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Evonik Industries has developed a new, active filler for the tyre industry that significantly improves the traction of winter tyres in snowy and slushy conditions, thereby increasing safety. Ultrasil 4000 GR is the first Low Surface Area (LSA) silica that also offers very good dispersibility. This enables very high filler levels in the tyre tread, further improving traction compared to tyres using conventional silica.
European nations are leading the way in new Electric Vehicle (EV) sales despite the emergence of Mainland China as the biggest market for EVs. According to data presented by TradingPlatforms.com, 15 European countries had the highest share of plug-in EVs in new passenger car sales in 2020 – Norway had the highest at 75 per cent.
Procon Readymix has become one of the first operators in the UK to protect its vehicles with the latest generation Wheely-Safe technology – combining intelligent tyre pressure monitoring (TPMS), wheel loss and brake temperature sensing systems with walkaround checkers to help drivers complete daily inspections. The London-based concrete supplier has installed the products onto two of its 32-tonne DAF multi-wheelers, with a view to rolling it out across the rest of its 18-strong fleet over the coming months.
Hankook’s 2021 Q1 financial results show consolidated global sales rising 12.6 per cent YoY to KRW 1.61 trillion (EUR 1.203 million) and an operating profit of KRW 186 billion (EUR 138 million); an increase of 75.5 per cent YoY. As the global market recovers from the impact of the pandemic, Hankook’s business has also been steadily recovering since the second half of 2020. The company is seeing sales stabilise in several major markets that include Europe, North America, and China, particularly in the high-inch tyre sector (tyres with diameters 18 inches or higher.) Global sales of high-inch tyres accounted for 38 per cent of total tyre sales, which is up 4 percentage points compared to the same period last year.
The light commercial vehicle market recorded its busiest ever April as 30,440 new vans were registered, according to the latest figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). All vehicle segments saw artificially inflated growth rates relative to April 2020, when Covid restrictions shut down much of the economy, with an eight-fold increase in total units. Registrations were also well ahead of the five-year average, with April 2021 up by 23.2 per cent. With some 127,796 vans registered so far in 2021, uptake levels have returned to levels last seen in 2019.
April saw an artificial 30-fold increase of UK new car registrations compared to the same month last year, but volumes still remained -12.9 per cent lower than the 10-year average at just 141,583 new units, according to the latest figures released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). This year’s monthly total dwarfed that recorded in April 2020, when the first national lockdown effectively shut the country, and just 4,321 cars were registered.
DENSO Aftermarket, the aftermarket division of original equipment (OE) component manufacturer DENSO, originally developed its e-Learning programme in response to the reduction in face-to-face training, due to the coronavirus lockdown restrictions, and such has been its success that not only has the number of courses grown, but it has paved the way for a European competition – the ‘League of True Mechanics’ or LOTM.
A little more than three years after returning to professional cycling, Pirelli is preparing to launch an innovation that will redefine the bicycle tubular tyre; the P Zero Race Tub SL. The new rubber, equipped with a special inner tube, guarantees a reduction in overall tyre weight of more than 10 per cent, while maintaining the same grip, smoothness and reliability characteristics.
Despite the pandemic, Tenneco’s Garage Gurus automotive technical education platform has attracted record numbers of aftermarket professionals from across the EMEA region to its expanded curriculum of online and onsite courses. More than 32,000 participants have completed Garage Gurus training sessions since the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis. Garage Gurus is a no-cost technical education and support program that helps workshop professionals and other participants remain on the leading edge of vehicle service technology.
Independent Automotive Aftermarket Federation (IAAF) has appointed Mark Field as its new chief executive, succeeding Wendy Williamson who is retiring later this year. Field has worked with the IAAF through the Federation’s PR representative, Impression Communications, for the past nine years and will assume chief executive responsibilities from 1 July 2021. He also has experience working within automotive media, PR and automotive trading groups.
Moto, the UK’s leader in motorway service areas (MSAs), will launch the UK’s flagship electric vehicle (EV) site with the opening of its new Rugby Services located at Junction 1 of the M6, on 30 April 2021 following a £40 million investment programme.
Moto’s new MSA will feature 24 ultra-rapid EV charging points, 12 Tesla & 12 Electric Highway, making it the largest ultra-rapid charging site on the motorway, ahead of the Government ban on the sale of petrol and diesel cars and vans from 2030.
TyreSafe is urging riders to remember tyre safety as part of The National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) THINK BIKE week. The campaign, which runs from 23 April to 3 May, is being spearheaded by Fire and Rescue Services across the country and 40 partner agencies, including TyreSafe. THINK BIKE highlights the need for riders to wear the right kit and ‘brush up’ on their riding skills as so many will have had an exceptionally long time out of the saddle due to Lockdown. Another key message is on bike maintenance and ensuring machines are in good roadworthy condition, especially the tyres.
The Northern Ireland Executive has announced that from 30 April all shops in Northern Ireland will be permitted to reopen, in line with a package of indicative reopening dates.
This includes car dealerships and Sue Robinson, Chief Executive of the National Franchised Dealers Association (NFDA) which represents franchised car and commercial vehicle retailers in the UK, welcomed the decision, saying that the NFDA’s lobbying efforts were instrumental in bringing it about.
European electric vehicle battery developer and producer, InoBat Auto (InoBat) has today announced a landmark agreement with SOR, one of the largest producers of city and intercity-buses in Central Europe, with the intention to design, develop and supply batteries for a new urban, intercity and long-distance electric bus fleet.
Recognising the need to invest in the next generation of technicians, Dayco is expanding its training programme to reach out to students still in technical college, with a series of events starting at Engineering Innovation Centre, Sutton in Ashfield, Nottinghamshire on 26 April. It is also encouraging other colleges to make contact if they too would like to take advantage of this free educational opportunity.
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