Continental AG set the 250 million euro ($271.58 million) expansion of its Hefei, Anhui province, China tyre production plant into operation on 28 March. Total investment in the Hefei plant is now said to be 570 million euros.
Mickey Thompson Tires & Wheels has named Perry Lease vice president of sales. Lease, who previously served as director of national retail sales, North America Tire Operations for Cooper Tire & Rubber Co., will be responsible for driving profitable sales and growing global market share for Mickey Thompson across all segments, including street, strip, racing, off-road and others.
Hankook will showcase its advanced high-performance, environment-friendly and safe transportation product line-ups in the car and bus and truck sectors at Autopromotec in Bologna, Italy (24-28 May). Some highlights of Hankook’s booth (Hall 20, A74) will be the new all-season trailer tyre, SmartFlex TH31; two winter tyres, Hankook Winter i*cept evo² and Hankook Winter i*cept RS²; the four season Hankook Kinergy 4S; and the Laufenn tyre brand launched on the European market in 2015.
First ChemChina sent shockwaves through the tyre market by successfully purchasing Pirelli in 2015. This year another Chinese firm – this time tyremaker Qingdao Doublestar – made waves by offering an US$830 million bid for 42 per cent Kumho Tire in mid-March. The obvious question is what is the next tyre-related investment to come out of China?
According to the JD Power 2017 US Original Equipment Tire Customer Satisfaction Study, 37 per cent of owners who replaced two or more tyres on their vehicle selected the tyre brand that was OE fitted to the vehicle.
Michelin has launched Click2Sell – a website solution the company refers to as “a flexible ‘website in a box’ that helps dealers build their online presence and attract new customers with ease”.
While wholesalers have done similar things, Click2Sell is believed to be the only tyre manufacturer-backed website-building package to allow dealerships in the UK and Ireland the freedom to promote their chosen tyre range online. And, what’s more, the range can be either primarily Michelin tyres or a premium competitor. Click2Sell is open to any dealership.
From this spring, the Falken Azenis FK510 will be available in 66 sizes compared to the previous 51.
“Our addition of 56 new sizes to the Azenis FK510 range reflects the continuing popularity of our UHP tyres,” says Andreas Giese, Manager Corporate Planning at Falken Tyre Europe, about the portfolio expansion.
Falken has launched its new Ecorun A-A, a new summer tyre with optimised rolling resistance. The tyre offers fuel-saving design features and good braking distance in wet conditions – its name is derived from its double-A rating on the EU tyre label, having achieved class topping fuel efficiency and wet grip. Falken will roll out the tyre with an exclusive Toyota Germany partnership in April.
Four in every five new Porsche 911 GT3s will be fitted with specially-developed Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 N1 ultra-high-performance tyres, in 245/35 ZR20 front and 305/30 ZR20 rear sizes. The road-legal track tyre is a specially modified version developed as part of the ongoing technical partnership of the German car maker and Michelin – designated by the N1 marking. Compared to its N0 marked predecessor, Michelin says the Pilot Sport Cup 2 N1 offers improved lap times and stability, as well as more sporty handling. The new 911 GT3 was launched by Porsche at the Geneva Motor Show.
In addition to its new ultra-high performance product, Yokohama has launched a new fuel-efficient global standard tyre, the BluEarth-Es ES32 (BluEarth-Es). Available from this spring, the tyre will roll out initially in Europe, Asia and Oceania, with marketing to gradually expand to the Middle East and Latin American markets.
The Aston Martin Valkyrie hypercar will roll on Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tyres in 265/35ZR20 front and 325/30ZR21 rear sizes. Michelin said the tyre “blurs the line between motorsport and road tyres”, as the latest generation of road-legal track tyres designed for UHP cars that are used on road and track. The Valkyrie’s high-power, high-downforce, low-weight philosophy represents Aston Martin’s attempt to redefine the limits of road car performance, and will put “unprecedented demands on its tyres”.
Pirelli has celebrated a “real achievement” after its Cinturato P1 Verde 195/65R15 91V model took pole position in the ADAC summer tyre test. The tyre beat 15 competitors, including Pirelli’s premium brand rivals, with the Cinturato P1 Verde commended on its balance, performance in the wet, and low noise. ADAC added that “the Pirelli tyre stands out with good wear characteristics,” which the tyre manufacturer describes as a key priority in the highly-competitive “city car” sector.
Headway Tyres Europe, the European subsidiary of the Asian manufacturer Hengyu Technology Group, has achieved C rated wet grip and rolling resistance with its ultra-high performance tyre, Horizon HU901. The company said this has been achieved as a result of investment in innovation and compound technology. The rating applies to sixteen of the tyre’s nearly 100 sizes between 16” to 24”.
Following its EfficientGrip SUV’s victory in the latest ADAC test, Goodyear states that the tyre has demonstrated the value it offers to the consumer. Prevailing in a contest featuring 15 other tyres, German automotive magazine ADAC found the tyre to have well-balanced performance, particularly regarding tyre wear, fuel consumption and handling on dry and wet.
At the end of January Nokian Tyres renewed its Nordman product family with the introduction of the Nordman 7, including an SUV variant. The Nokian Nordman 7 SUV studded tyres utilise a unique stud technology that offers safe and comfortable winter driving. The carefully tried and tested technological solutions ensure that new Nokian Nordman tyres are a reliable choice for the varying Northern conditions in terms of safety as well as overall economy.
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