Zenises presents US$600,000 world record tyre
Zenises has presented the world’s most expensive tyre at the firm’s Reifen Show launch event. The world record, which is the first official third-party adjudicated record of its kind, has set the bar high at US$600,000 for a set of four tyres – a figure verified by the Guinness Book of World Records. The Z-branded 295/35 ZR21 107Y […]
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UHP tyre prices recovering…
…but price erosion has forced mid-range prices down too Elsewhere in this feature we have examined sell-out data, which revealed a growth trend in the UHP segment as well as details of which UHP sizes are most popular. However, this dataset was not designed to show the prices consumers are being quoted in relation to […]
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Pirelli officially launches new P Zero in Portugal
Two weeks after it was previewed during the Geneva Motor Show, on 13 April Pirelli launched its latest P Zero tyre in Portugal, furthering the “made to measure” meets “extreme performance” pro-homologation message Pirelli has attached to its latest product.
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Dunlop launches mixed long haul, regional commercial tyres
Goodyear Dunlop has launched its new range of Dunlop brand on road commercial vehicle tyres. The truck tyres have been designed to provide increased mobility: mileage has been increased by ”up to 10 per cent”; winter performance has been enhanced, with the steer and drive fitments receiving Three Peak Mountain Snowflake (3PMSF) certification; and fuel efficiency has also been improved, according to Laurent Colantonio, Goodyear Dunlop director of commercial tyre technology in Europe, Middle East and Africa.
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Messe Essen claims record number of exhibitors registered at Reifen 2016
Messe Essen, the organisers of the biennial Reifen event, looks likely to bow out gracefully at the end of an era represented by this year’s show. In the last Essen-hosted show ahead of its “trailblazing” move alongside Frankfurt’s Automechanika show in September 2018, or retreat in the face of Koelnmesse’s rival Tire Cologne show (see the April edition of Tyres & Accessories for complete details of the move, then delete as you see fit), the 24 to 27 May show will host 675 exhibitors, presenting their innovations for the tyre sector. This, Messe Essen states, represents a new record number of exhibitors in Reifen’s decades-long history. The organisers have also notched up another record with regard to the exhibition area: Reifen 2016 will occupy just over 60,000sqm of exhibition space.
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First glimpse of new Reifen in UK at Automechanika Birmingham 2017
The close working relationship between Messe Frankfurt, organisers of the Automechanika automotive trade exhibitions, and Messe Essen’s Reifen tyre industry event, has been consolidated further. The two organisations announced that they would enhance their working relationship through a global partnership across all Automechanika events from 2017 onwards, with the two major exhibitions coming together for the first time at Automechanika Birmingham in June 2017.
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Tyres as a service?
You’ve heard of software as a service (or SaaS). But tyres as a service? If you haven’t heard of SaaS, the chances are you have transacted with a business model based on SaaS’s subscription-centred thinking. The popularity of Netflix, Amazon Prime, Spotify and Amazon music make this point. You pay your money and access to your favourite media is simply included. Now transpose this set-up into the world of tyres.
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The right direction: Bridgestone North Region MD, Robin Shaw one year on
Roughly a year after Tyres & Accessories met Bridgestone North Europe region managing director Robin Shaw, just a few weeks after he took on the role, progress at the Warwick, UK-based part of the global company is said to have been “really good”. More than 12 months after our last interview, Shaw’s perspective on the tyre industry – previously he led Bosch’s UK operations UK – has deepened significantly as has his influence in the industry. “The direction is good, but we always want to be further on than we are,” Shaw told Tyres & Accessories. Of course when you ask how business is at multi-segmented, multinational like Bridgestone, there is no simple answer to that question. Rather there are multiple variables, the importance of which differs from segment to segment. However, the general synopsis is that all segments are doing well, with some doing particularly well.
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Daimler share price hit after emissions investigation news
Daimler AG has confirmed that it is conducting an “internal investigation regarding its certification process related to exhaust emissions in the United States”. This action follows a request from the US Department of Justice (DOJ). As a result the company says it will “investigate possible indications of irregularities and of course take all necessary actions.”
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Z Tyre launches flat-rate tyre subscription model in Germany
Z Tyre has launched a new concept in car tyre retail, which it believes “could represent an exciting and substantial commercial shift for the tyre trade.” The Z Tyre Flat Rate subscription, available from 4.99 euros per month, is designed to cover all new tyre related costs, allowing the customer to fit or upgrade tyres using a small monthly subscription. The initiative aims to answer common complaints of motorists purchasing tyres – a high initial one-off cost for a distress purchase, which can often mean reduced opportunities to sell based on aesthetics, performance or expert recommendation – and the unpredictability of cash-flow for the retailer.
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Mexico: Pirelli to build second tyre factory
Pirelli has announced a US$200 million investment in Mexico to establish a second factory near its existing passenger car tyre plant in Silao, Guanajuato state. The project to build the facility was announced during yesterday’s visit by Italian Prime Minster, Matteo Renzi, to Palacio Nacional in Mexico City, where he met with President of Mexico, Pena Nieto.
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How excessive tyre pressure can deflate share price
A simple “trick” – or perhaps we should say “cheating” or “fraud” – has been common practice in the European automotive industry, to the displeasure of environmental organisations: Place a car with excessive tyre pressure on a dynamometer and – voilà – lower fuel consumption levels and emissions are recorded thanks to the ‘optimised’ rolling resistance. Mitsubishi has conceded carrying out this practice in Japan with test data submitted to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. This time round it doesn’t affect, as in the case of Volkswagen and its ‘cheat’ software, millions of vehicles, rather ‘only’ 625,000 small cars, the majority of these off-take production for Nissan.
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Maxxis to unveil first European runflat tyre, M36+
Maxxis has launched its first runflat tyre for the European market, the M36+. The new product will be unveiled at Reifen 2016 in Essen, Germany next month, and Maxxis states the new line “will affirm its commitment to continuous innovation for mid-range buyers.”
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Micheldever’s Protyre retail chain is UK’s fastest growing
This year’s UK tyre retail ranking shows that the fastest growing tyre retailer is Micheldever’s Protyre chain, which added some 21 branches to its network in the last year – by far the fastest growth (both in terms of branch count and growth percentage) of any tyre retailer we are tracking. Nevertheless, ETEL remains the largest overall and is also the fastest faller, with the company running 9 points of sale less than in our 2014/2015 research. However, context makes a big difference, so for more on both these stories, read on.
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Nokian excluded from SUV summer tyre test, loses top honours in winter test
The publication ‘SUV Magazin’ has printed a test of size 215/65 R16H/V in its current 2/2016 issue. An Audi Q3 quattro was used to evaluate five brands of tyre; a sixth tyre – the Nokian Line SUV – was removed from the ranking post-testing as a “precaution” after details of Nokian Tyres’ test manipulation activities came to light.
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