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Varta AGM Batteries Support Stop-Start Technology

The electronics revolution behind major improvements in auto economy, braking, stability and ride comfort has necessitated a techno-overhaul for the car battery to underpin these functions. Luxury car brands like Bentley, Mercedes-Benz and Rolls Royce were the first to turn to suppliers like Varta for AGM (absorbent glass mat) batteries to cope with increased electrical and electronic consumption, and they have been being swiftly followed by mainstream models like the Audi A3, VW Golf and Passat, not to mention London’s black cab fleet. Now BMW is set to fit a Varta AGM battery as original equipment to the new Mini out later this year to meet the increased electrical demands of the Stop-Start technology it is adopting for this substantially revised model. Varta is Europe’s only supplier of AGM technology batteries to the original equipment market to date, and has a number of long term development programmes with carmakers to support their quest for increased vehicle efficiency and performance improvements.

27th July 2006/by Tyrepress Editors

Diesel Demand Leads to Glow Plug Factory

The rapidly-increasing demand for diesel cars in Europe, and with it the increased demand for glow plugs, has led NGK Spark Plugs to open a new factory on its Komaki site in Japan, dedicated to the production of ceramic and metal glow plugs. The rise in demand has seen a dramatic growth in NGK’s market share – four years ago the company claimed 10 per cent of the UK glow plug market and today the figure is 50 per cent and rising. NGK’s Komaki factory was originally opened in 1962 and the new four-storey building covers some 30,000 square metres. It will manufacture several hundred different types of glow plugs and the annual production capacity is 20 million pieces.

25th July 2006/by Tyrepress Editors

Over a Billion Tune in to Maxxis British MX Championship

With a TV audience estimated at more than one billion people, the Maxxis British Motocross Championship is attracting a huge following around the world. The series is currently seen in almost 500 million homes throughout Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia and the Americas, according to a report from Greenlight Television, which signed a TV deal with the Auto Cycle Union in February.

17th July 2006/by Tyrepress Editors

Ease Congestion – Ban Elderly Motorists, Says Poll

Congestion on Britain’s streets is getting worse, but drivers polled by online insurance broker www.motorinsurance.co.uk have a novel solution: ban elderly drivers from the roads. Government figures suggest that almost nine in ten respondents felt that road congestion was a serious problem in the country . The solution, according to nearly half the drivers (49 per cent) polled, is a total ban on elderly drivers during peak periods.

17th July 2006/by Tyrepress Editors

Ban on Landfilling of Tyres

The EU Landfill Directive banning the landfilling of shredded used tyres came into effect on 16th July 2006, when all used tyres (with minor exceptions) will have to be diverted from landfill and recovered, re-used or recycled. This follows the earlier ban on the landfilling of whole tyres in 2003.

17th July 2006/by Tyrepress Editors

BF Goodrich Confirms Rally Commitment

BF Goodrich has confirmed its commitment to the FIA World Rally Championship in 2007, despite looking set to be the sole tyre supplier, following Pirelli’s decision to quit the series at the end of this season. BF Goodrich currently supplies all but one of the manufacturer-backed teams, namely the Subaru World Rally team, however, next season all the teams look set to use their tyres.

16th July 2006/by Tyrepress Editors

Blackcircles Predicts Record £10 million Turnover

Online tyre retailer Blackcircles.com says it is on course to achieve a record turnover of at least £10 million after receiving more than 150 enquiries about joining its franchise network, which was launched in January. Blackcircles claims to be leading the revitalisation of local garages, with independents and dealerships throughout the UK joining the network “in a bid to challenge the monopoly of national tyre chains.” With a turnover of £5 million in 2005, and a projected turnover of £10 – £15 million for 2006, Blackcircles is experiencing month on month growth.

14th July 2006/by Tyrepress Editors

Nanjing Automobile Planning MG Plant in Oklahoma

The UK car manufacturing industry received another blow yesterday when Nanjing Automobile announced it is planning to build MG cars in Oklahoma. Many had expected the lion’s share of MGs to be built at the old Rover base (Longbridge in Birmingham), but now, according to a report in The Times, most production will go to the US. The company’s engineering, design, sales and marketing departments will also operate out of the US.

13th July 2006/by Tyrepress Editors

SmarTire OE on Bell Equipment Industrial and Construction Vehicles

Bell Equipment Limited has selected SmarTire’s SmartWave tyre pressure monitoring system (TPMS) for installation on its industrial and construction equipment. Bell is a global South African supplier of heavy-duty equipment and articulated vehicles.

13th July 2006/by Tyrepress Editors

Marangoni High Performance Eastern Europe Launch

The Autodrom Most, near Prague in the Czech Republic was the venue chosen by Italian manufacturer Marangoni to showcase its performance tyre range to a selection of Eastern European customers and journalists. With the recently-introduced Mythos and Maxó tyres as the feature products, the launch indicates the Marangoni brand’s intent to become a major player across the Eastern European markets in 2006/7. “At Marangoni, partnership is ingrained into the culture of the business. We have developed fantastic relationships with all our customers in Eastern Europe, and the event in ‘Most’ will serve to strengthen the bonds with our customers,” commented Marangoni’s Peter Gabris. “The feedback was extremely positive from trade partners and the press who attended, regarding the organisation of the event and the tyre products, which were the focus of the event.” Concluded Derek Carruthers, Marangoni Global Sales and Marketing Director, “We have held a number of similar events over recent years and its effect on our business has been incredible. The interaction with our customer base has provided not only opportunities to illustrate our products and technologies, but also for feedback from our customers which is vital for future development.”

10th July 2006/by Tyrepress Editors

Delti Opens Shop in Canada

(Akron/Tire Review) Delticom AG, Europe’s leading online tyre seller, opened a new bilingual online store in Canada. The new online effort is the company’s second direct-to-consumers online venture in North America; it already operates www.tires-easy.com. Delticom said the new site will offer some 60 tyre brands and 10,6000 SKUs. Its U.S. business also includes mounting, balancing and installation through some 8,500 “tyre installation partners.” Based in Hanover, Germany, Delticom said it operates 60 online tyre stores in 25 countries.

6th July 2006/by Tyrepress Editors

Kraiburg Shows New EM Products

Retreading specialist, Kraiburg used the Essen show as a launch pad for its new range of earthmover (EM) tyres. According to the company, Kraiburg’s new range covers the entire retreading process of tyres for use in quarries, mines and other similar applications – including for example dump trucks, wheeled loaders, road graders and mobile cranes. “Practical tests conducted in a large open cast mine have already successfully proven the performance and effectiveness of the Kraiburg compounds,” company representatives told Tyres & Accessories.

5th July 2006/by Tyrepress Editors

Michelin Initiates Prices Increases

Michelin has reported that it has begun raising prices for its truck and construction equipment tyres in Europe to help compensate for higher commodity costs, particularly natural rubber. The price increases, which average 3 per cent to 5 per cent, began in mid- June, said Anne-Sophie Creton, a spokeswoman quoted in the International Herald Tribune.

5th July 2006/by Tyrepress Editors

B&J Rocket: Changing Times

Over the past two years since the last Reifen show, B&J Rocket, the buffing blade inventor, has developed from a well-known but slightly old-fashioned company, to a young, modern and highly productive manufacturer and sales company, according to general manager Andreas Müller.

4th July 2006/by Tyrepress Editors

Zisser Tire’s Increasing European Presence

“It has been a meteoric rise for us in Europe”, said the company’s, Tim Mahowald. “We have obviously been helped by the fluctuation in currency between the US dollar and the euro resulting in a consistent annual increase in Export sales since 2002. We are also one of the fastest growing high performance tyre wholesalers in the USA with annual sales exceeding $119 million. Our current inventory of over 150,000 UHP tyres offers a wide range of brand names. For the last four years Zisser has been the exclusive importer of the Wanli brand for the USA”.

3rd July 2006/by Tyrepress Editors