OE Success For Yokohama
The Super Sport Car V 12 Vanquish will be fitted by Aston Martin with Yokohama tyres AVS Sport in 255/40 ZR 19 (front) and 285/40 ZR 19 (rear). Yokohama has added the exclusive logo AML on the sidewall for the tyres delivered to Aston Martin.
Continue ReadingCommercial Truck Steel Wheels From ArvinMeritor
ArvinMeritors expansion at its San Luis Potosi (Mexico) manufacturing facility includes the production facility and machinery to produce steel wheels up to 22.5 inches in diameter. The addition of steel truck wheels augments its wide range of steel wheels currently produced for passenger and light truck OEMs.
Continue ReadingConfidence In Bridgestone And Firestone
John Lampe has spent all his working life with Firestone and then Bridgestone/Firestone. He has recently been put in charge of the Bridgestone groups largest subsidiary, Bridgestone/Firestone Inc. in the USA. In addition – and this is a first for Bridgestone and very rare for large Japanese businesses – Lampe sits on the board. This illustrates how highly he is thought of in what are difficult times for the company. In our exclusive interview, he talks of the relationship between Bridgestone/Firestone Inc. and Ford. However, since the interview, this attitude changed dramatically, with Bridgestone/Firestone Inc. ending its business relationship with Ford. Our follow-up article after the Lampe interview traces this change in attitude and the increasingly-bitter war of words as the companies try to pin the blame on each other.
Continue ReadingTyre Hearing Claims Disputed By Goodyear
Goodyear has disputed data cited at the congressional hearing into the Ford/Firestone dispute. The company claims to have submitted its own safety data and is questioning the committees interpretation of the data they have already received. According to Goodyear the Ford data of damage claims of five parts per million is based on a Ford standard and that a damage claim does not reflect a defect. Goodyear added that the use of relevant data and comparisons by the committee will remedy any consumer confusion of fears.
Continue ReadingApproval For Continental By Jaguar
Continental Tyres has gained approval for fitment of its ContiSportContact and CH95 tyres for the new Jaguar X-Type. The sizes are 225/45 R17 V (ContiSportContact) and 205/55 R16 (CH95).
Continue ReadingJittery Ford Drop General Ameri*550 AS
Ford has reacted quickly to the NHTSA defect investigation into the General Ameri* 550 by dropping the brand from its replacement campaign. The General Ameri*550 was one of the brands being used to replace the recalled Firestone Wilderness ATs which have been deemed unsafe by Ford. However, Ford stated that the tyre was performing well on the F-series pick up, where it is fitted as original equipment.
Continue ReadingMcLaren Considering Changing Tyres
Although happy with the performance of Bridgestone tyres, McLaren are said to be considering switching to Michelin next season. The Michelins have performed well for competing team Williams, but are said to need further development. McLaren feel that any improvement in performance from the Michelins could put them at an advantage against arch-rivals Ferrari.
Continue ReadingMore Difficulties For Ford In The US
First came the second tyre recall with costs up to 3 bn $-US, secondly the extended guarantee due to problems with ignition systems, and thirdly many quality-related recalls of new car models, all of which have cost Ford a lot of its expected profit. Therefore the management has announced early retirement for up to 5000 white collar workers in the US. This is seen as the first step in a major restructuring in North America, where Ford has announced about 13 p.c. fewer new registrations compared with the same time last year, whereas the market in general shows only about 5p.c. fewer registrations of new cars. Analysts from Wall Street have already greeted Fords latest decision positively.
Continue ReadingOne Million EMT Sales In 2002
Goodyears EMT (Extended Mobility Technology) tyres are the most popular run-flat tyres sold as original equipment. For next year, Goodyear is expecting new record sales of one million EMT tyres to car manufacturers.
Continue ReadingCo-operation Between Michelin and Bosch
Robert Bosch GmbH (Stuttgart) and Michelin (Clermont-Ferrand) have announced a long-term strategical partnership in the development and distribution of integrated driving dynamic management systems. The co-operation covers the fields of research and development as well as the introduction of product to the market. Both companies have identified working areas for the basis of common developments and synergies.
Continue ReadingThird Quarter Sales And Earnings Down For Bandag
Bandag Inc. has announced falls in sales and net earnings for the third quarter, compared to the same period last year. Turnover fell 3 per cent to $261.7 million and earnings were down 18 per cent at $14.6 million. Chairman and CEO Martin Carver blamed the economic downturn in truck tyre markets worldwide for declining volumes. Despite this, Bandag maintained its margins, with the exception of the ultra-competitive European market. Carver does not foresee recovery in the truck tyre business any earlier than the second half of next year.
Continue ReadingNHTSA’s Preliminary Evaluation Against Goodyear
The NHTSA is still conducting a preliminary evaluation of Goodyears Load Range E-tyres, but the manufacturer is confident that its tyres are totally OK and that the evaluation will come to an end soon.
Continue ReadingTyreserve Throws Down The Gauntlet
Tyreserve is a new company aiming to create a big impression in the UK car fleet servicing market, which is reckoned to be worth around 200 million Pounds a year. The company is a wholly-owned subsidiary of national wholesaler Stapletons Tyre Services and is being launched at the beginning of April, backed up by an investment by Stapletons of two million Pounds. The fleet car market is extremely competitive, with the market leader being Kwik-Fit, followed by ATS Euromaster, FTM Tyrefit and National Tyres & Autocare. These first three have a market share of around 85% and, last year, Kwik-Fit acquired the shares of FTM. FTM is an association of independent retailers, banding together to provide a national fleet service and facilities. Tyreserve is aiming at FTM as its main target – when FTM was acquired by Kwik-Fit, there was some unease expressed by some independents, who wondered how this would affect the status quo. It promises to be an interesting time, with a new player entering the market and, presumably, the existing players determined to defend what they already hold. What makes it more interesting is that the main directors of Tyreserve were all working up until recently for Kwik-Fit Fleet. At least two names will need no introduction to the UK tyre trade – Managing Director David Goodyear and Network Director Charles Hespin.
Continue ReadingRetreading Movement in USA
Following Michelins acquisition of several retreaders in the USA last year forced Bandag, the largest competitor in that market, to take over some erstwhile franchises, we are now hearing of successes for Goodyears retreading system, Treadco. The retreading business of Oliver (Oliver is part of the Cooper-Group) seems to be suffering significantly under the growing pressure.
Continue ReadingGood News From India For Bridgestone
According to JD Power Asia Pacific 2001 India Tyre Survey, Bridgestone lead the market in customer satisfaction. The survey compares satisfaction with OE tyres at 12-18 months of ownership. The Bridgestone brand comes top in three out of four elements of the survey, appearance, traction and performance. Six tyre manufacturers and eleven vehicle manufacturers were involved in the survey.
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