A major announcement from Michelin on the sidelines of the Geneva Motor Show represents something of a ‘revolution’ and paradigm shift for the French manufacturer: The traditionally staunch supporter of seasonal summer/winter tyre swaps has released the CrossClimate, a European-market tyre intended for year-round fitment.
Nokian Tyres has provided details of a new range it says will “put an end to the tyre change roulette that bothers drivers each spring and autumn.” Scheduled for an autumn 2015 launch and developed with motorists in Central Europe in mind, the Nokian Weatherproof family aims to “combine reliable winter safety with the precise driving stability and firm handling of the Nokian summer tyres” and will be available in passenger car, SUV and van fitments.
Nokian Tyres will bring a new portfolio of five new tyres to Central Europe, as the manufacturer targets growth in the region. Calling Central Europe the world’s largest market area for winter tyres, the Finnish manufacturer said that approximately 70 million winter tyres were sold in 2014, meaning the segment is growing faster than the overall market. With the faster growth experienced in some of Europe’s lesser heralded economic nations than in the traditional big five markets, tyre markets are expected to expand, while Nokian also predicts the continued spread of winter tyre legislation. Therefore Central Europe has become one of Nokian’s most important areas for growth.
Strategically the most significant detail about the Cinturato All-Season launch is the fact that a premium manufacturer such as Pirelli is launching an all-season tyre at this time. Other premium manufacturers have such products, but many have opted to focus on summer and winter products, leaving mid-range players and second line brands first in line. In order to find out a little more, Tyres & Accessories spoke to Pirelli senior vice president sales planning and supply chain, Matteo Battaini, during the event.
Cinturato All-Season designed for markets like the UK Pirelli has launched a new all-season tyre aimed at increasing premium seasonal tyre sales amongst daily drivers living in markets with temperate European climates and especially in urban areas. The Cinturato All-Season not only marks the first time that Pirelli has really pushed an all-season tyre under […]
The winter has been fairly mild so far, but this is no reason for complacency when it comes to driving and your car’s tyres. TyreSafe reminds motorists that winter tyres can help them stay safe and mobile on the road, even if we don’t receive a white Christmas this year. The safety organisation recommends a separate set of winter tyres as the safest choice for British motorists, but says all-season tyres also provide an acceptable balance between summer and winter tyre performance.
Sumitomo global brand Falken is recommending its Euroall AS200 all-season tyre to UK drivers reticent to invest in specialist winter products. While the manufacturer noted the widely accepted safety benefits full winter tyres can offer UK drivers, a recent Falken survey of 2,674 people suggested that motorists are reluctant to commit to the perceived high […]
Apollo introduced new winter and all-season products in its Alnac range at Reifen 2014, with a full launch reported in Tyres & Accessories’ July issue. The Alnac 4G All Season and Alnac 4G Winter tyres were developed in its Global R&D Centre in the Netherlands, optimised for the European road network.
It’s never easy to follow up a smash hit – just ask Gotye – but with more than seven million UltraGrip 8s shipped in Europe since 2011, Goodyear’s ninth generation winter tyre is following an all-time great. Travelling to Goodyear’s Innovation Centre Luxembourg earlier this year with dealers from across Europe, Tyres & Accessories got an exclusive preview of the new tyre, in addition to some insights from Xavier Fraipont, director technology consumer tyres EMEA, about the development process that has led to the UG 9.
The Aeolus stand at Reifen 2014 highlighted the brand’s significant development in various European markets over the last year, with a well-proportioned stand in Hall 3 for the first time. Director of EU and CIS, Chen Lei told Tyrepress that the brand has been promoting its European business with an emphasis on shows in 2014.
With its sights set on gaining a bigger part of the European tyre market, on 27 May Apollo Tyres introduced two new tyres in Essen. The two new tyres, Apollo Alnac 4G All Season and Apollo Alnac 4G Winter tyres, joined to the existing range of Apollo Alnac 4G tyres being sold in Europe. Both tyres were developed in Apollo Tyres’ Global R&D Centre in the Netherlands and have been optimised to suit the requirements of European drivers and the European road network. While this was going on in the foreground, in the background the company has been involved in complex discussions relating to its much publicised plans to build an Eastern European factory. To this end Tyres & Accessories spoke with chief marketing officer Marco Paracciani. But first the new products…
On 23 June Apollo Vredestein introduced a new generation of all-season tyres – the Vredestein Quatrac 5. In parallel the company also launched the new Snowtrac 5 winter tyre. However, as much as the launch was about these products and the technology associated with them, there was also a heavy emphasis on further communicating the upwardly mobile so-called “brand emotion” the company has work hard to associated with its name during the last two decades. The launch could also be read as suggesting a broadening in the company’s pioneering approach to the development of the winter tyre market in the UK to include a greater role for all-season tyres.
Taiwanese manufacturer Nankang (Hall 3, 3B27) has announced its plans to introduce three new tyres designed for European conditions from its stand at Reifen 2014. Targeting different functions and applications, the UHP AS-2, eco-tyre NA-1 and all-season N-607+ will “provide comprehensive capabilities without compromising in comfort,” according to the manufacturer. In addition to the new products, Nankang will shine a spotlight on the ECO-2+, “the first tyre produced in Taiwan to be awarded a TÜV performance mark” the company states, at the exhibition.
Two days ago we reported the launch of Michelin’s Premier A/S at the NAIAS in Detroit; since then, US trade publication Tire Review shared with us a bold claim Michelin has made about its new all-season tyre – that it is better worn than competitors’ tyres are when new.
Vredestein has brought back its second brand with the introduction of the Maloya Quadris all-season tyre. The brand, which originated in Switzerland and gained a new homeland with its acquisition by Vredestein in 1993, was absent from the company’s portfolio for the last year and a half. At the time company officials said the name was by no means ‘dead’ and, true to their word, it has been resuscitated.
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