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The City of Zrenjanin in Serbia reports that Linglong Tire will lay a symbolic foundation stone on 30 March to mark the start of construction work on its new tyre factory. The ceremony will be attended by China’s ambassador to Serbia as well as national and local officials.
Growth within the all-season tyre segment is brisk. These tyres hold around ten per cent of the consumer replacement market in Europe, and sales are rising by almost 20 per cent year-on-year. Figures for the UK market are broadly similar. Runabouts and smaller SUVs have driven most activity within the segment to-date, yet Vredestein believes demand exists and is increasing further up the automotive food chain. To cater for this anticipated demand, it has introduced an all-season tyre specifically developed for performance vehicles.
The Ronal R65 alloy rim is now available in three sizes. New five-hole 6.5×17 and 7.0×18 inch fitments join the 6.5×16 inch size introduced last year. All sizes can be obtained in both silver and jet-black matt finishes.
Motorists in China can now buy Michelin tyres online thanks to an expansion of Michelin China’s partnership with JD.com, the country’s largest retailer. JD.com has launched a first-party flagship store on its platform. The newly-extended partnership will also see Michelin and JD.com integrate their offline automotive service networks; consumers buying Michelin tyres on JD.com will be given priority to choose service networks such as TyrePlus for fitment.
This year, Chelsea FC will play a pre-season match in Japan, an event sponsor Yokohama Rubber has previously requested. The tyre maker has now announced its support of the fixture, which is scheduled for 19 July – it intends to “work closely with Chelsea” while the team is in Japan to “bring Japanese fans closer to the ‘Blues’ ahead of the 2019/20 season.”
Further growth within the Continental earthmover tyre portfolio. A new compound is now available for the Continental RDT-Master tyre, a product aimed at rigid dump truck applications. Continental developed this cut-resistant compound for rough and abrasive applications where tyres have to withstand sharp gravel, rocks and stones.
Michelin’s all-season tyre for light commercial vehicles will be available in the USA and Canada as of 1 April. Michelin North America has released the range seen in the UK and Europe in five C-Metric sizes, offering fitments to European van platforms that have become increasingly popular in the North American market. The Agilis CrossClimate name has also been given to a LT-Metric tyre designed specifically for ¾- and 1-ton pick-up trucks and vans. This product can be identified at a glance by its non-directional tread pattern; the LT-Metric range covers 16 sizes.
Goodyear is investing 106 million euros (£90.6 million) to modernise two of its tyre plants in Germany. The investment in the Hanau and Fulda facilities will increase their capacities to produce tyres for 17-inch and larger rim diameters; Goodyear Dunlop Tires Germany intends to add an extra 2.5 million units to its annual capacity in this segment. But it isn’t all good news – the company reports that these modernisation measures will lead to the loss of approximately 1,100 jobs.
Yesterday we reported the results of the Auto Motor und Sport summer 2019 tyre test and noted that while no tyre received the publication’s highest rating, most gained its recommendation. It’s a different story at sister title Sportauto – its test of eight tyres yielded a ‘highly recommended’ winner, but six of the candidates only received a lukewarm endorsement.
Trade association the U.S. Tire Manufacturers Association (USTMA) projects that tyre shipments in the USA will decrease 0.7 per cent this year to 327 million units.
Belarus-based tyre maker Belshina JSC reports it will be ready to commence pilot production of 25- to 29-inch off-highway all-steel radial tyres in the near future. Manufacturing equipment is currently being installed at Belshina’s industrial and OTR tyre plant; it aims to finalise the project’s first phase this summer.
A 7.2-million-euro investment will lift capacity at the STARCO wheel manufacturing facility in Croatia by 75 per cent over the coming four years. This demand-driven increase covers a range of wheel types, including pressed, spun, made-to-measure and dual wheels. The company comments that most of the investment will take place during the first year.
It’s almost two years since we first heard of Guizhou Tyre Co. Ltd’s intention to establish a plant in Vietnam, and plans have been taking shape since then. On 4 March, the Chinese tyre maker’s Board of Directors approved the establishment of a new wholly-owned subsidiary.
For its 2019 summer tyre test, Auto Motor und Sport (AMS) looked at 215/55 R17, a size favoured by compact SUVs. It tested 11 tyres on a VW T-Roc. What it found was a group of tyres that largely performed well, but failed to dazzle. None of the candidates received the German motoring publication’s top ‘highly recommended’ rating. The good news is, however, that no less than seven were ‘recommended’.
Spring is in the air, and perversely this is perfect time to announce a new winter tyre. Nokian Tyres has shared details of the Nokian WR Snowproof, a range it will release in European markets in time for winter 2019/20.
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