Big appears to be beautiful when it comes to ultra high performance tyres. Continental shares that falling European demand for 18-inch rim diameter and lower UHP tyres over the last couple of years has been compensated for by growing demand in the larger sizes.
UK brake supplier Apec has expanded its product range with the addition of 13 new brake pads, continuing the expansion of what the company says is Europe's largest range of direct replacement braking items, which now stands at over 1,400 brake pads, and over 6,000 braking products.
The Al Dobowi Group has been distributing Chinese manufacturer Hangzhou Zhongce’s Westlake tyre brand in certain key markets for 20. The Group’s chairman, Surender Kandhari marked the occasion by presenting Ge Gourong, CEO of Hangzhou Zhongce, with a commemorative gold dagger. The gift, a symbol of strength, is designed to reflect the 20 years of partnership and “years of future growth together”, Al Dobowi states.
Bridgestone Europe says it will present a “strong line-up” of OTR tyres at this month’s Bauma 2013 trade show in Germany. At its stand (109/206 in hall A6), the company will present details of its “Total Tyre Care” programme plus present its new 20.5 R25 VSDR. Tyre aficionados will also have the chance to ogle the world’s largest OTR radial.
In addition to announcing a 30 per cent rise in sales last year, Blackcircles.com appears set to expand across the Channel in the near future. Company founder and managing director Mike Welch states the online retailer aims to grow market share both in the UK and internationally and claims that Blackcircles.com is now in talks with parties in Central Europe; if all goes to plan, an announcement regarding a partnership or acquisition will be made before the end of this year.
Bridgestone’s fuel economy focused Ecopia truck tyre range has added a dedicated trailer product to its ranks for the first time: the new Ecopia H-Trailer 001. Bridgestone says the tyre has been designed to achieve increased fuel saving in highway operations, courtesy of improved rolling-resistance and wet grip performance. The manufacturer adds that the Ecopia H-Trailer 001 has strong mileage and durability characteristics.
Avon Tyres has launched its new Storm 3D X-M sports-touring bike tyre, manufactured in Britain for the hypersport motorcycle market. The tyre aims to combine the performance of the Storm 3D Ultra tyre with the increased longevity demanded by riders using their bikes more regularly. The tyre will be available from UK dealers in April.
Hangzhou Zhongce lead brand Westlake Tyres has announced that it will stage the official launch of its new RP28 passenger car tyre at this year’s Autopromotec in Bologna. The manufacturer says the 50 size line-up demonstrates its support of Westlake as a growing force in the European tyre market. The brand states it will also preview an extended line of SUV/4×4 products.
Changes to the management structure of Pirelli Deutschland’s sales and marketing team took effect on 1 April. Amongst these tweaks is an extension of Sascha Kemper’s area of responsibility. In addition to his current position as Germany-wide sales manager for the original equipment truck business and Northern Germany sales manager for the replacement market truck business, Kemper has taken over as head of the replacement truck business in Southern Germany from Sascha Ihrig.
The organiser of last month’s Pneu Expo in France reports that 100 exhibitors from 17 countries displayed their wares at the three-day show. Exhibitor numbers were thus similar to the previous show, and organiser Editions VB says two thirds of the 2013 exhibitors have signed up for the next event.
Infinity Tyres has exhibited the three latest additions to its range at events in France and Spain. Joining the recent performance geared passenger car tyre lines, the Ecomax and the Ecosis, the Ecopioneer, Enviro and Ecovantage patterns were displayed at Pneu Expo in Lyon and at Madrid’s Motortec Automechanika Ibérica. The two performance PCR products have begun shipping to Europe from China’s Shandong Linglong plant, which manufactures the brand, while the other new models will arrive later in the year to complete a full 13-19 inch line-up in 2013.
Figures for CV registrations in Europe, released by ACEA, show that they fell by 13.3 per cent in February and were down -11.9 per cent over the first two months, year on year. February was the fourteenth consecutive month that demand for commercial vehicles in the EU was down.
Starting from 2016, antilock braking systems (ABS) will be introduced as standard equipment for an increasing number of motorcycles in the EU. At the beginning of March, the European Union passed legislation to this effect, with the objective of further reducing traffic accident figures. In 2011 alone, around 5,000 motorcyclists were killed on Europe's roads. "A standard-fit ABS can prevent more than one-quarter of all motorcycle accidents with personal injuries," is how Gerhard Steiger, president of the Bosch Chassis Systems Control division, sums up the findings of a Bosch accident study.
Dunlop Motorsport has announced the appointment of Jason Dee as manager, Motorcycle Motorsport Europe. He replaces Steve Male, who announced his retirement from Dunlop Motorsport after 43 years’ service. Dee has worked at Dunlop for 16 years, most recently being responsible for the Motorsport Sales and Operating Process and Supply Chain functions. He will be based at the company's Motorsport Technical Centre at Fort Dunlop, Birmingham, England.
In developing its latest tyre for Nordic winter conditions, Bridgestone says it aimed to meet the challenge posed by increasingly strict environmental regulations on tyre studs. The all-new Blizzak SPIKE-01 replaces the Noranza 2 EVO and features studs that incorporate a “square-shouldered, round pin with revolutionary cross-edge to maximise edge and scratch effect while minimising road wear and associated dust pollution.” According to the tyre maker, preliminary internal tests already reveal the superiority of the Blizzak SPIKE-01 stud’s multi-directional biting effect on ice and snow and its retention rate over the lifecycle of the stud and tyre compared to on the predecessor tyre. Side-by-side tests of the new and previous generation tyres conducted in Sweden using size 205/55 R16 tyres fitted on a VW GOLF 2.0tdi also showed a 20 per cent better performance on ice and five per cent better performance on snow for the Blizzak SPIKE-01.
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