Based in Japan, Bridgestone Corporation is the world’s largest tyre and rubber company.
Formula One is sticking with Pirelli as tyre supplier for the 2025 to 2027 seasons, but Bridgestone comments that both the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) and Formula One Group (FOG) responded favourably to its proposed “advanced innovative technology and sustainability initiatives.” Furthermore, the Japanese manufacturer doesn’t rule out throwing its hat into the F1 ring at a later date.
Bridgestone will make all of its future tyres suitable for electric vehicles (EVs), setting out its strategy to supply car tyre markets during the transition from internal combustion engine (ICE) to electrified powertrains. Tyre-makers have approached EV tyres in a variety of ways, unveiling specialist product lines, adding EV-approved variations to existing product lines, or introducing new technologies to ensure entire portfolios are applicable to EV performance demands. Bridgestone’s Enliten tyre technology platform addresses these demands, which include improvements in energy efficiency, maximising battery range, and accommodating the increased weight and torque of EVs. A Bridgestone-commissioned survey showed increased consumer support for EVs on the back of both potential savings in fuel or energy prices and reducing the environment impact of their motoring.
Recently, Bridgestone stated that it will withdraw from the Chinese truck and bus radial (TBR) on 31 December 2023. Tyrepress China has learned that the tyre manufacturer’s TBR business in China’s replacement market will operate normally.
A survey of 2,000 UK car owners conducted online by Research Without Barriers on behalf of Bridgestone generated some damning figures for tyre safety. Of the drivers surveyed, 81 per cent admitted to never checking their tyres, and only 14 per cent described them as the most important safety feature on their cars. Other headline statistics from Bridgestone’s research include 54 per cent not knowing that driving on illegal tyres is an extremely dangerous act, only 31 per cent of motorists admitting to being well informed on road safety matters and just 12 per cent checking their tyre treads once a fortnight, the recommended interval between checks. For more on this story, click through to the consumer tyre advice website from the Tyrepress team, WhatTyre.
The First Stop and ETB Autocentres networks began their Customer Centricity Week on 25 September. Both networks plan to offer a ‘delightful experience’, targeting the generation of more repeat-business and an increase in recommendations. In order to achieve this, they have created a new customer framework to raise standards among staff with three objectives: gaining loyalty and recommendations from customers, to be customer-centric, and to create what it calls “the best customer journey in the automotive retail industry.”
In order to “further deepen dialogue” with its stakeholders and to give them a “comprehensive understanding” of its approaches and initiatives for enhancing corporate value over the medium to long term, Bridgestone Corporation has published the Bridgestone 3.0 Journey 2023 Integrated Report. This document covers activities occurring between 1 January and 31 December 2022 and includes a range of facts and figures.
In its latest joint winter tyre test, motoring association Auto Club Europa (ACE) describes the Bridgestone Blizzak LM005 as being “close to the perfect winter tyre,” having displayed “more than rock solid performance” in all test disciplines. The Bridgestone tyre was the only product to gain ACE’s ‘very recommendable’ rating. The association gave a ‘recommendable’ rating to six tyres and ‘conditionally recommendable’ to one product but declared a further two ‘not recommendable’.
YART Yamaha Official EWC Team won the 2023 FIM Endurance World Championship (EWC) title on Bridgestone Battlax tyres at Circuit Paul Ricard (16-17 September), Le Castellet, France. It is the fourth time and the third consecutive year that a team using Bridgestone’s flagship motorcycle tyres has won the EWC title. The brand has been supplying the tyres, which are designed to provide high grip, durability and comfort handling, to teams in the EWC series since 2017. YART Yamaha Official EWC Team, one of the three teams supported by Bridgestone, finished second in the opening race and first in the second race of the series, concluding the series with fourth place in the Bol d’Or 24-hour endurance race.
Auto Bild will soon publish its 2023 all-season tyre test, which includes a total of 35 premium, mid-range and budget products in size 225/45 R17. As in other years, the German motoring publication has whittled down this broad field of contenders by subjecting each and every one of them to a preliminary round of wet and dry braking tests. When the dust and water spray settled, just 16 finalists remained to slug it out for supremacy.
The Bridgestone plant at Chakan in Pune, India is the company’s first tyre manufacturing site to be verified as carbon neutral (scopes 1 and 2). Global assurance partner audited the facility in May and June 2023 and subsequently verified it according to the international PAS 2060:2014 standard for the year 2022.
18 months ago, David Almazan joined the Bridgestone North Region as commercial business unit director. During that time the commercial vehicle sector in general as well as the UK fleet business proved their resilience and creativity and the market has experienced a number of shifts. Tyres & Accessories caught up with Almazan at the company’s relatively recently refurbished Warwickshire headquarters in order to find out more about how the leading tyremaker’s commercial vehicle strategy is evolving.
Enliten is now present in Firestone-branded products, with the Bridgestone technology featuring in the latest Firestone on-road regional truck tyre range. The line-up consists of the FS424 steer axle tyre, FD624 for the drive axle and FT524 trailer fitment, tyres that Firestone describes as “combining value for money with reliable performance.”
Gerry Duffy has retired from Bridgestone after a career with the company spanning 36 years. A statement issued by Bridgestone Mining Solutions Australia (BMSA) shares that Duffy, who was chief executive officer of the business, has been succeeded by Tadashi Masamune.
Yet another crossover is entering the vehicle parc in the shape of the Alfa Romeo Tonale, which in UK spec is exclusively available as a mild hybrid or plug-in hybrid model. Continental has announced being one of the tyre suppliers for versions equipped with 17- and 18-inch rims. It will ship Continental EcoContact 6 tyres to Alfa Romeo’s Pomigliano d’Arco plant in Naples, Italy, where they will be fitted to the Tonale in sizes 215/60 R 17 96V and 235/50 R 18 97V.
Teams competing in this year’s Bridgestone World Solar Challenge (BWSC) will drive on the first motorsport tyres to feature Enliten technology. Furthermore, one of the tyre specifications that Bridgestone custom designed for the 1,860-mile (3,000 km) route through Australia contains 63 per cent recycled and renewable materials.
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.
Bridgestone
Bridgestone
Alberto G. Puras/Bridgestone
Bridgestone