Now one of the largest tyre-producing countries in the world, China has an indisputable influence on the direction of global tyre trade. The home of both fast-growing up-and-coming brands as well as a burgeoning domestic market, this tag chronicles China’s involvement with the tyre business.
Guizhou Tire recently broke ground on two new tyre production facilities near the firm’s headquarters in Guizhou, Guiyang province. According to Asian Rubber Journal reports, when operational, the first – a $307 million plant – is expected to generate nearly $426 million annually. Capacity is salted to be 3 million truck tyres a year.
Linglong Tire has begun making car tyres at its newest factory in China. These first Linglong Crosswind 4×4 HP tyres from the Hubei Linglong Tire Co. Ltd. car tyre plant in Jingmen were produced on 30 December, five weeks after the production of truck and bus radial tyres commenced. Company employees and local dignitaries were on hand to witness the occasion.
Linglong Tire has entered into a cooperative agreement with Chinese car-making joint venture company SGMW. The new partnership commenced with the signing of a strategic cooperation framework agreement at SGMW’s headquarters on 30 December. Under the agreement, the two parties will collaborate on product design, development, application, quality assurance, cost optimisation and manufacturing over a long-term basis.
On 21 December, Linglong Tire signed a tripartite strategic agreement with Tencent Cloud and Shenzhen Huazhi Technology Group. The tyre maker hopes that this deal, signed by the three parties at Tencent’s global headquarters, will help it build a “global industrial service platform and intelligent retail platform.”
Michelin’s North American operation has filed a suit against a company importing “counterfeit” tyres from China. The tyres in question are said to violate patents for the BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO2.
Several weeks after entering operation, TBR production at the Hubei Linglong Tire Co., Ltd. factory in Jingmen, China was officially commissioned yesterday. Linglong Tire reports that nearly 600 guests, including government and industry representatives, attended a ceremony to mark the occasion.
Hubei Linglong Tire Co. Ltd., Linglong Tire’s fourth domestic Chinese manufacturing base, celebrated the production of its first truck tyres on 21 November. Dignitaries from Jingmen, Hubei, China, and Hubei Linglong Tire witnessed this historical moment together.
The latest global tyre market share figures from tyre industry analyst Astutus Research show how long-established, leading players headquartered in Japan, Europe, and North America have seen their volume share diminish, while Chinese, ASEAN, and selected other markets’ tyre manufacturers’ share has risen. The analyst states that in aggregate, the ten leading PCLT tyre manufacturers based in Japan, Europe and North America (J-E-NA) have lost almost 6 percentage points of market share since the end of 2011 (OE and replacement segments combined, volumes in tyre units). In part this reflects a strategic choice of some to focus on the higher value premium segments of the market.
Groundbreaking took place earlier this month for the China (Dongying) Intelligent Connected Vehicle (ICV) Test Site project, a joint venture between FAW Group, Dongying City and Sailun Group. The ceremony was attended by more than 200 people, including Sailun chief executive officer Yuan Zhongxue.
Goodyear has taken its first win since its return to international motorsport in 2019 at the third round of the 2019/20 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) in Shanghai. The Jota Sport Oreca of Roberto Gonzales, Anthony Davidson and Antonio Felix da Costa won after a race-long battle with its sister Goodyear-shod Jackie Chan DC Racing car of Ho-Pin Tung, Gabriel Aubry and Will Stevens. The Jota Sport triumph marked the first Goodyear win in an FIA World Championship race since Michael Schumacher and Ferrari in the 1998 Italian Grand Prix.
Following the news that Toyota and BYD are setting up a joint company to develop battery electric vehicles (BEVs) targeted at the Chinese market, David Leggett, automotive editor at GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company, says the cooperation makes sense for both parties.
Bridgestone Corporation has announced another favourable ruling regarding a trademark infringement in China. This particular case involves Chinese tyre maker Liangshan Water Margin Tire Co., Ltd. (Water Margin).
Large Chinese reclaimed rubber producer, Tianyu (Shandong) Rubber and Plastic Products Co. Ltd, is aiming to take its tyre-derived rubber business to the Indian market. According to reports citing the company’s export manager, India shows great demand for the product, but at the same time, the country has a large domestic reclaimed rubber industry.
On 16 October Prinx Chengshan held its 2019 International Dealer Conference in the historic city of Xi’an. The theme for this year’s conference, which was held four years after the last one, was: “together for future”.
The three days of drifting excitement that was the China Drifting Cup Grand Prix (DCGP) came to an end on 13 October, with the Sailun Drift Team crowned champion of the Singles, Drift-Chase and the Manufacturer’s Cup categories. Sailun Group says these results highlight the combined performance of the vehicles, drivers’ capabilities and the “fine-tuned product design” of the second-generation Sailun FG1 race tyre.
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