The European automobile manufacturers association (ACEA) today released the latest European car registration statistics. In September 2004 1,353,817 units were registered across western Europe. This represents a decrease of –0.6 per cent (-0.7 per cent in the EU-15) compared with September 2003.
Dunlop’s new performance tyre, the Sport Maxx, has been put to the test through the ‘Performance Car of the Year’ programme. Hailed as “the toughest media evaluation programme of its kind,” the annual test, conducted by Car & Driving, the UKs motoring media agency, puts top performance vehicles and their tyres through a series of road and track tests all over Europe.
Russian tyre manufacturer, Amtel has sold 10 per cent of its stock in a private placement underwritten and distributed solely by Troika Dialog Group.
Bridgestone is a aiming to control 15 per cent of the European market within 5 years, the company announced at the Paris auto show.
The Department of Trade and Industry’s autoindustry.co.uk website is reporting that Pirelli and Continental are to enter into a joint venture in Romania. The £27 million project will be split 80:20 between Pirelli and Continental, with Pirelli holding the majority share. The operation will be based in Slatina and will produce 30,000 tonnes of steel thread a year for tyres sold by both firms in Eastern Europe.
This year’s Paris Motor Show saw the unveiling of Ferrari’s new F430, the successor to the 360 Modena.
Plans for a new UK based European trade show have been announced by the Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT); the UK’s trade association for the bus, coach and light rail industry. Euro Bus Expo is scheduled to take place for the first time on 7-9 November 2006, at the NEC Birmingham.
Expo Management, will support the organisation of the trade event, which the company says is designed to build on the success of the Coach & Bus show brand, the existing biennial event for the UK industry.
As the third largest market for road based public transport vehicles in Europe, the events UK location should work well to attract international exhibitors and visitors.
Nokian is set to introduce a W speed rated summer car tyre, which it claims is “the fastest clean summer tyre in the world.”
The Nokian Z ultra high performance tyre will initially be launched in the Nordic countries, Central Europe and Russia in the spring of 2005. The company describes the tyre’s characteristics as combining “good wet grip, precise controllability and clean rubber compounds,” and says that it is manufactured without harmful high-aromatic oils.
Mr Teppo Huovila, product development manager, Nokian Tyres explains that the design of the new tyre is focused on two core points: “Safety under extreme conditions and environmental friendliness.” Which he believes calls for the company’s “special technical skills and solid experience.”
Europe’s biggest online tyre dealer, the Hanover based Delticom AG, has signed an investment contract with a local bank and a local private equity firm. The deal is the company’s second investment contract. Four years ago the online tyre dealer took on an investor, the company writes in its press release. With this new deal Delticom is seeking to allow for further international expansion and the build-up of a global network, explain the company’s two chairmen Andreas Prüfer and Rainer Binder. “With regards to a possible floating of our shares we are well prepared,“ they say. Delticom has not published the size of the new investment contract or any figures relating to the ownership situation of the company. This year Delticom expects to achieve a turnover of £44.5 million.
SmarTire Systems Inc has announced it will make its tyre pressure monitoring system for high pressure tyres available in Europe. According to the company, the system is designed to work in high pressure environments of between 150 and 200 psi.
SmarTire chose the Automechanika show in Frankfurt as the venue for its high pressure product’s European debut. Commenting on the news John Taylor-Wilson, VP sales and marketing, said: “The impact of TPMS on large vehicles translates into solid and demonstrable cost savings and benefits to the owners and operators of these vehicles. Combined with the safety aspect of our products, these benefits have already generated considerable market interest in TPMS. SmarTire for high-pressure tyres such as buses, recreational and commercial vehicle applications will be aggressively introduced in the respective European markets.
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Figures released by the European automobile manufacturers association (ACEA) show that the number of new car registrations in Europe is in a slight decline. In total 831,805 cars were registered in EU and EFTA countries in August, 1.3 per cent less than the same time last year.
A US court has banned wholesaler Zisser Tire from selling Wanli S-1099 tyres, which, according to the ruling, infringe Yokohama’s trademarks.
The International Tyre Club is to hold its 2005 meeting in Lisbon, Portugal from March 9-11.
Club secretary James Graham pointed out the reasons behind the decision: “Although recently we have concentrated on introducing the markets of Eastern Europe to our members we do not want to over-focus on these. Other areas of Europe offer just as much new opportunity and in Lisbon we will not just be introducing new faces from Portugal itself. We will be looking to the whole of Spain, South to Morocco & NW Africa and West to Brazil. All areas of equally fast moving potential.”
The ITC’s ‘summit’ style format provides an arena for trade discussions for its tyre and wheel business members.
Club events seek to foster new and mutually beneficial commercial links in regions offering the prospect of higher than average long-term potential. Both the Czech Republic and Hungary have hosted recent successful Club meetings.
The Polish tyre market is to grow at a rate of three per cent during 2004, according to Goodyear estimates. The company, which has invested in domestic tyre producer, Dębica, believes Polish consumers will buy a total of 7.1 million new tyres in 2004.
The widespread introduction of catalytic converters, almost a decade ago, has had a dramatic effect on vehicle pollution. Harmful emissions from petrol cars have been reduced by an average of 75 per cent. The effectiveness of ‘cats’, combined with vast improvements in the quality of fuels, means that today it is estimated that it would take up to approximately 100 new cars to produce the same emissions as just one made 20 years ago. To download this article as a PDF file, click here.
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