For the eighth straight year, Maxxis has been listed on Interbrand’s ranking of Taiwan’s top 20 global brands, reports Tire Review. The company placed seventh for 2010, and was again the only tyre-maker on the list. Maxxis’ brand value was assessed at $391 million, an increase of 13 per cent from the previous year.
Nokian has launched a new summer tyre range, the Hakka Green. The Finnish tyre maker describes the Hakka Green as a tyre that “uniquely combines the needs of drivers on northern roads” and can reliably deal with all summer conditions, whether it be hot roads, wet weather conditions or late autumn’s steadily cooling weather. Green credentials for the tyre are earned through “extremely low” rolling resistance; Nokian says it is 15 per cent lower than that of its predecessor, the Hakka H. This equals a decrease in fuel consumption of almost three per cent, and Nokian adds that fuel savings in comparison with “average” summer tyres is some five to eight per cent.
Sales of cars in India are booming – in August alone, sales figures rose one-third to a record high. Tyre makers are benefitting from these buoyant conditions, and to accommodate growing demand JK Tyre & Industries is planning to effectively double its passenger car radial capacity by the first quarter of the 2014 financial year. To reach this target, JK Tyre has earmarked some Rs 15 billion (£209.3 million), a large portion of which will go towards erecting the company’s greenfield plant in Sriperumbudur, near Chennai.
Bridgestone’s Ecopia EP150 eco-friendly tyre, unveiled at the International Motor Show in Frankfurt, Germany just under a year ago, has finally been launched in the European market. The tyre will be introduced as an integrated replacement and original equipment product, targeting compact and mid-sized passenger cars with 14 to 16-inch rim sizes in 55 to 65 series. At present seven 14 and 15-inch sizes have been released, with a further one 15-inch and two 16-inch fitments scheduled to be launched in January 2011.
Toyo has announced that it will use the occasion of the 2010 Goodwood Revival (17-19 September) to launch two new additions to its Proxes tyre range. The motorsport-oriented Proxes T1 Sport and the ultra-high performance Proxes C1S will make their debuts at the show, at which Toyo is the Exclusive Tyre Partner for the first time. Sarah Clavey, Toyo’s senior marketing executive, said: “This is the first year we are exclusive tyre partners for the Goodwood Revival, and what better way to mark the occasion than to launch the new additions of our Proxes range. To launch them at such a prestigious event is a great opportunity for Toyo Tires.”
Federal CEO Jamie Ma – described by company representatives as “a long-term racing enthusiast” –reportedly put his money where his mouth is recently when he toured the company’s home island in his Ferrari 430 Scuderia, shod with Federal’s UHP 595 RPM asymmetric sport tyre in sizes 225/35R19 (front) and 285/35R19 (rear). Taiwan offers varied weather and geographical conditions, and as such provided a good opportunity for the chief executive to try out Federal’s product on a UHP sportscar: “I am serious about performance,” Ma said. “That is why I prefer the 595 RPM over the original factory tyres. You will feel the difference.”
Maxxis International announces it will expand its production capabilities through the development of a new plant in Chong Qing, southwest China. The first phase of the new facility will be finished next year and once the final phase is complete the factory will produce 30,000 car tyres a day. In terms of design and specification the new Chong Qing plant will utilise the Rayong Province, Thailand blueprint. Maxxis comments that this facility has proven to be extremely successful since it came on stream in 2004.
Autocar magazine has performed its 2010 rear wheel drive tyre test, and Continental has good reason to spread the word about the test’s outcome. Continental Tyre Group UK reports that its ContiSportContact 3 has “proved its rear wheel drive capabilities” by taking top spot in the test, which was conducted using a Mercedes C280.
Infinity Tyres has reported that July 2010 was its best ever sales month. According to the company turnover for the month represented a massive 60 per cent year-on-year increase. Infinity sales are said to be tracking so that by the end of September 2010, after nine months, the company will have already surpassed 2009’s full-year sales figures.
B-Quik, Thailand’s biggest independent automotive repair organization, saw revenue grow over 30 per cent in the first 6 months of 2010, this despite the unrest in the Thai capital in the month of May. The company has opened two new stores so far this year (one on the island of Phuket and one in Bangkok) and now operates through 64 outlets. For the second half of the year another seven new stores are confirmed and three more are pending. B-Quik adjusted its revenue expectation for 2010 to exceed 2.5 billion Thai baht (£50 million, 61 million Euros). Growth is almost equally split, 15 per cent from like for like same store increase and the other 15 per cent from new stores build last year and this year. The sales growth is divided evenly over the various product groups but aircon repairs and servicing and oil/filter changes lead the growth.
As readers of tyrepress.com will know, Michelin supplies a custom set of Pilot Sport tyres to the world’s fastest production car – the Bugatti Veyron Super Sports. But now the French manufacturer has another record-setting vehicle rolling on its rubber. A BMW M5-based G-Power Hurricane RR has just set the world speed record for the fastest saloon car, at 232.5mph (372.1km/h), fitted with Michelin Pilot Sport tyres.
A new brand of passenger car tyres is set to be introduced to the market with an initial offering of two products in 35 sizes. Luccini Tyres are to be produced by a Far-Eastern manufacturer using European technology with 50 years experience in tyre production and design. Having spent the last year researching and developing, the team behind the brand is ready to launch the Buono Sport – a non-directional tread design for wet performance and noise reduction – and the Buono Drive – an asymmetric pattern designed for draining efficiency, ride comfort and durability.
A reduction in fuel consumption to the tune of two to three per cent is possible with the latest van tyre segment offering from Giti Tire. When compared with its predecessor, the GT Radial Maxmiler EX achieves up to this saving through a ten per cent weight reduction and approximately 15 per cent rolling resistance; the manufacturer states that the production technologies and materials used in the new tyre have enabled such use of an optimised weight construction.
JK Tyre & Industries, manufacturer of the JK Tyre, Vikrant and Tornel brands of tyre, has reported a 32 per cent increase in sales in the first quarter of the Indian financial year. In the three months to June 30, 2010, the company achieved a turnover of RS 12,729 million (£171.9 million) and an operating profit of Rs 730 million (£9.9 million). Net profit for the quarter was Rs 195.3 million (£2.6 million), down 52.1 per cent per cent year-on year.
BMW has launched a specialist winter tyre swap programme designed to mirror the winter tyre hotels mostly found in continental Europe. The idea is that buying the package gets you two sets of tyres and alloys – one for summer and one for winter use – and the dealership stores the set you not using until the next changeover. By officially promoting winter tyres in this way, BMW UK becomes the first carmaker to offer an official service in this way. It is also the first time BMW have offered an official branded winter wheel and tyre package. The news follows renewed winter tyre activity in the UK that has seen ATS Euromaster order £3 million of the seasonal products and Yokohama launch a winter range here in recent months.
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