GT Radial wins European original equipment deal
Top ten tyre manufacturer, Giti Tire has confirmed its first GT Radial original equipment homologation fitments for the European passenger car and light truck market. Both Renault Nissan and PSA Peugeot Citroen will fit the manufacturer’s tyres on European models, with the latter’s Peugeot Partner and Citroen Berlingo models running on GT Radial in Western European markets.
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Over inflated part worn market figures
One of the Eagle-eyed editors at Tyres & Accessories’ German sister title, Neue Reifenzeitung recently dropped us a line with regard to our coverage of insurance firm Liverpool Victoria’s research into the UK part worn tyre market (see “23 million part worns sold since 2009” online and in the June issue of the magazine for the original story). In short it seems that while we accurately reported the figures that were released to the press, some of the calculations undergirding the report’s claims couldn’t bear their own mathematical weight. Or in other words the research shows that annual worn tyre demand is less than 4 million units annually and not knocking on the door of 6 million tyres a year (5.7 million units annually was the precise figure) that was originally quoted.
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Is Unipart Automotive being lined up for sale to Euro Car Parts?
With numerous sources reporting that loss-making parts firm Unipart Automotive is just days away from a rescue plan (which you might read as a sales of the company), and with at least three bidders being associated with the deal, fast-growing rival Euro Car Parts could be seen as a front runner. But first a little background. Following the initial news reports Unipart Automotive was close to calling in the administrators on 8 July, a day later minority shareholder Unipart Group clarified its relationship to Unipart Automotive:
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Continental to discontinue football World Cup sponsorship
According to a German newspaper, Continental plans to step down as a World Cup sponsor. The Hannoversche Allgemeine (HAZ) writes that in future the tyre maker intends instead to solely sponsor regional confederations, such as Europe’s UEFA. This change to the company’s multi-million commitment is also said to apply to the next World Cup. “We have nothing more to do with the coming events in Russia 2018 and Qatar 2022,” the newspaper quoted a Continental spokesperson as saying.
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Aesthetics the priority at Pirelli F1 tyre test
As reported on Tuesday, Pirelli tested 18-inch Formula One concept tyres at Silverstone this week. Early yesterday, Lotus F1 Team reserve driver Charles Pic took the concept tyres out for their debut run and completed 14 laps of the Silverstone circuit.
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Linglong partnering with IDIADA in China tyre test centre project
On 1 July Linglong Group signed a strategic agreement with IDIADA to partner in the construction of a central Asian tyre proving ground. The agreement was signed between Josep-Maria Farran, COO (chief operating officer) of IDIADA, and Wang Feng, vice president of Linglong Group, marking the start of this strategic cooperation.
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Will Europe impose tyre import tariffs?
In this month’s magazine (July 2014), as well as our the conclusion of our comprehensive review of the Essen Show (see page 40 onwards) plus features on manufacturing (from page 24) and batteries (page 8+), we report on the potential “Return of US tyre import tariffs” (on page 30). Reading this article, you could be forgiven for thinking you had stepped into a time warp to 2009 where proceedings followed a very similar course. This time round, the potential implementation of a second round of import US import tariffs aimed squarely at China have fermented rumours about whether anything similar is likely to happen in Europe. So will it?
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Pirelli launches commercial vehicle innovations at Reifen 2014
Pirelli launched its latest commercial vehicle tyre evolution of the Series:01 and a new range of Novatread tyres at Reifen, emphasising durability and safety. Compared to previous generation products, the new range of Pirelli truck tyres offer a longer tyre life, greater ease of rebuilding, and improved roadholding on both wet and dry surfaces, the manufacturer states.
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Aeolus premieres 4Seasonace at Reifen 2014
The Aeolus stand at Reifen 2014 highlighted the brand’s significant development in various European markets over the last year, with a well-proportioned stand in Hall 3 for the first time. Director of EU and CIS, Chen Lei told Tyrepress that the brand has been promoting its European business with an emphasis on shows in 2014.
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Blackcircles considers investment options
Following the news that Blackcircles.com opened its fourth PitStop Click&Fit tyre bay in Glasgow at the end of June, Tyres & Accessories spoke with the company’s founder and managing director Mike Welch in order to find out more about the company’s plans and hints that it is courting investment this year.
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The return of US tyre import tariffs?
The global tyre industry is keeping a watchful eye on the US International Trade Commission, which is set to make a preliminary decision on whether or not to enforce import duties on tyres produced in China. Preliminary arguments for and against this were made before the body on 24 June and since then the US Tire Industry Association (TIA) has also weighed in. However, ITC won’t make its initial ruling till 8 July.
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NTDA names awards nominees
After three months of receiving the nominations from industry, the NTDA has named the finalists for the first Tyre Industry Awards. The industry association says that since it announced changes to the awards evening format, sponsors, nominees and attendees alike have shown “tremendous interest”. Award winners will be announced by the Rt. Hon. Michael Portillo at the 85th NTDA Annual Dinner on 8 October. The dinner is sponsored by Zenises and the NTDA says it is set to be a sell-out.
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Creditor funding for Kumho US plant approved; production to start early 2016
Kumho Tire has announced that work will resume on its tyre plant in the US state of Georgia. In a Korean-language statement issued 30 June, the company said it had approved an investment by creditors, and anticipates that the US$413 facility will be complete in early 2016. This information was confirmed the following day by the Macon-Bibb County Industrial Authority.
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Michelin launches new corporate site, media portals
This week, Michelin launched what it calls a “new brand ecosystem” – the French tyre maker has introduced an entirely redesigned michelin.com site, a worldwide Facebook page and YouTube channel, and a new presence on LinkedIn. The new site is designed to be more accessible and ergonomic while also intuitive and functional; Michelin describes it as “an expression of the brand’s digital promise” that is aligned with its values and the brand’s stated mission of giving “everyone a better way forward.”
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Nexen confirms Czech Republic factory details
Nexen Tire has officially confirmed that it is building a new plant in Zatec, Czech Republic with the stated aims of developing its European foothold and expanding its global production base. The company also confirmed that the project will cost 1.2 trillion Korean won, approximately 829 million euros, bringing some clarity to reports that have also suggested a US$1.17 billion pricetag.
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