Dunlop has confirmed its entrance onto the all-season tyre market. The new Dunlop Sport All Season is designed to provide performance handling across a wide temperature range. The tyre is three-peak mountain snowflake certified, for mobility in winter road conditions. The manufacturer states that the tyres is particularly suited for countries with relatively moderate winter temperatures.
Falken Tyre Europe has launched its 2020 “Falken says Tanke” promotional campaign in Germany, Austria and other European core markets. From 15 September to 30 November, customers will receive a 20-euro prepaid card for refueling and shopping when buying Falken winter or all-season tyres in participating retailers. In addition, participants from Germany have the chance to win one of 25 Shell fuel vouchers worth 100 euros. There are also 100 opportunities to win the Shell V-Power Smart Deal, worth 119.99 euros, allowing winners to fill up with V-Power fuels at the price of standard fuels. Falken is also giving away a total of 17 pairs of Dalbello ski boots in the Benelux countries, Germany, Austria, and Poland. These boots come with a co-polymer sole named “GripWalk”, providing extra snow grip – an analogy to winter tyres’ performance on snow.
Pirelli is expanding its line-up of all-season tyres in response to increased demand for these products. It is introducing a total of 22 new 16- to 19-inch sizes into its Cinturato All Season Plus and Scorpion Verde All Season SF ranges. With the addition of these sizes, Pirelli says it will be able to cover around 90 per cent of the potential all-season market in Europe, a market that it notes doubled between 2016 and 2019.
Dunlop’s new all-season tyre will be called the Sport All Season. The Goodyear brand revealed details for the forthcoming tyre for the European market on its German website. It would be the first all-season model released under the Dunlop brand for many years, with no predecessor currently in the range to replace. The latest generation of all-season tyres have continued to be a major focus of premium brand manufacturers, with sales of such products showing sustained improvement in both volume and price. The new tyre does not use the directional tread popularly employed in many of the latest wave of all-season tyres, instead opting for a performance-focused asymmetric pattern.
There is no doubt that the all-season tyre segment is one of the fastest-growing in the European market, and it is not difficult to see why; while some countries routinely experience extreme weather conditions in the winter months, much of the continent does not suffer to the same extent. As such, many countries – such as the UK, for example – have never developed a strong winter tyre market.
Nokian Tyres’ mission statement is to provide motorists with “peace of mind in all conditions,” and Central Europe region SVP Bahri Kurter says Nokian is taking the “all conditions” aspect literally. Interest in products beyond its established winter business has grown in recent years and driven the launch of new summer tyres such as the Powerproof and Wetproof. Now Nokian Tyres is turning its attention to the growing all-season segment.
Mobile tyre fitting specialist Mid Beds Tyres says it is benefiting from improved traction and an increased range of up to 40 miles per tank of fuel as a result of replacing the original equipment tyres on its MAN TGE 4×4 van with a set of Michelin Agilis CrossClimates. The company removed the original equipment rubber after just 15,000 miles in service; the Agilis CrossClimate tyres have clocked-up 35,000 miles with 6mm of tread still remaining.
Germanophone auto clubs, ADAC, the Austrian Automobile, Motorcycle and Touring Club (ÖAMTC) and the Touring Club Switzerland (TCS) have presented the results of their joint all-season tyre test. Despite the rising popularity of all-season tyres in European markets, the clubs did not recommend any of the seven tyres in the test without condition. The tyres were tested in size 235/55R17 103V/Y using a Ford Kuga as an exemplifier of heavier, larger SUVs, which are themselves increasing in popularity throughout Western Europe. Such vehicles are also amongst those most likely to fit all-season products. Tyres tested were Bridgestone’s Weather Control A005, Conti’s AllSeasonContact, Goodyear’s Vector 4Seasons Gen-2, Michelin’s CrossClimate +, Nokian’s Weatherproof, Uniroyal’s AllSeasonExpert 2, and Vredestein’s Quatrac Pro. The publication of the test was delayed from its original planned publication date in April due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Kumho has introduced two new patterns in 2020, the all-season Solus 4S HA32 and WinterCraft WP72. It said the range updates are a response to increasing demand for such products. The Kumho Solus 4S HA32 joins the HA31 this autumn, bringing the total size range to 70. The manufacturer will add an HA32 SUV range in 2021.
The Covid-19 pandemic and lockdown has made 2020 an annus horribilis for the UK car tyre market, with a near quarter-long lockdown slashing miles driven, original equipment sales due to prolonged factory closures, and reducing sales opportunities further with the government’s MOT exemption. However, tyre businesses have begun ramping up again in response to the reopening of business sectors, people returning to work, and the possibility that private car usage could become increasingly popular as commuters avoid public transport – though the trend for working from home could create more than a headwind for any growth in miles driven. Perhaps the greatest driver of UK car tyre sales growth in 2020 could be the projected spike in MOTs in the autumn, as the period of exemption expires for many pandemic affected motorists. Halfords Autocentres estimates that there could be an 85 per cent jump in demand for MOTs in October – click here for Tyrepress’s own analysis of the MOT situation. Why is this important in a feature about all-season and winter tyres? As we are about to see, the all-season tyre segment continued its impressive growth over April 2019 – March 2020.
Pirelli is set to capitalise on the rising consumer interest in all-season tyres across Europe with an expansion to its range to cover more than 90 per cent of the market. Pirelli will introduce 22 new sizes between 16 and 19 inches in the Cinturato All Season Plus and Scorpion Verde All Season SF product ranges. All of these products are also available with Pirelli’s Seal Inside technology – a puncture protection layer added to the inside of the tyre to help extend mobility in case of damage. Pirelli adds that the new generation of premium all-season tyres has supported growth in the all-season tyre market, which in turn has seen more tyre manufacturers bring out a wider range of products. Tyres & Accessories asked Pirelli UK chairman and CEO Dominic Sandivasci about the latest European market trends, starting with the relationship between winter and all-seaosn tyres.
Avon is preparing to introduce a new all-season product: the Avon AS7. Boasting both 3PMSF (Three Peak Mountain Snow Flake) and M+S (Mud and Snow) ratings, it is designed to deliver reliable traction in unpredictable weather and demanding conditions all year round. The tyre is the latest in the Cooper Tire portfolio, joining the launch of the Cooper Discoverer A/T3 Sport 2 (pictured) earlier in 2020, and enhancing the company’s all-season portfolio.
Michelin introduced the first CrossClimate tyre in 2015 in a move that saw the manufacturer shift from its long-held position of being broadly opposed to all-season tyres on the basis that best seasonal performance is achieved by either summer or winter tyres. However, arguing that the CrossClimate is a summer tyre with year-round capabilities, Michelin pioneered a new category of tyre. The initial CrossClimate was followed by the CrossClimate + and the CrossClimate SUV variants 2017 and now there is the news that a completely revised version – the CrossClimate 2 – is on its way.
Mercedes-Benz AG has selected the Cooper Discoverer SRXLE all-season tyre as original equipment (OE) on the new Mercedes GLS. Discoverer SRXLE fitments include the 275/50 R20 and 275/55 R19.
Petlas is to launch its first all-season car tyre, the PT565 MultiAction. The leading Turkish brand says the new tyre has targeted both performance in all weather conditions and sustainability. Its R&D engineers developed the PT565 with lower rolling resistance to help reduce emissions. The tyre has a V-shaped block patten with its optimised sipe density to offer better grip and traction on dry, wet, and snowy surfaces. The manufacturer said the tyre represents the distillation of its manufacturing expertise accumulated over more than 40 years.
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