As you can imagine safety is a key concern for tyre buying consumers all year round, but it is an even more critical influencing factor in the winter months. However, what is interesting to learn from the Michelin research behind the recent Pilot Alpin 4 launch, is that the very same consumers that actively sought out expensive cars that allow them to drive towards their performance limits and tyres that allow them to safely feel the thrill of this experience have a different view when the weather’s cold. In the summer months it seems that it is all systems go, with handling and performance (which Michelin sums up as “control”) the order of the day. In the colder months what Michelin terms “mobility” is amongst the most desired characteristics. The same consumer that was impatient to hit the limits in summer is impatient to hit the road while other drivers are stuck at home in winter.