Based in Japan, Bridgestone Corporation is the world’s largest tyre and rubber company.
The 2018 Lexus LS saloon is currently on display at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, and Bridgestone Corporation shares that its Bridgestone Turanza T005 run-flat tyre will serve as a standard fitment for cars equipped with 20-inch rims. The fifth generation of Lexus’ flagship line will receive the Turanza T005 in sizes 245/45RF20 99Y and 275/40RF20 102Y.
The two-wheeler segment dominates India’s vehicle market and is said to be growing at a CAGR of 8.5 per cent. With an estimated 150 million two-wheel vehicles on the country’s roads, demand for replacement tyres is high. Bridgestone Corporation is now competing for a piece of this market with a new brand of motorcycle and scooter tyres, Neurun. The rollout of the Neurun product portfolio began in August 2016 with the introduction of five sizes and nine SKUs, a range that caters to around 70 per cent of market demand in India.
In September Bridgestone announced it is producing bespoke tyres for the classic Jaguar XJ220. The latest news is that “Bridgestone and Don Law XJ220 are well on track”.
Bridgestone has announced an additional investment in its Wilson tyre plant in the USA. The passenger car and light truck tyre making facility in North Carolina will receive a new, state-of-the-art rubber mixer under a newly-announced US$180 million investment that will also facilitate the introduction of more innovative manufacturing processes and technologies. This investment is in addition to the $164 million expansion announced in January 2016.
Bridgestone Corporation’s support of the Olympic Movement has now gone global. On 1 January 2017, the company expanded its partnership with the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Bridgestone will now serve as a partner globally through to 2024 and be associated with the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018, the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 and the Olympic Games 2024, which will take place in either Budapest, Los Angeles or Paris.
At present, Bridgestone Corporation produces new aircraft tyres at two facilities in Japan, and the company has announced plans to build a third plant for manufacturing these products. This plant is one of two that Bridgestone will set up in Thailand; the second will be dedicated to the retreading of aircraft tyres. A total of 15.0 billion yen (£103.8 million) will be invested in the two facilities, and both are scheduled to commence production in December 2019.
Bridgestone Americas has announced that its Firestone FT140 tyre has been selected as original equipment on the all-new 2017 Subaru Impreza.
Dayton is expanding its range of truck tyres with the launch of on/off-road tyres: Dayton D800M steer and D800D drive for mixed on- and off-road service. Made in Europe and subjected to Bridgestone quality controls, Dayton on/off-road tyres are designed to give truck operators the same “essential performance at the best price” as the Dayton on-road truck tyre line-up introduced in 2015.
Around 85 per cent of Bridgestone Corporation’s revenues are earned from the sale of tyres, with the remainder coming from chemical and industrial products, bicycles and sporting goods, including golf balls, clubs and accessories. To highlight these last-mentioned products, Bridgestone Golf has signed a multi-year agreement with Tiger Woods that will see him exclusively play and promote Bridgestone golf balls.
When the Lexus LC500 coupé and its hybrid twin the LC500h reach consumers next year, they will be fitted two Bridgestone tyre models as standard. Bridgestone Corporation reports it has designed Potenza S001L RFT and Turanza T005 RFT run-flat tyres exclusively for the Lexus coupés.
China’s Supreme People’s Court has ruled in favour of Bridgestone Corporation in a lawsuit that investigated the alleged infringement of its tyre tread design rights by Chinese manufacturer Triangle Tyre Co., Ltd.
Bridgestone Americas has exercised a two-year lease extension option on its Advanced Technology Workshop (ATW) manufacturing facility located in Akron, Ohio.
Prices for truck and bus tyres sold by Bridgestone Europe rose today, and a new price structure will also apply to car and motorcycle tyres as of 1 January 2017. The average price of Bridgestone and Firestone truck and bus tyres has gone up by one per cent, while passenger car and motorcycle tyre prices will increase by an average of three per cent. The revisions are non-linear and vary across the different product ranges.
Taking your car in for its annual MOT test and a new set of tyres is rarely an experience to remember – but for one Lincolnshire motorist, the occasion was an event that will live long in the memory, as it resulted in her becoming the proud owner of a brand spanking new BMW 1 Series.
Sigmavision has announced the findings of a recent survey conducted in collaboration with Bridgestone and First Stop at the recent Sky Sports British Masters golf event. The company’s technicians surveyed 2,400 cars over two days away from the fairways and greens at The Grove, measuring tyre tread depths with Sigmavision’s TreadReader handheld scanners. The results of the survey back up Bridgestone’s hypothesis that motorists currently do not make the regular checks necessary to ensure their tyres are safe.
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