car tyres Archives - Page 80 of 122

Encircle: average UHP tyre prices slightly increasing

Data collected by Encircle Marketing over the 12 months between May 2010 and April 2011 suggests that the market for passenger car tyres is stable, with prices marginally up over the duration of the period. Premium brand tyres averaged £93.92 in April against £90.50 in May 2010, while the upper budget (£54.54 in April), lower budget (£50.12) and mid-range (£68.51) all experienced similar average price increases in the period. Both the premium and upper budget segments’ average prices saw a slight dip in October 2010, interrupting an otherwise slowly upwards incline.

21st June 2011/by Tyrepress Editors

“A high performance tyre for everyone”: Pirelli

News

Pirelli may now be the brand most associated with a definition of “high performance” most concerned with high speeds and quicker lap times thanks to its high profile role in the UK’s highest profile motorsport series, Formula One. Having said that, the high performance tyre segment has for a long time taken a much broader definition in commercial terms, forged by the long-term move to larger sizes and faster speed ratings on small medium and even supermini segment vehicles; Pirelli say it remains optimistic about the future of the segment, since “the word ‘performance’ is taking on a new and more relevant definition in today’s world”. The brand says its range of high performance products “has never been more relevant than it is now… there really is a high performance tyre for everyone”.

20th June 2011/by Tyrepress Editors

Stapleton’s offering cross-segment high performance

News

Wholesaler Stapleton’s offers high performance tyres from premium to budget brands, with the aim of providing a tyre for every car on the market. “With HP tyres, as with every other type, we’re steered by what our customers tell us they want: and that’s the total assurance that we’ve got every fitment imaginable available from stock – and at prices to suit every budget too,” says Stephen Childs, head of marketing & range planning. The wholesaler says it has a “proliferation of excellent products in the mid-range and budget sectors”, showing that high performance… tyres “are no longer the preserve of the wealthy end of the market spectrum”. Stapleton’s argues that it “tacitly acknowledges that quality and performance are for all of its customers at affordable prices and not just for the select few”.

20th June 2011/by Tyrepress Editors

Kumho’s new Le Sport “designed for Europe’s top marques”

News

The first 25 sizes of Kumho’s replacement for the KU19 and proven KU31 have been launched on the UK market. The Ecsta Le Sport KU39, to give it its full title, is an asymmetric ultra high performance tyre designed with Europe’s top car marques in mind, and was developed using the twin methods of the latest KADAS prediction tools and on Europe’s most demanding test tracks. The Y-speed rated product’s key selling points are its enhanced performance, braking in wet conditions and controlled ride and refinement, according to the Korean manufacturer. Its high grip tread compound delivers improved traction and braking performance, while its specially designed casing provides impressive high speed stability.

17th June 2011/by Tyrepress Editors

Conti merger an opportunity to rectify past mistakes

Company News

The longest-serving Continental AG board member, Hans-Joachim Nikolin (55), leaves the company’s Executive Board at the end of July and its youngest member, Nikolai Setzer (40), will take over a combined tyre business and thus lead the company’s most successful and currently highest turnover-generating division. The company’s business unit structure has decreased at a management level to adapt with future requirements and now benefits the previously independently-led truck tyre division, which in many past years failed to meet expectations and suffered under the griping of Nikolin’s fellow board members Wennemer and Hippe. During that time, numerous threats were allegedly made to sell off the entire commercial vehicle tyre division should it prove unable to rapidly achieve an EBIT margin of or near double figures. Such threats placed Dr. Hans-Joachim in a very helpless position as yield-hungry analysts could have all too easily interpreted them as promises.

16th June 2011/by Tyrepress Editors

Cooper Avon range supplying “strong demand” for mid-range UHP tyres

News, Premium

The high performance segment’s continued importance in Europe at a time when price consciousness is at a premium gives Cooper Avon’s brands an opportunity. Representatives of the company told Tyres & Accessories that: “The performance tyre sector of the market continues to be a core part of the brand strategy for Cooper and Avon. There is still a very strong demand from UK and European customers for products that deliver optimum grip and performance but at a less than premium price. Our commitment to this sector is illustrated by the development and introduction this March of the brand new Avon ZZ5 tyre. This is a UHP product that has been designed and manufactured in Europe for European roads and conditions… As another indication of Cooper’s commitment to the market, the Avon ZZ5 was also developed and tested on some of Europe’s most challenging roads and race circuit, including the famous Nürburgring, to help to ensure excellent high-speed durability.” The tyre will receive an official launch later in the year, but is currently available on the UK market, where it is also manufactured.

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16th June 2011/by Tyrepress Editors

F1 innovations give “significant advantage” to Bridgestone UHP S001 Potenza

News

As a tyre supplier to Formula One for the last 14 years, Bridgestone has been developing ultra high performance technologies at the pinnacle of motorsport. While the technologies used in the development of F1’s slick, wet and intermediate tyres clearly do not cross over to road-going equivalents immediately, Andy Dingley, communications manager at Bridgestone UK, argues that the Japanese manufacturer’s experiences have given it a significant fillip in terms of the technologies available to its road-going UHP Potenza range, in addition to the marketing benefits associated with the brand’s exposure.

16th June 2011/by Tyrepress Editors

Continental to capitalise on UHP segment growth throughout Europe

News

Back in April, Continental formally rounded up its latest round of extensions to the manufacturer’s high performance tyre range with the top-of -range ContiSportContact 5, designed for powerful sports cars in over 20 sizes; the PremiumContact 2, for compact and medium range cars upwards; the SportContact Vmax, for the customising sector and approved for speeds of up to 360 kmh (225 mph); and the EcoContact 3 for compact cars. The SportContact 5 P, launched at the end of 2009 and designed for rear-wheel drive, powerful cars, completes this list, fitting 19”-plus sizes.

15th June 2011/by Tyrepress Editors

Popular Firenza ST-05A tyre extends to larger sizes

News

It is now almost a year since Singapore-based distributor Stamford Tyre International launched its Firenza high performance asymmetric pattern tyres, adding it to the well-established directional ST-08, which continues to be available. Since its introduction, Stamford states that the Firenza ST-05A pattern has become an increasingly popular choice for drivers looking for a stylish looking tyre offering improved safety and comfort at high speed.

15th June 2011/by Tyrepress Editors

Bridgestone now supplying Indian market with local TBR production

News

Truck and bus tyre production has commenced at Bridgestone’s Indore factory in India’s Madhya Pradesh State. The Bridgestone India facility, which has been producing passenger car tyres since 1998, was expanded to cater for the country’s growing demand for truck and bus radials through an Rs 1,700 million (£22.8 million) investment. Bridgestone India anticipates producing around 200 TBR tyres per day at the plant by the end of this year and twice that number by mid-2012.

15th June 2011/by Tyrepress Editors

Motorsport involvement “a vital part of Falken road car tyre development”

News

The Falken Tyres brand is owned by Sumitomo Rubber Industries, the sixth largest manufacturer in the global tyre ranking with manufacturing facilities across Asia including plants in Japan, Thailand, Indonesia and China. It was created in 1983 and was first sold in the US and Europe some years later. While the brand has an active motorsport presence in events such as the prestigious 24 Hours at the Nürburgring, it argues that its knowledge acquired in that arena is transferred immediately to its road tyre R&D team in Japan. Tyres & Accessories interviewed Satoru Ushida, marketing director at Falken Tyre Europe.

10th June 2011/by Tyrepress Editors

Infinity Tyres unveils new pattern at Autopromotec 2011

News

Infinity used the opportunity of the Autopromotec 2011 fair held in Bologna in May to announce that it is developing a new pattern for its UHP range. According to the company, the new design has been in development for the last six months following consultation with what the tyre brand calls “the Infinity family” (its network of dealers and partners) with the aim of getting product feedback. This information is said to have been “fully incorporated in this new size and pattern development.”. The pattern is also said to feature a number of new sizes.

7th June 2011/by Tyrepress Editors

China plant set to become Pirelli’s largest

News

According to news from Asia, Pirelli intends to develop its factory in China’s Shandong Province into the largest facility it operates anywhere in the world. Singapore’s The Business Times quotes Pirelli Asia-Pacific CEO Giuseppe Cattaneo as stating “China is going to become the main production plant for all our Asia-Pacific markets. This is absolutely confirmed. It (the Yanzhou factory) is getting bigger and bigger. I believe in a short while, it will be the biggest Pirelli production plant in the world.”

6th June 2011/by Tyrepress Editors

Kumho’s new Le Sport “designed for Europe’s top marques”

News

The first 25 sizes of Kumho’s replacement for the KU19 and proven KU31 have been launched on the UK market. The Ecsta Le Sport KU39, to give it its full title, is an asymmetric ultra high performance tyre designed with Europe’s top car marques in mind, and was developed using the twin methods of the latest KADAS prediction tools and on Europe’s most demanding test tracks. The Y-speed rated product’s key selling points are its enhanced performance, braking in wet conditions and controlled ride and refinement, according to the Korean manufacturer. Its high grip tread compound delivers improved traction and braking performance, while its specially designed casing provides impressive high speed stability.

3rd June 2011/by Tyrepress Editors

Yokohama wins OE fitments on new Mercedes-Benz SLK, CLS models

News

Yokohama has announced that it has been awarded original equipment fitment contracts on new Mercedes-Benz SLK and CLS models produced at the car manufacturer’s German plant. The Advan Sport V105 has been selected for both the SLK-class two-seater roadster model and the CLS-class premium luxury four-door coupe models. The tyre was developed jointly by Yokohama and Mercedes-Benz (or Daimler), with the MO mark on the sidewall signifying the manufacturer’s approval. The V105 will be introduced into replacement markets around the world later, with the number of available sizes extended from the beginning of 2012 accordingly.

3rd June 2011/by Tyrepress Editors

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