(Akron/Tire Review) Bridgestone Corp. founder Shojiro Ishibashi is among seven individuals selected for induction into the Automotive Hall of Fame on 3 October. Joining Ishibashi in the class of 2006 are vehicle designer Nuccio Bertone, race driver Dale Earnhardt, NASCAR chief Bill France Jr., AutoNation founder Wayne Huizenga, former Ford president Arjay Miller and designer Bruno Sacco.
Continental’s decision to launch the third variation of its popular SportContact reflects the increasing importance of high performance products in its portfolio. And when you consider that Continental experts predict that 16 per cent of the replacement market will be made up of WYZ products by 2009, you can see why.
Continental has developed the new ContiSportContact 3 with the car manufacturers and drivers of sporty vehicles in mind. Consequently, shorter braking distances, enhanced handling characteristics and improved driving safety on wet roads are said to be the new tyre’s main benefits. The Continental range also includes a different tread pattern option both for high-powered rear wheel drive cars and for customising requirements. The ContiSportContact 3 is available now.
(Akron/Tire Review) Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. has signed hip-hop star Funkmaster Flex to a year-long endorsement contract. Flex will appear in a new print advertisement for the Cooper Zeon XST tyre targeting the urban sport truck market, and will make appearances to support the Cooper brand.
Flex, dubbed the “evangelist” of hip hop’s car culture, created the successful Funkmaster Flex Custom Car & Bike Show, now in its fifth year. He is also a celebrity DJ on Hot 97 FM in New York City and the host of two TV shows, Spike TV’s “Ride with Funkmaster Flex” and ESPN 2’s “All Muscle with Funkmaster Flex.”
Hayes Lemmerz International, Inc is implementing tough restructuring measures that it says are designed to “strengthen its competitive position, improve profitability and increase long-term value for its shareholders.” The steps include revised wage and benefit plans; the strategic realignment of its business (more than 15 per cent of the company’s US staff have already lost their jobs); and the rationalisation of Hayes Lemmerz’ wheel capacity, namely closing its Huntingdon Indiana Wheel plant.
Curtis Clawson, president, chief executive officer and chairman of the board said: “The last several years have seen profound changes in the competitive landscape of the automotive industry. We are aligning our organization to recognize the realities in the US and to assure continued success in the global automotive marketplace.”
KYB has added another original equipment contract to its already-lengthy list – the company is the world’s largest supplier of original equipment shock absorbers – by supplying shocks for the new Nissan Note. The Note is a mini people carrier, manufactured at Nissan’s factory in Sunderland, and is fitted with KYB gas struts in the front and gas twin tube shock absorbers in the rear.
Underlining its commitment to the UK automotive trade, The Aftermarket show has appointed Steve Coombes as event Sales Manager for its 2007 expo. Following on from last years event, in which the Aftermarket Show established itself as a stand alone event with more than 3000 specific trade visitors attending, the appointment of Coombes – with his extensive knowledge of the trade – is seen as integral to the development of the 2007 show.
Coombes has more than 15 years experience in the automotive aftermarket. In his new role at The Aftermarket Show, he will be tasked with liaising with potential exhibitors, trade associations and various other groups to look at how the industry can benefit from an aftermarket event tailored to meeting the needs of end users and distributors with a thirst for technical information and training.
The Beru spark plug plant in Chazelles-sur-Lyon, France, has received the Ford Q1 Award in the areas of quality, logistics and environmental protection. The coveted quality award is a recognised standard in the international automotive and component supply industry. It acknowledges the excellent achievements by the French Beru site in areas such as customer focus and compliance with all customer specifications, standards and statutory requirements.
(Akron/Tire Review) Stamford Tires & Wheels Inc. wheel manufacturing plant in Thailand earned TÜV CERT for process quality, and accreditation from the Vehicle Inspection Association (VIA) Japan for its in-house laboratory.
Toyota Motor Europe has presented its Supplier Award for Superior Performance in Project Management for 2005 to the Continental Automotive Systems Division. In doing so, Toyota paid tribute to the supplier’s performance in the development, production preparation and delivery of the brake system of the new Yaris subcompact car. This was the first time that Toyota transferred the system responsibility for a complete brake system to Continental Automotive Systems.
The Smithers Group, an independent testing, consulting and contract research organization based in the US, has announced that it had closed a deal to purchase UK company Rapra Technology. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. The announcement ends weeks of speculation of the fate of Rapra Technology, which was forced into Administration on 8 March.
UK tyre wholesaler Stapletons has appointed a new marketing manager to spearhead the company’s next stage of development. Stephen Childs (32) joins the Letchworth-headquartered company, which is the UK’s leading supplier of passenger car tyres to the wholesale and dealership sectors and also has 48 thriving automotive retail centres in the UK.
Continental has recently purchased the Automotive Electronic business of Motorola and, say analysts, this deal looks reasonable. The acquisition price is only 60 per cent of sales (in line which the acquisition price of Temic five years ago), and only 10 per cent of Continental, which makes it easier to absorb and integrate.
Results from regional semi-finals have been collated Tyres & Accessories can now announce the names of the 12 technicians who will compete for the title Top Technician 2006. Four technicians will compete each day at the live final, held at the Automotive Trade Show (25-27 April, NEC, Birmingham) on the Top Technician stand, number 1531.
Credential Environmental Ltd has made another key acquisition, announcing the further integration of its tyre collection and reprocessing businesses into one division under the Credential Automotive banner.
Credential Environmental already owned the Automotive Waste Solutions (AWS) and Waste Tyre Solutions (WTS) recycling businesses, and has now acquired Wednesbury-based Tyre Collection Services (TCS) to complement its growing portfolio of automotive sector recycling businesses bringing the group’s turnover to around £16.5 million in 2006.
Maccess has unveiled a range of automotive World Cup merchandise, which it claims will offer stockists high earning potential throughout Spring and Summer.
The football World Cup 2006 takes place throughout the month of June in Germany and is a fantastic opportunity for UK automotive accessory retailers to offer England football team memorabilia to supporters.
If you would like the latest news from the Chinese tyre industry in Chinese, visit our partner site TyrepressChina.com. Or click below to continue on Tyrepress.
