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The National Tyre Distributors Association (NTDA) is launching a new Responsible Repairer Group for companies providing major repairs for commercial vehicle, OTR, agricultural as well as plant and equipment tyres. Tyres & Accessories understands that “several major repairers” have expressed interest in the group.
For the last few years Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) take-up has continued apace. Indeed, according to the latest UK vehicle registrations figures, cars that can be described as SUVs now occupy a significant portion of new vehicle market share. Indeed, the Nissan Qashqai crossover was the third most popular purchase in February 2021, according to the Society for Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). And the Volvo XC40 as well as the Volkswagen T-Roc and Tiguan also figure in the top 10. Of course, all these vehicles need tyres so there is every chance that the recent trend towards SUV tyre replacement sales is also going to continue over the next few years. But what about last year? With these trends in mind, the month’s SUV tyre feature takes a closer look the best products on the market beginning with a detailed look at the latest market data produced in association with GfK.
Kumho has a new tyre for the European van and light commercial vehicle segment. Introducing the Kumho PorTran 4S CX11, the tyre maker says its newcomer combines the strengths of the Solus 4S HA32 all-season passenger car pattern and its existing winter specification van tyre, the Winter PorTran CW11. The result, says Kumho, is a tyre that “ensures safe, secure driving and excellent braking performance throughout the year.
The Maxxis Premitra HP5 has capped a run of impressive tyre test results by winning Swedish magazine Vi Bilägare’s 225/45 R17 contest. The flagship global brand of Taiwanese manufacturer Cheng Shin beat premium tyres from Goodyear (EfficientGrip Performance 2 in second), Continental (PremiumContact 6 in third, alongside Nokian’s Hakka Blue 2), Michelin (Primacy 4 in fifth), and Pirelli (Cinturato P7 C2 in sixth) in the test, conducted in Mireval, France. The test ranked tyres based on wet handling, braking and cornering grip, curved and straight aquaplaning, dry handling and braking, fuel consumption, noise, comfort and rolling resistance.
ZC Rubber hosted its first Global Online Dealer Conference on 19 March. The theme of this event was ‘Innovate into The Great Future’, and conference speakers outlined the company’s strategic vision and plans for continued growth in 2021 and also introduced its latest products, technologies, and services.
Tractor manufacturer Fendt has approved the Continental TractorMaster tyre combinations 600/65R38 and 540/65R24 as well as 540/65R34 and 440/65R24 for its 200 Vario and 300 Vario series tractors. Continental says further approvals “could follow.”
It’s 18 years in a row for Michelin. The tyre maker has ranked highest in all segments of the J.D. Power 2021 U.S. Original Equipment Tire Customer Satisfaction Study and points out that this result marks its 18th consecutive highest ranking in the Luxury category as well as sixth consecutive highest ranking in the Truck/Utility Vehicle category.
Imerys, a leading supplier of mineral-based specialty solutions, reports a significant reduction in tyre replacement and vehicle downtime since installing a TyreWatch remote monitoring service at its quarry in Furzebrook, Dorset. With a mixed fleet of off-road heavy plant and six bulk tippers, Imerys was looking for a solution to combat problems associated with tyre-pressure loss and, following a recommendation, turned to TyreWatch and their industry-specific PlantSmart telematics system.
Yokohama’s Geolandar CV G058, a grand touring tyre for crossover SUVs, was among the winners at the recent Chicago Athenaeum 2020 Good Design Awards. The award-winning tyre is part of Yokohama’s Geolandar range of tyres for 4x4s, SUVs and crossover vehicles.
Established in 1950, The Chicago Athenaeum Good Design Award, is the world’s oldest and most prestigious worldwide design award. Organised by the Chicago Athenaeum Museum of Architecture and Design, candidate products are judged by experts who evaluate them from diverse perspectives, including design, use of new technologies, materials and function.
Micheldever Tyre Services (MTS) reports that it is offers a “gripping” SUV proposition for retail customers in 2021, with a range of new products available to its tyre retailer network. According to the company, MTS supplies SUV tyres to over 6,000 customers, including a national network of over 250 independent 4×4 and SUV tyre specialists. Changes include new upgraded patterns, helping to bolster MTS’s range of SUV tyres – for both for on and off-road usage.
In mid-March Jenson Button’s JBXE Extreme E team announced who will be racing electric SUVs alongside the former Formula 1 world champion. He will be sharing the cockpit of his Odyssey 21 with Mikaela Ahlin-Kottulinsky. In recent years, the Swedish driver has successfully competed in the Scirocco R-Cup Germany and in the rallycross discipline. In 2015, she took part in the newly established Audi Sport TT Cup. She also started in the junior classification of the ADAC GT Masters in 2016 and in the Audi Sport Racing Academy in 2017, before switching to the Scandinavian Touring Car Championship in 2018, where she made history as the first and only woman ever to win races in that series.
Welcome to the first of a new series of articles, in which leading executives give their insights into matters affecting today’s tyre industry. We begin the series with Gary Oliver; Chairman of Grouptyre, the national network of independent wholesalers. In the article we discuss the effects of the coronavirus pandemic on the business, new automotive innovations and long-term trends, and current attitudes towards tyre distribution.
“Torque from the Top” is a regularly feature in the print edition of Tyres & Accessories magazine. Not a subscriber? No problem, click here to become one.
Well-known Italy-based tyre manufacturer Pirelli has indicated its willingness to “make Covid-19 vaccinations available to employees”. Writing in a statement published on 17 March 2021, Pirelli representatives said the move specifically relates to “taking part in the Confindustria initiative” and that the company wants to do this “through its own structures and in accordance with the national plan.”
It is with great sadness that we report the death of Reg Bond on 15 March 2021, at the age of 77. Reg had been diagnosed with a brain tumour in 2010 and had been battling it ever since, ultimately succumbing to complications from the illness. It is testament to Reg’s character that he fought so long and so hard against the tumour.
Reg was the founder of tyre wholesaler Bond International and was the driving force behind it becoming a well-respected and successful independent business and one of the largest tyre wholesalers in the UK. Reg was the Chairman of the business, set up in 1966, until his death and was actively involved in the business for over 50 years, although he had handed over the day-to-day running of the business to his sons Greg and Charlie. Over the years the company has grown from a one-man band to its current size, where it employs over 450 people and sells more than 5 million tyres a year. Reg was immensely proud of the strides that Greg and Charlie had made in recent years in taking the business forward. He delighted in the fact that his sons and his business, continued to challenge the competition as he has done and always encouraged that sort of healthy competition.
Apollo Vredestein is enhancing its European agricultural tyre production activities at its Enschede factory in the Netherlands by bringing a new 104-inch tyre press into service in mid-March. The newly-installed tyre press will mainly produce tractor tyres for the XL segment (up to 2.30 metres in diameter and weighing up to 550 kg), products suitable for tractors between 200 and 500 hp. The tyre maker says the commissioning of the press represents a “significant increase in capacity” for this tyre segment.
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