Hankook Posts 22% Full-Year Fall
Hankook Tire Co., South Korea’s largest tyremaker, posted a 22 per cent drop in full-year profit, citing higher materials costs and a stronger South Korean won as the primary reasons.
Hankook Tire Co., South Korea’s largest tyremaker, posted a 22 per cent drop in full-year profit, citing higher materials costs and a stronger South Korean won as the primary reasons.
South Korean tyremaking giant Hankook have announced details of an agreement to supply its tyres to Audi as of mid 2007. The agreement signed with the German manufacturer will see Hankook’s high performance Ventus S1 Evo tyres fitted to the Chinese market Audi A4 and A6L, the long wheelbase version of the A6 starting in June.
Hungary is one of the few Eastern European countries in which there is no traditional automobile industry. Among the few well-known companies the bus manufacturer Ikarus (one of Eastern European market leaders) is the most commonly known. Nevertheless since the early 1990s some Western manufacturers have installed production or assembly plants there, namely General Motors, Suzuki and Audi. (Audi Hungary Kft is actually the second biggest company in the Hugarian economy). These foreign investments were partly induced by tax exemptions and other incentives like tax-free import of parts, etc. Last year 136,130 cars were produced in Hungary and new car registrations almost reached 200,000 units. This is when Hungary becomes of interest to Western tyre manufacturers.
The Bavarian design team at Loder1899 has successfully combined the comfort of a luxury vehicle with the dynamic power of a racecar. The result is a fresh take on the Aston Martin Vantage V8 with a top speed of 280 km/h, acceleration of 0-100 km/h in 4.9 seconds and new titanium suspension system. Loder1899 is one of the German distributors of the Kahn Design RS-V wheel line in 9×20 and 11×20 inch for Aston Martin V8, Aston Martin DB9, Bentley GT, Mercedes SL, VW Phaeton and Audi A8. This exclusive set of wheels is available starting from 7,000 euros.
(Las Vegas/Tire Review) Continental Tire North America is using the SEMA Show to launch the ContiSportContact 3 performance tyre line. Released in Europe earlier this year, the tyre makes its North American debut this week in Las Vegas. Already OE on the Audi TT and A6, the ContiSportContact 3 was developed for high performance vehicles and provides shorter braking distances, enhanced handling characteristics and superior grip on wet roads, according to CTNA.
The all-new, second generation Audi TT Coupé harnesses Formula One-derived tyre technology from Bridgestone as original equipment. The new Coupé boasts a hybrid steel-aluminium ‘Audi Space Frame’ shell that reduces weight and improves dynamics, and an electronically retractable rear spoiler that maximises downforce at higher speeds. It is initially available with two engine sizes, a front-wheel-drive 2.0-litre Turbo FSI delivering 197BHP and a quattro four-wheel-drive 3.2-litre V6 delivering 247BHP. This power is transmitted to the road through Bridgestone Potenza RE050A high performance tyres.
Derbeyshire-based company, Milltek, has increased its exposure through a successful advertising campaign in consumer publications Car magazine and EVO. We are absolutely delighted with the response, which has seen exceptional levels of consumer interest and enquiries. The dramatic ‘comp’ of a jet fighter and a high performance Audi RS4 has encapsulated the precision-engineering ethos of Milltek perfectly,” commented Milltek Sport managing director Phil Millington.
After comprehensive tests, Audi opted to fit is first ever SUV (the Q7) with three tyre lines made by Germany’s leading tyre manufacturer. Continental will be supplying summer and cold weather tyres for the vehicles in five sizes and dimensions ranging from 18 to 20 inches.
Hofmann has been one of Europe’s top names in lifting for a decade. A year ago the company celebrated the 10,000th two-post lift with baseframe sold in Europe. Now another milestone has been achieved, 10 years ago the MTF3000 baseframe-less lift, recently sales passed the 5000 unit mark.
Honeywell Friction Materials has launched its new Bendix Jurid Brake Pad and Disk Catalogue to the European market. This new multilingual edition covers the full range of Bendix Jurid brake pads, brake disks and brake disk kits for the passenger car and light commercial vehicle sectors.
The electronics revolution behind major improvements in auto economy, braking, stability and ride comfort has necessitated a techno-overhaul for the car battery to underpin these functions. Luxury car brands like Bentley, Mercedes-Benz and Rolls Royce were the first to turn to suppliers like Varta for AGM (absorbent glass mat) batteries to cope with increased electrical and electronic consumption, and they have been being swiftly followed by mainstream models like the Audi A3, VW Golf and Passat, not to mention London’s black cab fleet. Now BMW is set to fit a Varta AGM battery as original equipment to the new Mini out later this year to meet the increased electrical demands of the Stop-Start technology it is adopting for this substantially revised model. Varta is Europe’s only supplier of AGM technology batteries to the original equipment market to date, and has a number of long term development programmes with carmakers to support their quest for increased vehicle efficiency and performance improvements.
Yokohama Rubber Co. Ltd., has announced that the company’s Advan Sport (V103S) tyre has been approved by Audi AG for original equipment on the new S8 model. The 265/35ZR20 99Y XL tyres are the first Yokohama products to be fitted to an Audi and the latest addition to Yokohama’s Advan Sport flagship series.
(Akron/Tire Review) Goodyear Eagle LS-2 radials will be on the 2007 Audi Q7, the carmaker’s new SUV. The V6 Audi Q7 model comes equipped with Goodyear Eagle LS-2s in size 235/60R18 size, and the V6 Premium and V8 base and premium models ride on size 265/50R19. The Audi Q7 summer tyre option will be the Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3 in 275/45R20.
The wait is nearly over for one of the most eagerly anticipated new car models of the year, as Audi prepares to deliver the first UK specification versions of its Q7 sport utility vehicle (SUV) next month. The striking newcomer is the company’s first-ever large off-road vehicle, and will be the first car on UK roads to be fitted with Bridgestone’s new Dueler H/P Sport tyres.
(Akron/Tire Review) Bridgestone Corp. has earned OE positions on a number of new Audi car and SUV models. The new fitments include: Bridgestone Potenza RE050 on the Audi A6 and A4, the Turanza ER300 on the Audi A6 Avant and A4, and the Dueler H/P Sport on the Audi Q7 SUV.
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