At the start of the year, Cooper Tire & Rubber confirmed its intention to acquire a majority interest in Chinese truck and bus radial manufacturer Qingdao Ge Rui Da Rubber Co., Ltd (GRT); the plan is to initially purchase a 51.86 per cent equity interest in the joint venture company from Qingdao Yiyuan Investment Co., Ltd., with Cooper Tire Holding Company obtaining a further 4.32 per cent; the registered capital in GRT will then be increased from RMB 350,000,000 to RMB 438,236,991, the result being that Cooper Tire & Rubber’s share will rise to 60 per cent share and Cooper Tire Holding Company’s to five per cent.