4×4 Tyres
An article printed in the China Daily states that Pirelli will double passenger car tyre production at its Shandong Province plant through a US$200 million investment. Pirelli Asia Pacific CEO Gregorio Borgo is quoted as saying the expansion is necessary due to potential domestic market demand for both passenger car and 4×4 tyres.
Generation Y is square in Cooper Tire Europe’s sights following an overhaul of the company’s marketing strategy for the region. The tyre maker reports undergoing a major shift in emphasis towards increasing brand awareness among the 18 to 35-year-old male demographic.
Upon arriving in Canada’s Yukon Territory for the 2013 Fulda Challenge, veterans of last year’s event scoffed at the mild weather awaiting them. For goodness sake, the thermometer gave a reading of only minus 20°C – a walk in the park in comparison to 2012, when the mercury sank to a numbing minus 46°C. Yet over the coming days these thoughts were banished as heavy snowfalls delivered driving conditions more challenging than any seen during the Challenge’s 14-year history. In the end, the 2013 Fulda Challenge proved to be not just a test of athletic mettle, rather also a showcase of the conditions in which Fulda winter tyres come into their own.
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Catalan rally ace, Xavi Foj, and the Race2Recovery team are just days away from embarking on what is arguably motorsport’s most gruelling challenge – the Dakar Rally – on Cooper 4×4 tyres.
Maxxis returns to the Autosport International show (10-13 January, 2013) where it will not only be showing off its latest products, but will also be highlighting the brand’s motorsport links – not least with a drifting demonstration by Team Japspeed, winners of the constructor’s title in the 2012 Maxxis British Drift Championship.
Sailun has announced that its new light truck and sport utility vehicle all-season tyre, the Terramax CVR, is now available in Europe in 18 sizes. The manufacturer says it had crossover vehicles in mind with the Terramax CVR, and the tyre is designed to meet the stability, handling and comfort demands of the segment’s vehicles.
However depressed the market feels to suppliers and despite the legitimate complaints of tough times from the retail sector, the overall UK tyre replacement sales situation in terms of unit sales is actually getting marginally better. According to the latest passenger car tyre sell-out sales data for the first nine months of 2012, compiled by leading international market research firm GfK, things are far from rosy, but there is light at the end of the tunnel.
75 years after the company’s foundation, Stapleton’s, its suppliers and its partners are all celebrating three quarters of a century in business.
It’s hard to imagine what Sidney Stapleton would make of the company that bears his name 75 years on from the September day in 1937 when he first incorporated the firm and opened his premises at 195 High Street, Watford. By the end of the Second World War in 1945, the company had not only survived but expanded with the opening of a new depot in nearby Hitchin – a move that brought the weekly wage bill to a total of £20.
18 top General Tire dealers from the UK recently visited the SEMA aftermarket show in Las Vegas as invited delegates of Micheldever Tyres, the UK distributor of General Tire.
The trip was hosted by Amelia Lion, MTS marketing manager house brands and Alan Baldwin, MTS wholesale director, who commented: “After distributing quite a few million 4×4 tyres in the UK market over the past years, visiting SEMA, the home of 4×4, was long overdue.”
The Al Dobowi Group’s Eskay Tyres distributes the Westlake brand in several European markets, including the UK, and the company used the occasion of Brityrex to endorse personally the recently sealed distribution agreement with Vacu-Lug, the Lincolnshire-based retread tyre manufacturer. Surender Singh Kandhari, chairman of Al Dobowi Group and Tim Hercock, managing director of Vacu-Lug, met with their respective teams over lunch during the show. The deal is intended to expand the sales of the Westlake truck tyre brand throughout UK and Ireland (see Fleet Business for more details). At the show itself, Eskay staff introduced the latest Westlake passenger car fitments for the H and V rated RP26 and the high performance SA07.
Avon Tyres has added two brand-new tyre lines – the Ranger HTT and the Ranger ATT – to its extensive off-road portfolio. Avon says that the Ranger high-performance 4×4 series boasts superb handling characteristics and excellent stability at high speeds, both on-road and off-road, delivering comfort and confidence in equal measure.
Statistics shared at Continental’s recent European ContiWinterRoadshow indicate that a total of 73.8 million winter passenger car and 4×4 tyres were sold in Western Europe last year and a further 18.7 million in Central Europe. These figures are up 12.8 per cent and 10.7 per cent year-on-year respectively. Last year’s sale of 92.5 million units is viewed as a ‘peak’ for winter tyres; Continental says it expects sales to stabilise at around 90 million by 2015. This year, the German manufacturer anticipates that both the Western and Central European markets will experience a moderate decline; it estimates 65.8 million winter passenger car and 4×4 tyres will be sold in Western Europe and 17.7 million in Central Europe.
Further details of the lethal incident at Pirelli’s Dalton Road, Carlisle tyre production factory have emerged with various sources naming the victim as George Falder, 48 from Carlisle. According to local police Falder was found dead inside an autoclave at about 18:00 BST on Sunday 30 September. Contrary to earlier news reports, the autoclave was not used in the retreading of tyres as Pirelli exclusively produces new passenger car and 4×4 tyres at the Dalton road facility. Instead, company representatives clarified that the autoclave in question was used in the curing of beads used in the construction of new tyres.
General Tire has enhanced its already extensive range of 4×4 tyres by announcing the return of their legendary Grabber Mud Terrain tyre.
Aimed at both the professional and enthusiast consumer the Grabber Mud Terrain is a true off-road tyre, with a number of features and benefits. These include an aggressive open pattern design including stone ejector ribs, an aggressive open shoulder design and a rugged, 3 ply carcass construction giving excellent durability.
Fast fit franchise network, HiQ has been quick to acknowledge the potential effects of tyre labelling legislation on the retail landscape in the UK, and a new section of the company’s website will continue the steps it has already made in educating its customers about the subject. HiQ has launched its new Tyre Labelling World – described as a “motorists’ guide – on its website, HiQOnline.co.uk. The new section of HiQ’s website aims to provide consumers with a full picture of how the new directive will affect tyre purchasing decisions and impact their vehicle’s performance.
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