Toyo’s new Proxes R1R has been released into the UK market. Designed for trackday enthusiasts, the tyre met its market on the Time Attack stand at the Autosport Show. Japanese car giant Mitsubishi chose to have the Toyo Proxes R1R as original equipment for its latest Evo, the Evo 10 FQ-400 which has over 400bhp (hence the name). It is available in sizes from 15” to 18” and in profiles from 55 series to 35 series.
Nitralife states with pride it was the first company in the world to actively promote the use of nitrogen inflation gas in car and truck tyres. It held the first field tests with the substance in early 1995 and the success of these led to the formation of Nitralife "Nitrogen in Tyres" in mid 1996.
The UK distributor for Yokohama tyres, Yokohama HPT, has announced that the latest high performance product from the Japanese manufacturer, the ADVAN Neova AD08, will be available in the UK from March. The Neova AD08 is the latest addition to the flagship ADVAN range, reportedly signifying the highest levels of performance, grip and safety Yokohama has to offer. The AD08 is designed to bridge the gap between the ADVAN Sport, designed specifically for high performance road cars, and the ADVAN A048, the company’s road-legal track day tyre.
Associated Press has brought details of plans afoot by Washington Tire Corporation to erect an 18-building factory for the production of off-road, truck and passenger car tyres. The company, who in past times was known as American Tire Corporation, will apparently commence work on this Ephrata, Washington State project in April 2010.
Every wondered what the most expensive passenger car tyres in the world are? According to a report published on the Autocar website on 14 January, Bugatti Veyron rubber must be a prime contender with a set of four new tyres costing £23,500 (26,926 euros; US$38,482) to replace. And if you were wondering which tyre manufacturer won the OE contract to supply these products, a quick look at tyrepress.com’s online archive reveals that the 406 km/h car, which is capable of 0 – 300 km/h in under 14 seconds fits Michelin Pilot Sport Pax System 245-690 R520 A (front) and 365-710 R 540 A (rear) tyres.
Maxxis and Grouptyre, its exclusive UK distributor, recently supplied MA-Z1 tyres for Total BMW Magazine’s long-term test of the German auto manufacturer’s BMW 318ti Compact. The magazine features regular updates on upgrades and improvements it has made to the car and has reported (in the Running Reports section of the December 2009 issue of Total BMW Magazine) taking the 318ti to the Croft Circuit for a BMW Car Club Track Day, where journalist Andrew Everett switched from Pirellis to the MA-Z1 high performance tyre in size 225/50×16. Maxxis received excellent feedback following the switch, reports UK MD Derek McMartin.
According to Michelin, a special power train requires a special tyre. And it claims to have embraced this philosophy when designing its first concept tyre for electric vehicles. Known as the EV, the Michelin concept tyre is intended to provide a range of benefits that include increasing the vehicle’s range between charges or reducing battery size to optimise use of interior space. At the same time, the tyre is said to enhance driving safety and deliver superior longevity. Furthermore, says Michelin, the prototype tyre offers a quiet ride that is ideally suited to a relatively noise-free power source.
Assuming foreign exchange rates remain stable, the sky-rocketing natural rubber price means the tyre industry will have to increase selling price by 3-4% to offset this raw material. That’s the view of Deutsche Bank analysts who report in a recent investors note that the natural rubber price has doubled over the last 12 months from US$1.5/kg to US$3.0/kg (RSS3 grade). “This increase will have a four to six months lag effect on tyre companies’ profit and loss…So far, we have no reason to be worried since…end market volumes are recovering (especially on passenger car tyres…inventories at dealers are low (sell in markets have been worse than sell out markets),” they analysts explained.
Continental has announced the availability of its new tyre for high performance sports cars from the spring, the ContiSportContact 5 P. The tyre is already fitted as standard on several Mercedes AMG models, displayed alongside the new Audi TT RS at the Frankfurt Motor Show. The tyre’s official launch in Portimao, Portugal this week is marked by a particular focus on the sorts of technological developments for which Continental is often lauded; representatives of the manufacturer describe the brand as “technology-driven”. The launch took place at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve, acclaimed already by specialists as one of the best racing tracks in the world. Located in the south of Portugal in the District of Portimão, it was recently voted “Motorsport Facility of the Year” by ‘Professional Motorsport World Expo Awards 2009” and is preparing to get its ISO 9001 certification (Quality Management System) and ISO 14001 (Environmental Management System).
The Zeetex tyre brand, which is produced exclusively for Dutch wholesaler S&H Tyres and Dubai based Zafco, was out in force at November’s Reifen China show. In addition to the company’s large and unmissably coloured orange and black stand, S&H Tyres chose a prime location near Reifen China’s main entrance and opposite the thoroughfare between this and the popular China RubberTech exhibition. With arguably the biggest stand held by a European company at the show, Tyres & Accessories asked one of the company founders Siem Klapwijk the obvious question – why?
The reason S&H’s management is happy to invest so much in exhibiting in China is because the company, which already sells significant amounts of tyres in the western European countries, is growing fast and becoming increasingly international. Currently the UK and Germany are seen as key markets, however, while this is likely to continue, the company’s 2010 forecasts would seem to suggest that new markets will be needed in addition to sales growth from existing customers. During the course of 2010, S&H expects to sell 2 million passenger car tyres and between 500,000 and 600,000 truck and bus tyres around the world.
Well-known as an OTR/EM tyre manufacturer, Techking Tires is now seeking to sell a low rolling-resistance passenger car tyre range called Effiplus from January 2010. The Qingdao, China-based tyre manufacturer reports that it has already arranged a substantial off-take agreement with an as-yet unnamed Chinese tyremaker. Marketing manager Ben Zhang refused to reveal exact details of which manufacturer the company would be working with and how many tyres the company is planning to make, but Tyres & Accessories understands it will manufacture with one of China's largest producers. The plan is to sell the tyres direct to wholesalers/dealers in these respective markets, rather than distributing through importers.
While Zhang didn’t explicitly explain the thinking behind this part of the decision, it is likely to be related to the fact that, while the company’s partnerships with local distributors work well with high value items like OTR tyres, margins are slim on low value items such as passenger car tyres – particularly in such a competitive climate for the economy sector. What Zhang did say was that the company is considering offering the right wholesalers brand exclusivity, something that would enable the company and the wholesalers it partners with to share the marketing and business development investment.
Whether the attention Cooper Tire & Rubber Co., Asia Pacific gained at Reifen China was a result of the tyres on display or the bus loads of dancers performing on the exhibition stand each hour, you cannot ignore that the company has embarked on a slick and high profile marketing campaign and is increasingly making an impact on the domestic Chinese market in both the passenger car and truck tyre sectors. With this in mind, Tyres & Accessories interviewed vice president and general manager Asia operations, Allen Tsaur, and senior PR manager Jojo Tang.
Cooper’s ongoing region-specific marketing push aims to invest in the future of China’s fast growing automotive business by reaching more consumers and particularly the young driver audience. Car ownership in general has shot up in recent years, but Tang reports that ownership in the 23 – 35 age group has “boomed.” And this explains the “Charlie’s Angels” meets “Kill Bill” styling of the Cooper Angels customer-facing marketing concept.
Families can reduce their chances of being stranded by the roadside or being involved in a serious accident over the Christmas holiday period by making sure their car tyres are correctly inflated before they set off. That’s the advice issued by TyreSafe today. And it comes with a warning: “Drivers who fail to make these checks and adjustments significantly increase their likelihood of experiencing a dangerous tyre blowout.”
“During the holiday period too many motorists suffer misery from tyre related breakdowns because they haven’t made adequate checks before setting off,” explains Stuart Jackson, chairman, TyreSafe. “Very often the cars are heavily loaded with extra passengers, luggage and presents and then head off on long, high-speed, motorway journeys. It’s essential when carrying extra weight that tyre pressures are checked and adjusted in line with the vehicle manufacturer’s recommendations. Motorists who fail to make these adjustments are much more likely to spend some of their Christmas break stranded at the roadside because of a tyre failure”.
Al Saeedi Middle East FZCO and Al Saeedi Automotive Trading Co, Dubai have received ISO 9001:2008 certification for quality management. They were earlier certified as an ISO 9001:2000 company in year 2005. The Group states that the certificate acknowledges the company’s quality management system based on the process approach, which aims to enhance customer satisfaction by meeting and exceeding customer requirements. The company is the sole distributor of Solideal (solid, pneumatic and industrial tyres) Aufine truck and bus tyres, Maitech off-road radials, Schrader products, Neuton passenger car tyres, and Sicam Tyre equipment.
Alliance Tire Group has successfully fought off Titan International’s bid for key GPX International Tire Corporation assets. On December 2, Titan submitted a US$44 million bit for GPX International’s US and South African business assets to the US Bankruptcy Court for the District of Massachusetts, an offer $5.7 million higher than that previously announced by Alliance. However, on December 8 Alliance announced the court approval of its agreement to acquire key GPX International assets, customer relationships, warehouse footprint and engineering capabilities. The agreement will also give Alliance worldwide rights to the Galaxy and Primex brands, the company’s medium radial truck tyre distribution business and South African subsidiary, GPX Tyre South Africa (Pty.). Exact details of Alliance’s final bid are unknown, however it is said to be in excess of $50 million.
If you would like the latest news from the Chinese tyre industry in Chinese, visit our partner site TyrepressChina.com. Or click below to continue on Tyrepress.
