Fiat Chief Departs
Fiats chief executive, Paolo Cantarella, has quit, saying - in these difficult times for the Fiat Group it was necessary to give a strong signal for change. Credit bankers and investors had been calling for a shake-up at Fiat for many weeks. Chairman, Paulo Fresco will stand in until a new chief executive is found.
Continue ReadingPirelli Assists Expansion In Russia
Pirelli SpA has announced that it is providing technical support for a $60 million USD expansion project by JSG Nizhnekamskshina, Russias biggest tyre manufacturer. Pirelli are also planning to open a commercial company in Moscow.
Continue ReadingAutotreads & Accessories – A Sad Way To Go
The sale of all retreading machinery and equipment has been ordered by the Liquidator for Autotreads & Accessories. The company was one of the elder statesmen of the retreading industry in the U.K. and its demise, at the end of last year, is perhaps symptomatic of the current depression effecting this sector of the tyre business. The sale will take place by public auction, on the Burnopfield site, in Newcastle Upon Tyne, on the 26th June.
Continue ReadingCar Sales In May Set New Record – In The UK
British motorists continued to flock to the car showrooms in May, when 208,669 new cars were registered. This marked the 20th consecutive month of growth in the car market and easily beat the previous record of 199,258 new registrations set in 1989.
Continue ReadingBoard Changes At Yokohama
Japanese tyre manufacturer has promoted six people within its Board of Directors and promoted five others as new Director candidates, subject to shareholder approval at the end of June. The six promoted Directors are Keimei Kiyoura, Kazuo Okamoto, Takashi Yamashita, Tadanobu Nagumo, Keigo Ueda and Takashi Sugimoto.
Continue Reading“Spirit Of America” Blimp From Goodyear
Goodyear is to build a new airship to replace its Los Angeles-based blimp, Eagle. The new ship will be called Spirit of America to reflect the countrys patriotic spirit. The Eagle has a proud history, ferrying astronauts, film stars and ex-President Ronald Reagan as well as appearing on numerous TV shows.
Continue ReadingUS Tyre Tests Condemned As “Extreme”
Following the Firestone recall, the US Government ordered a thorough overhaul of tyre safety standards. One of these is a new drum-test, which requires tyres to be tested for longer periods and at higher speeds. The Rubber Manufacturers Association has described the new tests as extreme and estimated that almost half of todays car and light truck tyres would not pass the new test.
Continue ReadingMichelin Aims At Improving Market Share
Michelin recently held an analyst conference to discuss its commercial vehicle tyre performance and strategy. This sector is worth 3.9 billion Euro a year in sales to Michelin, with an operating margin of almost 9 per cent, despite the dramatic downturn in the US and European markets. Looking ahead, the companys strategy lies in the provision of total tyre management and problem solutions for fleets, with Michelin often taking over a customers total tyre requirements, from new tyres to scrap disposal. Typically, Michelin tyres command a price premium (of up to 20 per cent in Europe) over competitors tyres and the company intends to maintain this pricing level. Despite the higher prices, Michelin has an estimated OE market share of 70 per cent, and a replacement market share of over 30 per cent, and the company is aiming to improve on these figures. There has been a boost in the first four months of this year, with raw material prices lower than expected and sales volumes of tyres greater than anticipated.
Continue ReadingChassis System From Continental
Continental Automotive Systems and Volkswagen have developed the Phaeton – with a chassis system with all-round semi-active variable control pneumatic suspension. The Electronic Air Suspension (EAS) resolves the differences between optimal handling and comfort by calculating and establishing the correct suspension force required every 10 – 15 milliseconds. The system is an integral element of a chassis solution incorporating engine management, brake control and stability control.
Continue ReadingPirelli Move Into Mammoth Market
Pirelli have selected Mammoth Tyres to handle their earthmover tyre business throughout England and Wales. This key dealership appointment brings a wealth of knowledge and experience on which Pirelli intend to significantly increase their market share. The Founders of Mammoth Tyres, Joe Freese and Ivor Knights have been involved with earthmover tyres for over 35 years and can provide the very best in EM supply and service. In 1988 Mammoth joined forces with the County Tyre Group who themselves have a wealth of expertise in this specialist sector of the tyre industry.
Continue ReadingUniroyal Wins Accolade
The Uniroyal Rallye 540 has been judged best tyre in the Auto Express product honours list. The tyre came top against ten other brands of 185/60x14 H-rated tyres. Experts primarily looked at all aspects of wet and dry performance as well as economy. The product honours are designed to highlight to the U.K. public the best car accessories on the market.
Continue ReadingBan on Lead Wheel Weights
The European Parliament proposes to ban the use of lead weights in all member countries. The Commission directive states that all new cars coming onto the market from 1st July 2003 must have lead-free weights fitted, with a temporary exemption for certain vehicle types manufactured before this date. The exemption will also apply to the replacement market. This concession will cease from 1st July 2005.
Continue ReadingHigh And Ultra High Performance Tyres
Since 1999 the trend in car sales in Europe is downwards. If one million cars are sold a year, that is five million tyres which will not supplied as original equipment. But luxury and premium class cars, sporty cars and luxury SUVs (Sport Utility Vehicles) were not included in the negative trend and in some niches sales even rose. High performance vehicles need high performance tyres. Whereas standard tyres with a T speed rating have lost market share over recent years, tyres with speed ratings H and higher have increased market share. The average horse power of the car parc in Europe is rising year by year. People talk about fuel saving cars, but buy more and more vehicles with more powerful engines.Within the car tyre segment, the sub segment of high performance (hp) and even ultra high performance (uhp) tyres is growing; this part of the market is very dynamic. But changes are on the horizon: until now the flood of newly introduced upper class cars made it necessary to fit hp or uhp tyres, but now this market seems to be saturated. On the other hand more and more middle class and even compact cars have engines allowing top speeds of more than 200 km/h - and also need this type of tyres.And the higher the car segment, the longer the cars live. Now all these cars introduced in the 90s need replacement tyres. In the year 2000 in Europe 19 percent of all replacement tyres had the speed ratings V/W/Y/Z, in 2005 it will be 33 percent. These cars need high value tyres a second and a third time and this means an optimistic outlook for tyre dealers. Especially if we consider that the ties between drivers and the car dealers will become weaker and weaker year by year. The drivers will no longer buy the tyres from the BMW or Jaguar dealer but from a tyre dealer.In original equipment the demand in hp and uhp tyres will also improve but not as dramatically as in the aftermarket. But there is a new trend which is also positive: more and more cars will be fitted with runflats. And because these tyres are more expensive than normal tyres the first introductions happen on upper class vehicles. Most runflats are also hp and uhp tyres because every new invention in car production is offered first in this segment. Remember ABS, ESP or airbags. If a car does not need a fifth tyre because of being fitted with runflats that will be compensated for by a much better-performing (and also more expensive) tyre.
Continue ReadingNew President For Federal
Jamie Ma (28) has been appointed President of Taiwanese tyre manufacturer Federal Corporation. Formerly Executive Vice President, Jamie Ma succeeds De-Ling Ma. Jamie Ma has been instrumental in directing Federal towards the ultra high performance sector and he plans to expand the R&D team, aiming to introduce a new tyre pattern design each year to meet high demand from overseas. As well as Federal Corporation President, Jamie Ma is also Chairman of Federal Tire (Jiangxi) Ltd., in China, where Federal produces the Maxon and Hero tyre brands.
Continue ReadingCourt Censures Cooper
A judge in a US court case has allowed sanctions against Cooper Tire. Two brothers are suing Cooper over the death of their parents in an accident, which they allege was caused by a tread separation. The defendants claim that Cooper destroyed documents relating to production records from 1992, but Cooper says it is uncertain whether the documents were relevant. The judge said that he would allow the plaintiffs to inform the jury of the destruction of the documents, and that they could draw whatever inference they wished. He also awarded attorneys fees and expenses concerned with the destruction of the documents. Cooper said it would appeal the decision.
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