UK automotive executives expect that more than half of today’s car owners will not want to own a car in less than a decade, according to KPMG’s Global Automotive Executive Survey 2017.
The survey found that 74 per cent of UK automotive executives think that by 2025, more than half of car owners today will not want to own a vehicle, as self-driving technology and mobility as a service will take priority.
The UK new car market achieved another record year in 2016, with annual registrations climbing for the fifth year in a row to almost 2.7 million, according to figures published by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). The market has experienced uplifts in 10 out of the last 12 months, albeit finishing with a December down slightly by -1.1 per cent – with 178,022 new cars registered in the month. However, the SMMT also gave a negative prediction for growth in 2017.
Roborace has named Michelin as its official tyre partner. Michelin has been working secretly at its testing facilities and sharing over 125 years of its expertise with Roborace to develop an exclusive solution for the ultimate ‘Robocar’, designed by Daniel Simon, which will feature next-generation Michelin road tyres to be used in the series. Roborace is currently in its Beta season appearing at Formula E circuits for exhibitions using its development car ‘DevBot’. The official unveiling of the championship’s Ultimate car will take place in 2017.
Qingdao, China-based Doublestar Tire recently announced that it has launched an aramid-reinforced puncture-sealing passenger car tyre under the Crossleader brand.
As the UK prepares for the long winter months; the heating goes on and the woolly jumpers come out of hibernation, it is equally as important to make sure your car is prepared for the change in season too, as a harsh winter is the number one cause of accelerated wheel and tyre wear and tear.
Dongying Fangxing Rubber Co., Ltd. was founded in 2000 in Shandong Province’s Guangrao county. According to the company, Fangxing is one of the national top 100 companies in Shandong Province. The firm’s tyre factory covers an area of 600,000 square metres and has over 2000 employees, including 200 technical personnel. The firm describes itself as “a new enterprise specialising in tyre research and development, manufacture and sales -with 2 billion yuan of fixed assets”.
Yokohama HPT says it has stocked one of its most comprehensive winter tyre ranges ever ahead of a season that weather forecasters predict will be the coldest UK winter for 35 years. Available for next day delivery from its central UK distribution centre, the range is suited for drivers of all cars and light commercial vehicles, and is targeted in particular at those who need to guarantee their mobility in the harshest of conditions, such as emergency services, utility companies, community nurses and doctors.
No review of 2016 would be complete without a look at some market data. During the course of researching this feature Tyres & Accessories asked market research specialists GfK to share some key insights into what has been happening in the UK tyre retail market during the last year or so. GfK’s data is contained in the infographic below and discussed here by us. Clearly 2016 hadn’t come to an end at that point, so the data reflects GfK’s Point of Sales Tracking information comparing November 2014 to October 2015 with November 2015 to October 2016.
ZC Rubber made its debut in Malaysia through its Westlake Marketing Malaysia subsidiary on 14 November. Hangzhou ZhongCe Rubber, to give the company is more formal name, said it is offering consumers premium quality tyres at an affordable price.
Falken will expand its ultra-high performance (UHP) flagship tyre, the Azenis FK510, to include SUV tyre sizes in 2017. The Sumitomo Rubber Industries global brand states that the new additions reflect the growth of the SUV market and continues the tyre manufacturer’s strategy of supplying an extensive range of products in profitable and high-growth segments. Starting in January 2017, the Azenis FK510 SUV will be available in 19 sizes ranging from 17 to 22 inches and will come with a speed rating of W or Y.
Gajah Tunggal Tbk has voluntarily recall certain Primewell and GT Radial tyres. Approximately 5,724 tyres GT Radial Champiro Touring A/S and Primewell Valera Touring II tyres are being recalled in Canada.
Davanti’s first full year has seen the brand engage in a broad and intensive range of sales and marketing activities, led by a rapid fire trade show appearance schedule. Interest in the brand has been quick to ignite in its UK home market. The company’s management has consistently said the wildfire-like growth of Landsail – distributed by Grouptyre member and Davanti Tyres sister wholesaler Oak Tyres, and manufactured, like all of Davanti’s current products, by Qingdao Sentury Tire – in the UK has not been the focus; according to them Davanti wants to grow in a more controlled, brand-driven manner. So far the company has certainly more than fired a warning shot across the bows of other brands operating in the highly competitive aspirational mid-range sector of the UK market, while Davanti’s recent appointment of European sales director Michael Eckert, formerly of Sailun, Hankook and Michelin in his 21-year career, demonstrates its seriousness about growing into continental Europe. So this was an excellent time for the company to host its first dealer event; a three-day Product Experience trip at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve.
During the course of the 2016 Paris Motor Show, Tyres & Accessories took time out with Florent Menegaux (Michelin chief operating officer in charge of product and core business).
Our conversation covered four key areas: Mobility – that is, Michelin’s increasingly evident philosophical evolution away from simply being a tyre maker towards being a mobility provider; Products and services – in other words the traditional well-established product centres the company is best known for (as well as the innovations connection to and rising from these areas); Experiences – what has traditionally been known as the maps and guides part of Michelin’s operations, but which is increasingly seeking to connect the firm’s excellent brand and content with technology and monetisation options; and finally distribution – the actual means of getting products (and services) from the manufacturer to the end-user via the professional supply chain.
Giti Tire has celebrated the 500,000th sale of its GT Radial FE1 with a ‘Golden Tyre’ presented to GT Radial Performance Centre (GTPC), Perry’s Tyres & Exhausts Service of Cinderford, Gloucestershire. The FE1, launched in 2014, is the fastest selling European pattern in Giti Tire’s history. As of September 2016, more than 580,000 units have been sold in the 21 months it has been available.
Firestone has targeted “shaking up the mid-price tyre segment in Europe” with its new Roadhawk, a car tyre engineered for endurance and safety. The Bridgestone brand says its Roadhawk targets mainstream motorists who drive all types of journeys – urban, highway, commute, school run, shopping – on a daily basis. The brand adds that these drivers want a tyre that gives them long-lasting performance in road conditions where wet weather, heavy traffic, sudden braking, and motorway speed are all part of the daily mix.
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