The new GT Radial FE1 City tyre for A-C segment urban cars is now available throughout Europe following its launch on Giti Tire’s stand at Reifen 2016. The tyre currently comes in 16 sizes, with rims from 13-16”, section widths from 145 to 195 and series sizes 55 to 80. The tyre was designed by the company’s R&D Centre in Hannover, Germany and features a silhouette of the city of Cologne to mark its European R&D credentials.
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.
Giti Tire has re-stated its intention to commission “further tests with an independent body” following the recently published Auto Club Europa (ACE) comparative summer tyre tests, in which its GT Radial Champiro FE1 was ranked tenth out of ten “price-competitive” tyres.
In the most recent Auto Club Europa (ACE) comparative test of competitively priced tyres, the ranking of the newest GT Radial touring tyre, the Champiro FE1, has caused consternation with the manufacturer. ACE-GTU ranked the tyre bottom in the test, with its performance in the wet causing particular concern, despite the fact that the tyre carries a B rating for wet grip on the tyre label. In response, Giti sent a testing team based at Mira in Leicestershire, to re-examine its tyre at Idiada, the proving ground near Barcelona at which the ACE test was carried out. Giti also released a full statement to Tyres & Accessories, explaining that it was investigating all avenues to explain why the results recorded by ACE-GTU did not match its own findings.
Giti Tire has introduced nine new sizes to the GT Radial Champiro FE1 range. Positioned as an all-round premium passenger car tyre for the performance C and D vehicle segments (including such bestsellers as the Volkswagen Golf, Peugeot 308 and Kia C’eed) the tyre now has more than 95 per cent coverage of its target sector. Launched in 2014, Giti expects the tyre to become one of its biggest sellers.
Giti Tire expresses confidence that its new Champiro FE1 will become one of the biggest sellers within its GT Radial brand portfolio. The new range was officially unveiled at the Reifen 2014 show in May, and the manufacturer has now provided some further details on the line-up. It says the Champiro FE1 is available in Europe from October 2014 onwards in 18 sizes for 15 to 17-inch rim diameters and in T to W speed ratings.
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