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Superminis are well-represented in UK registration figures, occupying the two top spots in 2020. But auto motor und sport (ams) observes that comparative tests tend to overlook the tyres that these cars wear due to their unsporty nature. The German publication now rectifies this paucity of test data by examining 11 tyre brands in size 195/55 R16H.
With starting fields of more than 50 tyres and two rounds of product evaluation, Auto Bild’s tyre tests count amongst the most thorough and authoritative in the business. Kumho is therefore justifiably proud that its Ecsta HS51 achieved outright victory in the Auto Bild 2021 summer tyre test.
Toyo Tire Corporation’s 2021 to 2025 ‘Mid-term ’21 plan’ indicates the brand’s intentions for its new Serbian plant, due to commence production in April 2022. The Japanese brand says the facility will not merely offer “local production for local consumption.” It says the plant will play a major role in further international expansion, becoming by far its most cost-effective.
A set of UHP tyres can cost more than £1,000 or less than half that, but you get what you pay for. This is what Auto Bild Sportscars found in its 2021 summer tyre test – the pricier tyres finished towards the top of the results table, while the two cheapest tyre brands were also the worst performers.
At the start of February, Pirelli introduced its Cinturato All Season SF 2 and Cinturato P7 tyre ranges in a virtual event broadcast from Milan. The virtual launch also previewed the forthcoming Cinturato Winter 2, which will be released in time for the next winter season (and therefore sometime between Summer and Autumn 2021). The unifying theme was "Safety on the move", but Pirelli’s latest all-season offering was really centre-stage.
Shortly after the event began, launch proceedings got underway with Francesco Sala, senior vice president Manufacturing at Pirelli (pictured) setting the launches in the context of “a completely refreshed Cinturato range”. These come against the background of significant research and development efforts intended to work with the company’s best-fit OE/replacement policy. Specifically, Sala explained that digital prototyping has resulted in 400 homologations across 128 car models and 40 models. And the success of this approach can be seen in the number of homologations already achieved for the new products.
Meet the Giti Gazelles. A new partner of Giti Tire, this all-female off-road driving team will represent the tyre maker in a variety of competitive and community support activities. Headlining the events in the first half of the year will be the Rallye Aïcha des Gazelles desert rally held in Morocco from 14 to 29 May. The rally is the original female-only off-road rally raid and the only one with ISO-14001 environmental accreditation.
Following last month’s preview of the 2021 report, Brand Finance has released its full Tyres 10 ranking. According to the 2021 table, the tyre sector has taken a hit over the last year, with all 10 brands losing brand value. Brand Finance unsurprisingly puts this decline down to the pandemic-related behavioural changes: “Owing to the lack of travel due to lockdowns, car sales are declining, which means tyre brands are selling less units, resulting in a drop in market equity across the industry. Furthermore, since the economy has been riskier in general over the past year, investor risk has increased, triggering a rise in the cost of capital.”
Sumitomo Rubber Industries (SRI) has presented the “next evolution” of its proprietary Advanced 4D Nano Design materials development technology. The manufacturer of the Falken and (outside Europe) Dunlop tyre brands also reports it is utilising supercomputer technology to accelerate its work on materials simulation.
Sailun Group is considering setting up a plant to produce tyres for passenger vehicles in Cambodia. According to a feasibility study published today, the Chinese tyre maker is interested in building a facility within the QiLu (Cambodia) Special Economic Zone in Svay Rieng Province that is capable of making five million semi-steel radials a year. Sailun estimates the project will require an investment of 1.18 billion yuan (£130.5 million).
Yokohama Off-Highway Tires Europe Middle East and Africa (YOHT EMEA) has announced across-the-board price increases of 4.5 to 5.5 per cent. An official statement specified that the first price increase of 4.5 to 5.5 per cent was implemented on 1 Jan 2021. The new pricing will apply to the entire portfolio of Yokohama Off-Highway Tires EMEA (including the Alliance and Galaxy brands) and will take effect from 1 April 2021.
Canada-based Tyromer is building a factory Arnhem, the Netherlands as a pilot before bringing it circular rubber products to the European market. Tyromer told investment bodies that it will fine-tune and exhibit its recycling technology at its new Dutch facility in order to sell the process to third parties. Located at Kleefse Waard Industrial Park (IPKW) in Arnhem, the factory is currently being ready to start early in the summer of 2021. The location employ approximately 12 people.
Spring is on its way, and independent tyre distribution firm Vimexa says it has a wide range of products available to customers. Managing director Rutger Veerman confirms that a number of brands are available, and as 85 per cent of the tyres that Vimexa supplies are premium products, import uncertainties won’t be an issue. But options also exist for customers shopping for budget tyres.
Giti Tire has launched its new mass-market European UHP tyre, the GT Radial SportActive 2. The second generation of the SportActive comes with a range of performance enhancements, particularly in wet conditions. The GT Radial SportActive 2 will initially be available in 14 sizes for rims from 16-20”, section widths from 205-275, series sizes from 35-55, and with speed indices of W or Y.
With the addition of the Cooper Tire business, Goodyear will return to the global number three ranking in passenger car and light truck (PCLT) tyre volumes in 2021. After previously holding the clear number three ranking behind the world’s largest tyre manufacturers, Bridgestone and Michelin, Goodyear was joint third with Continental in both 2017 and 2018. In 2019, Goodyear fell behind Continental to fourth position in 2019 and 2020. Working on a pro forma basis combining original equipment and replacement market tyres, Astutus Research data reveals some interesting facts about the nascent conjoined organisation, with reference to their largest tyre business segment in terms of volume.
The Covid-19 pandemic may have caused the biggest financial crisis of a generation as well as record spending and borrowing levels, but economic highlights aren’t as bad as was expected and UK Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak isn’t raising taxes as fast as feared. Here, Tyres & Accessories takes a look at the main points pertaining to the tyre business and specifically: the furlough extension, the corporation tax increase, continued business rates holiday, and the introduction of freeports.
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