Bridgestone, First Stop survey 2,400 cars with Sigmavision TreadReader
Sigmavision has announced the findings of a recent survey conducted in collaboration with Bridgestone and First Stop at the recent Sky Sports British Masters golf event. The company’s technicians surveyed 2,400 cars over two days away from the fairways and greens at The Grove, measuring tyre tread depths with Sigmavision’s TreadReader handheld scanners. The results of the survey back up Bridgestone’s hypothesis that motorists currently do not make the regular checks necessary to ensure their tyres are safe.
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A different kind of beauty – Pirelli unveils 2017 Calendar
Nudity of the soul is order of the day within the 2017 Pirelli Calendar, which is being launched in Paris today. Renowned German photographer Peter Lindbergh, the man behind the 1996 Cal and co-photographer of the 50th anniversary edition produced in 2014, took up position behind the lens for a third time to create a work of art that shows a “different beauty.” He has titled next year’s Calendar ‘Emotional’.
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Rosberg completes championship victory as Pirelli ‘ends high degradation tyre era’
Lewis Hamilton won the last grand prix run on the current Pirelli Formula One tyre range in Abu Dhabi, but was pipped to the drivers’ championship by Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg, who finished second, using identical two-stop strategies. The tyre supplier called the Yas Marina-hosted grand prix “the last race in the era of deliberately high tyre degradation”, with its latest, larger range of P Zero slicks and Cinturato wets unveiled in the emirate before the weekend’s racing began. The final development test for the 2017 will begin on Tuesday, 29 November, with Mercedes, Red Bull, and Ferrari appearing on track together in modified 2015 mule cars.
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Tyre sell-out up 4% overall, value tyre sales growth outpaces premium 4:1
No review of 2016 would be complete without a look at some market data. During the course of researching this feature Tyres & Accessories asked market research specialists GfK to share some key insights into what has been happening in the UK tyre retail market during the last year or so. GfK’s data is contained in the infographic below and discussed here by us. Clearly 2016 hadn’t come to an end at that point, so the data reflects GfK’s Point of Sales Tracking information comparing November 2014 to October 2015 with November 2015 to October 2016.
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Trelleborg inflation system gains SIMA award
The ‘2 in 1’ tyre from Michelin wasn’t the only tyre innovation honoured at yesterday’s 2017 SIMA Innovation Awards. Trelleborg Wheel Systems also walked away with a gold medal for its soon to be released Variable Inflation Pressure, or VIPTM, system.
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SIMA award for Michelin ‘2 in 1’ tyre
A shape-shifting tyre that protects soil while accommodating on-road use is Michelin’s answer to the growing size of agricultural machinery, and this new solution – the ‘2 in 1’ tyre – has landed a SIMA Innovation Award ahead of its launch under the Evobib brand name next year.
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Pirelli displays 2017 F1 tyre full range in Abu Dhabi
Pirelli has unveiled its entire range of 2017 Formula One tyres in Abu Dhabi ahead of the final grand prix of the 2016 season. The new P Zero slicks have been presented in the Yas Marina paddock together with a first look at the new tread pattern for the Cinturato intermediate and wet tyres.
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3mm divisions return to the surface
A decade since the 3mm campaign got a big push, the subject of what is the best tread depth at which to change tyres returned to centre stage at the beginning of October. The debate was reignited at the Paris Motor Show where Michelin reaffirmed its opposition to changing tyres at 3mm.
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‘Our ambition is to become an integrated automotive solution provider’ – European launch for Goodyear Proactive Solutions
Santa Claus may have cornered the market on knowing if you’ve been naughty or nice, but Goodyear is confident it can predict the problems a commercial vehicle fleet will face in future. The company yesterday shared how it can identify, and also offer solutions to, these problems at the launch of a new pan-European business.
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STARCO takes further step into OE with phase out of traditional aftermarket activities
A new chapter in STARCO’s history began on 1 July 2016 when German wholesaler Bohnenkamp took over a number of the Danish firm’s aftermarket operations, including the STARCO Eastern Group and aftermarket businesses in Scandinavia, Germany and, with one or two exceptions, the Benelux countries. The businesses were divested as part of an increased focus on the original equipment sector under the company’s 2020 strategy, and STARCO has now announced the next step in its path to becoming a pure OE player. In the months to 1 April 2017, STARCO will phase out its entire traditional aftermarket activities.
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Marmite, Nissan, Brexit and the tyre business
No review of 2016 would be complete without some reference to Brexit. Before the referendum result on 23 June, few people thought it would happen. Now the vote of 52 per cent in favour of leaving the European Union has long been counted, we can’t avoid talking about Brexit. Furthermore, with Donald Trump having won the US presidential election on 8 November in what he predicted would be “Brexit+++” the impact of the UK vote has taken on even greater significance.
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Best of both worlds – ATG retains its independence while benefitting from Yokohama’s R&D capabilities
If it’s not broken, don’t try and fix it. Yokohama Rubber Company took this idiom to heart following its acquisition of the Alliance Tire Group (ATG) in July, and for good reason it seems. Speaking with media for the first time since the deal’s closure, ATG’s head of marketing for Europe, Ole Baek, noted in October that Yokohama Rubber is more than happy to keep things the way they are for the time being.
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Winter season tyre tests – the winners and losers
No fewer than nine car magazines and motoring associations in Germany published tyre tests for the 2016/17 season, and always there have been winners and losers. Continental belongs firmly in the former category, with its tyres finding themselves, without exception, top-rated. The company’s various WinterContact products landed ‘highly recommended’ and ‘exemplary’ ratings. Other well-known names, including Goodyear Dunlop, Hankook, Michelin, Nokian and Pirelli, all came away with top ratings in some tests. Open the table below for an overview of this winter season’s tyre test winners and losers.
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‘A tool to accelerate our innovation process’ – Michelin opens RDI Campus in France
After a ten-month construction period and with surprisingly little fanfare, on 16 September Michelin opened ‘Urbalad’, its new RDI (Research, Development, Innovation) Campus in the presence of group employees, partners and French Prime Minister, Manuel Valls. Urbalad was built with an investment of €270 million and is expected to, the tyre maker states, “open up a new era for the company.”
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Hope for Europe’s retreaders – EC proposes anti-dumping legislation changes
Imports of truck tyres into Europe have significantly increased over the past five years and have devoured market share formerly held by local players, particularly European retreaders. Detailed analyses on this phenomenon can be found here and here.
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