Andrew is an editor for WhatTyre, Tyrepress, and Tyres & Accessories magazine. He has more than a decade of experience in editing, writing, and journalism.
In Nankang’s 50 year history, the tyre manufacturer has gained many landmark technical achievements in high performance tyres; it became the first Taiwanese tyre company to produce W-rated tyres, and 22” and 24” sizes. While the company produces a wide range of sizes for small commuter cars, its eponymous UK distributor enjoys a strong motorsport focus, epitomised by the NS-2R road-legal track tyre.
Carbon Zapp’s new decarbonising machine has been introduced, designed to answer the concerns of UK garages about the damage caused by trying to remove and repair petrol and diesel engine injectors. This can result in the units seizing, breaking or other damage.
Following the launch of its 2016 Calendar earlier this week, Pirelli has released a set of Annie Liebovitz’s celebrity portraits. The images (viewable below) feature one of the greatest ever tennis players, Serena Williams; rock legend and writer, Patti Smith; one of the world’s most prominent comedians, Amy Schumer; and the hugely popular Chinese microblogger, Yao Chen. Liebovitz has taken the tyre giant’s flagship marketing activity in a new direction in the 2016 edition – apparently at Pirelli’s behest – and Tyres & Accessories was impressed with the results; read the full report from the press conference on Tyrepress.com.
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Formula One’s teams have driven more than 6,020km on various development versions of Pirelli’s 2016 range, including the new ultrasoft compound. Over 1084 laps, McLaren’s Stoffel Vandoorne set the best time over the 12 hour non-stop session. The session took place in expected bright sunshine and warm temperatures, starting out at around 24°C ambient (35°C asphalt) and reaching 28°C and 40°C respectively by lunchtime. The next testing session, in which Pirelli will focus on its wet tyres, will take place at Circuit Paul Ricard, France on 25-26 January.
Fil Filter has announced the introduction of more than 40 additional filters to its product portfolio. This follows the recent announcement of the joint launch of the Fil Filter original equipment filter brand into the UK independent automotive aftermarket via Univar Specialty Consumables, a UK-based distributor of specialty products and lubricants.
Pirelli has capped a transition year with the launch of its flagship branding product in London. Like the Italian company, now under the control of Aeolus brand manufacturer ChemChina, the 2016 edition of the Pirelli Calendar has been launched in a new and somewhat unexpected form. In the hands of legendary photographer Annie Leibovitz for the second time, the Cal has undergone a dramatic shift in character away from both the female models usually a staple of the annual publication and the almost exclusively erotic tone. The 13 subjects are instead photographed in simple, naturalistic poses – “noone was supposed to look like they’d tried,” Leibovitz says – which are designed to portray the diverse range of the female subjects’ achievements; the subjects are representatives from professional, charity, cultural and sporting spheres. The Cal was introduced by Pirelli executive vice president and CEO Marco Tronchetti Provera in a press conference at Grosvenor House, with Claire Balding chairing a panel of guests, comprising Leibovitz and three of her subjects. The launch continued in the evening at Camden’s Roundhouse, a former industrial building and iconic music venue – presumably familiar to Leibovitz, who started her rise to legendary status at Rolling Stone magazine – since the 1960s.
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2015’s Formula One calendar concludes at Yas Marina, Abu Dhabi; a venue with which Pirelli is very familiar. The F1 tyre supplier has used the venue for testing, including the world’s first wet-weather test run at night, and a pre-season launch. The smooth asphalt means the softest tyres in the range will be supplied, a combination previously employed at the slowest grand prix, Monaco, and at four other race weekends. The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix is held from late afternoon into the evening, so track temperatures tend to drop over the course of the race, meaning that the pattern of tyre behaviour is different to normal: another complex variable for teams to factor into their strategy calculations. Pirelli expects a performance gap between the two compounds of 1.0-1.2 seconds per lap.
Independent tests recently carried out at a VCA approved facility have shown that Viezu’s BlueOptimize remapping service can reduce emissions. The service is already popular with UK van fleet managers seeking fuel bill and emissions reductions, Viezu adds.
Michelin Tyre has appointed Stewart Pooley, 58, as UK original equipment country manager for the company’s truck and bus division. The 26-year Michelin veteran assumes the role after two years as sales manager for Michelin solutions. The role will see Pooley working closely with domestic bus, coach, trailer and truck manufacturers, as well as advising manufacturers importing finished vehicles into the UK from production plants worldwide.
The Parts Alliance has launched autoparts vending machines in partnership with the AA. The machines are designed to provide the UK’s biggest breakdown provider with access to parts on the road, 24 hours a day. The PA PartVend concept is being piloted in a number of strategic locations, with the machines electronically linked so The Parts Alliance can tell instantly which products are being used and when to replenish the stock.
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Research from fleet management specialist Venson supports Brake Road Safety Week by asking drivers what one thing they would do to make roads safer. Venson is helping to highlight Brake Road Safety Week (23-29 November 2015) with its latest research aimed at understanding drivers’ approach to road safety. When asked what one thing they would do to help with road safety while driving, the top answer from respondents was ‘be more patient’ (24 per cent), with ‘giving themselves more time for journeys’ coming second (20 per cent).
Every working speed camera on the strategic road network will be yellow within a year, the Government has announced. Ministers ordered a review of speed camera policy on motorways earlier this year and Highways England has today confirmed their plan to increase the visibility of all speed cameras on the network.
The Independent Automotive Aftermarket Federation (IAAF) has launched a brand new website (www.iaaf.co.uk). The updated website will allow IAAF members to access latest association news, keeping up-to-date with IAAF’s most recent activity in the industry. It will also inform new visitors about the different services IAAF provides, benefitting aftermarket businesses on a daily basis, plus the most recent lobbying activities.
The IAAF, as part of its membership of the Automotive Aftermarket Liaison Group (AALG), has joined forces with the ProMOTe Campaign to fight the proposed changes to the MoT testing frequency.
Just in time for winter, Valeo has added ll new references to its range of wiper motors; there are now 120 wiper motors in the Valeo range, all of which come from Valeo’s Original Equipment (OE) production lines. Valeo has a very significant position as a supplier of wiper motors to OE car manufacturers in Europe and, as a result, a privileged role to play as a provider of aftermarket parts, if any need replacing during the life of the car. Then, as a matter of fact, there is a strong opportunity to grow sales with Valeo’s wiper motors for the independent automotive aftermarket.
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