In addition to offering a wide winter range, Enjoy Tyre is now adding all-season tyres to its Rotalla portfolio. A total of 101 sizes and prototype patterns for cars and vans are currently at the testing and final development stage.
Apollo Vredestein says it is “well-placed to fulfil the UK demand” highlighted by data that was recently released by GfK Panelmarket. The tyre maker is referring to all-season tyres and opines that the Vredestein all-season range is “perfectly positioned to answer a trend which shows significant growth of all-season in SUV fitments and even more dramatic for ultra-high-performance tyres.”
Earlier research based on point of sales system-based sell-out data shows that mid-range all-season tyres are leading market growth, followed by premium tyres (see “Mid-range all-season tyres lead market growth” for more on this). At the same time 4×4 and SUV tyres specifically appear to be driving growth. Both facts point to the hypothesis that market growth is being driven by high-value products, which makes both all-season tyres in general and SUV/4×4 all-season tyres in particular attractive parts of the tyre business to engage in. But what evidence is there that this thesis is supported by sell-out pricing?
There are signs of significant growth at the top end of the all-season tyre segment, with volume and value skyrocketing in the ultra-high performance tyre segment. According to GfK Panelmarket data comparing figures from July 2016 to June 2017 with the period between July 2017 to June 2018, sales of all-season tyres are up a healthy 9 per cent overall.
As the UK reacts to varying extremities of weather, from snow drifts to heatwaves, motorists are forced to question their tyre choices for the changing conditions. While many opt to switch from winter to summer tyres and back again, a secondary option (all-season tyres) has emerged as a popular choice for road users looking for year-round performance without the hassle of switching their tyres partway through the year.
A brand new all-season tyre for SUVs and light duty pick-ups – the Cooper Discoverer AT3 4S – has joined Cooper Tire Europe’s range for cold weather conditions.
Anglian Water is apparently well pleased with how its ongoing trial of the Agilis CrossClimate van tyre is progressing. Michelin reports that its all-season rubber excelled during both the Beast from the East in February and the recent record-breaking hot spell.
Despite only entering the tyre business during the first decade of the new millennium (2008 to be precise), Yanchang Rubber is continuing to increase in prominence. Already known as a leading manufacturer with strong petrochemical group backing in the domestic Chinese tyre business, recent years have seen the company redouble its internationalisation efforts. One visible example was this was the company’s Tire Cologne exhibition stand, which was bigger and more professional-looking than ever and was placed in a premium position in Hall 6.
Following its launch a month ago, Bridgestone’s Weather Control A005 is available nationwide now. Available with 68 sizes for 15” to 20” rims, it will immediately cover demand for 94 per cent of passenger cars and on-road SUVs, with additional sizes being made available in 2019. In November 2018, Bridgestone will also be releasing four small-van sizes to the market. They will be fitted with its DriveGuard technology, which brings the benefits of runflat tyres to the broader market.
This year the Barum tyre brand celebrates its 70th anniversary, and the newly-minted septuagenarian is keeping young with the introduction of an all-season tyre range.
Back in 1994, a little-known tyre brand called Hankook entered the all-season market in Europe with the Optisuper. A lot has changed for the tyre maker since then, but it is still firmly in the all-season tyre business – and has now introduced its fifth-generation tyre, the Hankook Kinergy 4S².
With the introduction of its newest all-season tyre, Bridgestone claims a segment first. Every dimension in the Weather Control A005 range has achieved an EU label rating of ‘A’ for wet grip – and the tyre maker is quick to add that this is something none of its rivals have managed to-date.
Look carefully for the superscript – Hankook Tire has unveiled its fifth generation of all-season tyre for Europe. It’s called the Hankook Kinergy 4S², and despite the naming similarities is a completely redeveloped product. The Kinergy 4S² comes to market in June 2018 with a launch range of 17 sizes in the 14- to 17-inch rim diameter bracket. From the second half of the year, the range will be expanded to 64 sizes for 14- to 20-inches.
The Dubai-based Al Dobowi Group will present a new Infinity all-season tyre at The Tire Cologne next week. Known as the Ecofour, the all-season rubber is coming to market in a launch range of 24 sizes
The increasing popularity of all-season tyres in Europe has led to an increase in product development in the segment as manufacturers, especially premium manufacturers, move to launch products offering less of a compromise of characteristics than ever before in the segment. Yokohama, a global brand that has arguably done more than any other tyre manufacturer not already part of the big seven to make a convincing case for being categorised as a premium brand, is the latest to launch a next generation all-season product, the BluEarth 4Seasons.
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