits to pay road tax, motorists are unintentionally breaking the law by forgetting to MOT their cars.
March diesel sales were up by 7.9 per cent, petrol sales up by a surprising 5.6 per cent and overall sales including commercial up by 7.0 per cent versus same month last year. “Latest Government data suggests that increased economic activity and cheaper prices had a significant impact on the demand for fuel in the month to 14 March”, said Brian Madderson, chairman of the Petrol Retailers Association.
In April 2017 a new apprenticeship levy will be introduced with the purpose of increasing the quality and number of apprenticeships across UK. Employers with a wage-bill of less than £3 million will not pay the levy, whereas those with a wage-bill of £3 million or more will have to contribute at a rate of 0.5 per cent of their pay bill. However, the first £3 million of the payroll will be excluded by a discount that will give some relief, in line with smaller businesses.
East Yorkshire-based grocery retailer Heron Foods states that its tyre running costs and related downtime have dropped after appointing ATS Euromaster to supply and manage its tyres on a fixed-price contract. The company selected ATS Euromaster to manage its Michelin fitment policy across a busy fleet of 45 trucks, which is comprised of predominantly 40-tonne tractor units and trailers and 26-tonne rigids. Mobile technicians keep a close eye on Heron Foods’ tyres, with near daily inspections and reporting at the retailer’s depot in Melton, all aimed at ensuring the longest tyre life and greatest performance.
ZC Rubber’s Westlake Tyres brand has seen its sponsorship of WBC flyweight world champion Roman ‘Chocolatito’ Gonzalez (44-0, 38 KOs) start successfully, as the boxer defended his title on HBO Boxing. The 28-year old completed a near-perfect victory against challenger McWilliams Arroyo, the IBF super flyweight champion, on 24 April, sporting the tyre brand’s logo on his shorts.
Evans Transport is to introduce Continental Tyres’ ContiPressureCheck system into its fleet. The 150-truck, 220-trailer fleet said that early trials have shown safety and economy gains from installing the system.
Pirelli will take its medium, soft and supersoft compounds to the Russian Grand Prix at Sochi, marking the fourth time in as many races in 2016 to feature the Red, Yellow and White P Zero Formula One tyres. The varied, technical track has a smooth surface that typically leads to low tyre wear and degradation, but Pirelli says its nomination will deal with any evolution of the three-year old asphalt that may have occurred since 2015’s visit, or indeed across the weekend, since the circuit is not heavily used.
Continental brand Semperit is introducing further additions to its Runner commercial tyre range, having launched the line in 2015. The steer-axle tyre, Runner F2 and the drive-axle tyre, Runner D2 which are for use in combined regional and long-distance transportation are now available in the size 315/70R22.5, joining the existing 315/80R22.5 model. The high-mileage tyres offer both a long service life and good fuel efficiency. The complete Runner range, which includes the trailer-axle tyre Runner T2, are on display at the Commercial Vehicle Show 2016 in Birmingham.
Valentino Rossi won a sixth premier-class victory on Michelin tyres – his first of 2016 – at Jerez, Spain, having started from pole. The nine-time world champion got the hole-shot on his Yamaha and led into the first corner, increasing his lead over a pack led by current champion Jorge Lorenzo’s Yamaha and Honda’s championship leader, Marc Marquez. Rossi’s faultless race meant he was never under pressure, winning by more than two seconds.
Pirelli’s exclusive supply deal with the British GT Championship enters its second round on the high-speed banked oval and twisty infield of Northamptonshire’s Rockingham circuit on 30-31 April. Record-breaking lap times were set on the new P Zero rubber at the season’s curtain-raiser at Brands Hatch, with Derek Johnston and Jonny Adam claiming victory and an early GT3 championship lead in their TF Sport Aston Martin Vantage GT3. Competition was fiercer, with Bentley, Lamborghini and BMW making it four different manufacturers in the top four in the race.
Motor Wheel Service Distribution (MWSD) has unveiled the latest Xlite and Xbrite+ forged aluminium wheels, designed predominantly for DAF vehicles and petrol and powder tractor units with a weight saving axle. The official UK distributor of Wheels India’s Xlite range has made two eight stud variations available in size 6.75”x17.5” with the 24mm weighing 13.2kg and the 30mm just 13.1kg. Both carry a load capacity of 2,725kg, making them suitable for Euro 6 vehicles.
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