Test highlights performance gap between brand name and budget tyres
The October-released 11/2015 edition of German motoring publication Auto Bild Sportscars features a test of size 225/45 R18 V/Y winter tyres. Eight different products – seven well-known brands and one budget tyre – were put to the test while fitted to a Mercedes-Benz C-Class. The budget tyre, Horizon, received poor marks for its performance and was rated ‘not recommended’ by the Auto Bild Sportscars testers.
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UK first as Autoparts vending machines provided to AA by The Parts Alliance
The Parts Alliance has launched autoparts vending machines in partnership with the AA. The machines are designed to provide the UK’s biggest breakdown provider with access to parts on the road, 24 hours a day. The PA PartVend concept is being piloted in a number of strategic locations, with the machines electronically linked so The Parts Alliance can tell instantly which products are being used and when to replenish the stock.
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Dunlop squeezes ahead of Apollo to win 4×4 winter tyre test
Our temporary and unplanned hiatus in tyre test reportage is over, and it’s time to work through the small backlog of results made public during the past couple of months. We’re starting with the test of eight SUV winter tyres carried out by Germany’s Auto Bild allrad.
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Qingdao Doublestar doubling capacity
Things are tough in China, but not every company is going under. While some are struggling others are expanding quickly. During the course of the recent Reifen China exhibition in Shanghai, Tyres & Accessories spoke with Qingdao Doublestar representatives and found our more about the company’s ambitious plans for rapid change despite the turbulent market conditions.
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TWG chairman on 2015: Tough, but good
2015 marks the end of the era. I am not referring to the departure of any key executives, although there have been those. Neither I am talking about the mergers and acquisitions that have taken place – and there have been those too. Rather, I am referring to the fact that November 2015 marked the last time that the NTDA Tyre Wholesaler’s Group (TWG) are gathering for a standalone meeting and annual dinner in November. Instead, as chairman John Parker explained in his speech, the event will be reformatted and move to the day before the NTDA annual conference and Tyre Industry Awards in order to facilitate a more efficient use of everyone’s times and travelling abilities. In addition to updating members and guests on the latest developments from within the TWG, Tyres & Accessories was present to hear Parker give a wholesales-eye-view summary of what has been happening in the market, with part worn tyres and within the wider NTDA.
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Champion Higgins tops class with Dmack-shod Subaru Impreza
Twenty years after Colin McRae sealed the FIA World Rally Championship title, a Subaru Impreza emblazoned with the Scot’s iconic livery and equipped with Dmack tyres finished as the top production class car on Wales Rally GB. David Higgins and Craig Drew romped home on their home round of the WRC as part of the anniversary celebrating McRae’s achievement. Seven-time Rally America champion Higgins has won two titles on Dmack tyres with his Subaru USA team and topped the class using Dmack’s DMG+2 gravel tyre.
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Michelin’s newest rally tyres complete successful 2015 at highest level
Wales Rally GB completes WRC season The 2015 Wales Rally GB concluded the 13-round FIA World Rally Championship, with Sébastien Ogier and co-driver Julien Ingrassia claiming the final victory to go alongside the already claimed Drivers’ Championship in the Volkswagen Polo R WRC. Their tyre supplier, Michelin has introduced two major new tyres at the […]
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ChemChina proudly showing Pirelli connection
Now ChemChina has completed the purchase of Pirelli and the de-listing of the well-known Italian tyre firm’s shares, the first signs of how Pirelli will be integrated into the ChemChina tyre group are emerging. Walking onto the ChemChina stand, the first thing you notice is that the Pirelli logo now features at the head of a list of group-owned tyre business in at least two prominent positions on the large stand. While for many in Europe the sight of Pirelli alongside Aeolus, Double Happiness, Yellow Sea and Torch may feel a little strange, the obvious implication of ChemChinas decision to present it this way is that we all need to start getting used to the new reality. Secondly, you can’t ignore that this move communicates the underlying intention to integrate Pirelli into the ChemChina group rather
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Apollo Tyres buys Germany’s reifen.com
Apollo Tyres Ltd has announced its acquisition of tyre wholesaler and online retailer Reifen.com GmbH. The German company changed hands for €45.6 million and, according to Neeraj Kanwar, vice-chairman and managing director of Apollo Tyres, the purchase of Reifen.com represents a “strategic fit in further growing our European business.
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Reifen China 2015 underway
Reifen China 2015, held at the Shanghai New International Exhibition Centre, opened its doors for a ninth consecutive time on 11 November. In his welcoming address Wei Yun, chairman of China United Rubber Corporation (CURC) who jointly organise the show with Messe Essen GmbH, pointed out that “This year RubberTech continues to run in association with the 9th Asian Essen Tire Show. We aim to set up a platform for exhibitors to present the latest technology and products in both the upstream and downstream rubber industry. During the three-day exhibition and conference, more than 600 exhibitors both from home and abroad from over 20 different countries...”
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Trelleborg acquires Mitas parent company, CGS Holding
Trelleborg has signed an agreement to acquire the Czech Republic’s CGS Holding a.s. for approximately 10.9 billion Swedish Krona (£830 million) on a cash and debt-free basis. The privately-owned company is active in the agricultural and specialty tyre business segments, including the strong Mitas tyre brand, as well as engineered polymer solutions. Closing of the transaction is subject to approvals from relevant competition authorities and is expected to be completed in the first half of 2016.
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Rema Tip Top Automotive UK unveils Leeds Training Centre
Tyre Industry Awards 2015 winner Rema Tip Top has opened its new tyre repair and garage equipment training centre following significant investment in Leeds headquarters. Hosting Tyres & Accessories at a launch event in October, immediately after its NTDA 2015 Tyre Industry Award for Tyre and Aftermarket Supplier of the Year, the company showed how the site has been entirely refitted, having lain derelict for around half a decade before the acquisition of Doncaster’s Ace Conveyor Equipment in 2008 and subsequent consolidation of the industrial business. The new centre will provide accreditation for the new generation of tyre technicians, with an expanding variety of courses delivered over one or two days. Rema Tip Top chief executive Mark Insley stated: “We recognise the importance of education and training to an industry which is responsible for the safety of millions of people on our roads on a daily basis. With this well-equipped and highly professional facility we will provide an invaluable resource for our customers.”
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Sailun launches new Atrezzo PCR tyres
Sailun Tyres has launched two new passenger car tyres developed particularly for the European market in an event held in the Brittany village of Lohéac, France. The tyres both appear in the company’s Atrezzo PCR line; the Atrezzo Elite asymmetrical high performance tread and the Atrezzo Eco, designed as a more eco-friendly alternative to sit below the Elite in terms of size profile. Compared to their predecessor, the 90-size SH-402, the tyres both have patterns in keeping with current market trends. During the presentation of the two new tyres, Sailun also gave details of its first all-season tyre, the Atrezo 4 Seasons, which has also been launched in five sizes. The event follows Sailun’s collaborative events in Lohéac and Val d’Isère with its French distributor DistriCash, though this time the manufacturer was “standing alone,” in the words of Sailun Jinyu (Europe) managing director Martin West, with guests attending from across Europe.
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New GT Radial Savero SUV targets growing compact, medium sized market
Giti Tire has launched its latest product, the GT Radial Savero SUV, which arrives in Europe to meet the growing demand in the SUV and CUV segments. The tyre was launched at an event in Barcelona, demonstrating the product’s suitability for fitment on a wide range of vehicles at the compact to medium end of the market.
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Dmack seeking repeat of home event WRC success
Dmack will aim to repeat its 2014 WRC2 victory when its drivers take on the tyre supplier’s home round of the 2015 FIA World Rally Championship at Wales Rally GB. The company said that winter weather and high-speed forest roads would result in a challenging end to the season.
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