Uniwheels, a long time supplier of alloy wheels to Honda Access, has been given a “Honda Access Europe Award” for its excellent overall performance in 2012. This is the second consecutive Honda Access award that the Uniwheels Production (Poland) Sp z.o.o. operation has received.
HMK, purportedly Europe´s oldest transportation company, relies on Alcoa Dura-Bright wheels. H.M. Kristiansens Automobilbyra AS, more commonly known as HMK, is said to be Europe´s oldest transportation company and is also the largest privately owned coach company in Norway. The firm has been operating from Oslo since 1873.
Projex Design UK Ltd recently launched the latest addition to its Italian-made commercial van alloy range. The Storm wheel is now available for the Toyota Hi-Ace
and Hyundai I-Load. The company has been producing this wheel for more than 18 months and it now reportedly caters for every model of commercial van in Europe.
AlloyGator, a patented alloy wheel protection system, has been launched with the aim of providing car owners with unrivalled protection against scuffs, scratches and other wheel damage. AlloyGator is an affordable solution in keeping alloy wheels looking better for longer for consumers and an opportunity to up-sell for tyre dealers.
Perodua and wheel and design house Wolfrace have teamed up to create the new Myvi Wolfrace Design Concept. The car combines classic Myvi specification with the striking styling of Wolfrace to produce a car that aims to be both affordable and fashionable.
German hard rock band Scorpions took a specially built Volkswagen Amarok fitted with Oxigin’s 19” 14 Oxrock alloy wheels on its final tour. German manufacturer Oxigin says “the band was so impressed by the pick-up truck that the Amarok and its 19” wheels were brought on stage during the concert in its hometown of Hannover.” The wheel is available in 7.5×17”, 8.5×18”, 8.5×19”, 9.5×19”, 8.5×20”, 9.5×20” and 11×20” sizes, with black, black full polish, orange polish, gun metal polish, and white pearl polish finishes.
Industrial finishing equipment manufacturer Guyson International has launched a new Wheelmaster product for use in applications such as smart repairs. “This is the ideal machine either as a brand new installation into ‘smart’ repair centres or auto body shops looking to offer a value added customer service by bringing the process back in house from subcontractors or indeed as a replacement for old, poorly performing blast units,” company representatives explained in a launch statement.
Wolf Design, the range of alloy wheels and body kits from Wolfrace for the executive SUV and large saloon market, now includes a new Wolf RR alloy wheel in sizes 9.0×20", 10.0×20" and 9.5×22".
Wolfrace, a leading UK brand of alloy wheels, has announced its new range of Pro-Lite wheels suitable for road and track use. With a wide and successful range of what it terms the ‘mainstream’ car enthusiast and modified car market with Wolfrace alloy wheels, exhausts and performance air filters, the Wolfrace Eurosport range now features the company’s first lightweight wheel suitable for road and track use.
A certain Italophilic member of the Tyres & Accessories staff likes nothing better than to see Fiat’s smallest current creation in full flow, so the Abarth version was undoubtedly a big hit with him.
German tuning specialist Brabus has launched a range of monoblock light-alloy wheels for the latest Mercedes S-Class and CL-Class models. Customers can choose from three Brabus designs – the six double spoke Brabus Monoblock; the sporty- looking Monoblock S wheel with its five polished double spokes; and a 22-inch version of the Monoblock E wheel family, which features nine strikingly styled spokes and a polished drop centre.
The new 22-inch Monoblock wheels can be mounted in size 10Jx22 front and back, and the German Technical Agency (TÜV) has approved them for use with 275/25 ZR 22 (front) and 295/25 ZR 22 (rear) tyres.
In the US Nissan has issued a recall of up to 3.4 million Altima cars due to a potentially dangerous wheel problem. This issue affects the 2009 model – why wait until next year to own a defective vehicle when you can have one right now? – fitted with 16-inch alloy wheels, although the problem is reportedly restricted to those cars built at the company’s Canton, Mississippi factory between July 24 and August 14. The wheel nuts apparently become loose of their own volition, a ‘standard feature’ Nissan rightly believes is not very helpful.
Altima owners in the US can telephone Nissan on 800-647-7261 for further information.
Tiger Wheels, the JSE-listed wheel manufacturer (Tiwheel), has gone provisionally into liquidation following an order from the High Court, which – the company reports – has appointed joint provisional liquidators.
South African news sources reported that earlier this year, the investment arm of the Nedbank group, Nedgroup Investments, served a notice of motion to apply for the liquidation of the company. The basis of this motion was based on Tiwheel’s liability on the financing of the property occupied by one of Tiwheel’s subsidiaries, ATS Light Alloy Wheels SA. Tiwheel agreed to underwrite any losses that the Nedbank group could incur in the financing arrangement.
The multinational ATS group went into liquidation, affecting its worldwide interests including the South African operation, which was now to be sold off either in part or whole.
Chicago Pneumatic has announced a large extension to the company’s existing range of sockets. The addition of 500 individual sockets and 16 new sets represents a large increase in the product range available, encompassing in total 44 socket sets and 774 impact sockets.
Gary Rigg, the company’s UK business line manager comments that the update has been prompted by customer feedback: “we had some feedback from customers and distributors that a good impact socket line needs to cover all their needs in term of types and sizes. This is the reason why we drastically expanded the range. We also took this opportunity to improve the quality of the new impact socket line”.
When Tyres & Accessories last spoke with Rimstock Plc a couple of years ago, the effect of MG Rover’s collapse in 2005 was still fresh in everyone’s mind. Rimstock itself lost 10 per cent of its business overnight when the last remaining domestically owned vehicle manufacturer ended production. Two years later the wheel industry here has not completely rebounded, but the well-known West Midlands wheel producer, Britain’s largest, has managed to carve several successful niches for itself.
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