Andrew is an editor for WhatTyre, Tyrepress, and Tyres & Accessories magazine. He has more than a decade of experience in editing, writing, and journalism.
Cemb launched four new car tyre changers in 2021, the SMX40, SMX50, SMX70 and SMX70 LeverLess. The garage equipment brand developed the new range to allow operators to work easily on all types of wheel. All models are automatic and equipped with a rear tilting post to ensure maximum rigidity and avoid damage to rims.
Bridgestone has inaugurated a new state-of-the-art wet handling track at its European Proving Ground (EUPG) near Rome. The tyre manufacturer says the track was designed to provide suitable testing for “both traditional vehicle manufacturers and new EV players” in a variety of weather conditions. Designed within a virtual environment ahead of construction, the project received an investment of approximately 3 million euros.
Marathon Warehouse Distribution have made another significant investment in further enhancing their frequent same day logistics capability to motor factors with the delivery of a new fleet of Citroen Dispatch XL vans across their network of Regional Distribution Service Centres.
Yokohama Rubber’s natural rubber processing subsidiary in Thailand supported efforts to aid villagers affected by flooding in the country in December 2021. Y.T. Rubber Co, Ltd (YTRC) provided food packages in the wake of flooding due to heavy rains in the country’s Surat Thani Province, where YTRC is located.
Yokohama’s flagship Advan tyre range has secured original equipment approvals from some of the world’s leading vehicle manufacturers, such as BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Porsche. The manufacturer will launch a new flagship replacement market tyre in 2022, the Advan Sport V107, developed for premium vehicles in an initial range of 30-plus sizes between 18 and 23 inches. Versions of the tyre developed alongside leading OEMs, have already been specified for fitment on a variety of new models, such as the Brabus Off Roader range and BMW’s first fully electric “sports activity vehicles.”
ADAC’s tyre abrasion test, which examined the tyre abrasion particles produced by three summer and three winter tyres from 15 tyre manufacturers, gave Falken’s Azenis FK510 top marks in its 225/40 R18 test, helping the Sumitomo Rubber Industries global brand to fourth place overall. The test examined the tyre abrasion particles produced by three summer and three winter tyres from 15 tyre manufacturers. Andreas Giese, senior manager corporate planning/product planning, said that the result evinced Falken’s recent development work.
Land Rover has specified the Continental CrossContact RX crossover tyre for original fitment on all Defender models, including the plug-in hybrid. The tyre manufacturer developed the CrossContact RX for crossover and sport utility vehicles (SUVs) with a sporty performance profile also suitable for off-road use. Conti is supplying three variations of the tyre in one 19” and two 22” sizes. Conti has increased the profile of its SUV/4×4 tyre range recently, with the inaugural series of off-road electric vehicle racing championship Extreme E running on tyres derived from the CrossContact range. The RX was also fitted to a 300-strong run of special edition Land Rover Defenders featured in the 2021 James Bond film, No Time To Die.
Michelin has announced the launch of its fifth generation Pilot Sport and the upgraded Primacy 4+. The new summer tyres represent the manufacturer’s newest solutions for the ultra-high performance and touring segments, following up multi-award winning predecessors. Both tyres are designed to deliver on Michelin’s efforts to decrease the environmental impact of its tyres by increasing the longevity of the tyres’ key safety performance characteristics.
Nokian Tyres has developed a new line of winter van tyres for professionals and recreational drivers, with an additional studded option for Nordic conditions. The Hakkapeliitta CR4 and C4 studded tyres are designed to last longer and carry heavy loads in a balanced manner at higher speeds, the Finnish manufacturer says. Nokian has maximised the durability of the Hakkapeliitta C4 and CR4 via its impact, cut, and pothole resistant Aramid Sidewall technology. The new tyre line, designed for key markets in the Nordic countries and Russia, will be delivered to retailers by autumn, in time for the 2022/23 winter season.
Falken Tyre Europe will increase the prices of its entire product portfolio by nine per cent on 1 May 2022. Falken states the increase reflects global rises in costs for raw materials, energy, and logistics. This price rise does not affect UK Falken customers, where the brand is distributed exclusively by Micheldever Tyre Services. Like Falken, MTS is owned by Sumitomo Rubber Industries. A Falken spokesperson told Tyrepress that MTS would inform its customers of any price rise affecting the UK.
Continental will launch its new summer car tyre for 14-20” applications in 100 sizes in spring 2022. The new UltraContact will address the latest trends in mobility with a new compound and tread designed to increase mileage potential, while delivering safe handling characteristics and low rolling resistance. The carcass of the tyre is designed to promote durability too. The Conti UltraContact is designed to offer increased sustainability in motoring and has been engineered to be suitable for fitment on electric vehicles. Conti sites global sales of EVs to hit 14 million annual sales by 2025. Estimates shared with Tyrepress by leading tyre business analyst Astutus Research suggest European demand for plug-in electric vehicle tyres could reach around 40 million tyres by 2025, with roughly half in the replacement market.
Continental is consolidating its public affairs and external affairs activities under its Group Public Affairs department. Dr Thorsten Burger (43), previously head of external affairs, has become the new department’s head, also overseeing Conti’s Berlin political office.
Wheel manufacturer BBS Japan has signed a four-year contract with Formula 1 to become the exclusive supplier of new standard rims. The company, part of the Maedakosen Group, has also signed up to supply rims to NASCAR for the next three years.
Sentury Tire, the tyre manufacturer behind the global Landsail tyre brand, has outlined its plan to construct a 522.59 million euro car and light truck tyre plant in the Galicia region of northwest Spain. Qingdao Sentury Tire Co, Ltd’s board of directors approved the proposal to build capacity for 12 million high performance and light commercial tyres on a three-year schedule at a meeting in the last quarter of 2021, announcing this intention to the Shenzhen Stock Exchange on 19 December. The company has implemented a 100 per cent owned subsidiary, Sentury Tire (Spain) Co, Ltd, via its Hong Kong trading company for the project, and wants to ramp up production in two phases; it expects the plant to reach 50 per cent capacity (six million tyres) after two years, with the second half added after three years. Sentury wants to achieve these milestones in 2024 and 2025 respectively, pending construction conditions in Spain and the availability of funding, which Sentury plans to self-raise.
Arriving at Bovington Camp, a military base in Dorset, for the finale of the inaugural season of electric off-road series Extreme E, the lack of noise is the first indication that this is international motorsport done differently. When the nine fully electric 550bhp Odyssey 21 SUVs enter the arena, it is in large part to the sound of wet mud displaced by exclusive tyre supplier Continental’s Extreme E tyre, which is based on the German manufacturer’s CrossContact range. Primarily targeting a broadcast and internet audience, the teams, event staff, and small number of attendees on-site mingle under canvas, watching most of the action from the circuit unfold on big screens. During the races, teams complete the switch between the male and female drivers – another indicator of how Extreme E approaches motorsport differently – in front of this area.
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