On the evening of 10 December, the management and employees of Denmark’s Starco celebrated half a century in the business. The 50 year anniversary was commemorated at a function at the home of company CEO Peer Ejlersgaard and at regional Starco premises worldwide.
When the European Parliament adopted a report with recommendations on how to improve European road safety between 2011 and 2020 it supported a number of measures includes a Europe-wide obligation for winter tyre fitment on all vehicles.
According to trade bodies NTDA and the Automotive Aftermarket Federation, the report reiterates the commission’s view that there needs to be a coherent approach to road safety and it calls for road safety issues to be addressed in all relevant policy areas, such as education (e.g. driver training, or information regarding the role of tyres and their proper maintenance), health (eye tests) or environmental and social policy.
HMK, purportedly Europe´s oldest transportation company, relies on Alcoa Dura-Bright wheels. H.M. Kristiansens Automobilbyra AS, more commonly known as HMK, is said to be Europe´s oldest transportation company and is also the largest privately owned coach company in Norway. The firm has been operating from Oslo since 1873.
DriveRight, independent global providers of wheel and tyre fitment data has established an office in Germany. DriveRight DE GmbH was formed to provide specialist B2B data and ecommerce solutions for integration within the automotive industry.
The uncertain economic outlook in Europe looks set to hit sales of heavy trailers in 2012. Demand for new trailers is now forecast to fall below the level of 2011, according to some market analysts. As a consequence the sales figure for 2012 will be 10,000 trailers less than was forecast in May this year.
As parent company Pirelli launched what is, it is probably fair to say, the mother of all pin-up calendars in New York, the firm’s Metzler specialist two wheel tyre brand launched a calendar of its own. The Metzeler Classics calendar, now in its 19th edition, celebrates two-wheeled competitions from the sixties with a series of black & white shots, paying homage to Japan and its motorcycling tradition, marked this year by such terrible adversity with Tsunami, earthquake and nuclear challenges.
BMW has selected Hankook’s Ventus Prime² for several of its 1 Series models. The Hankook tyre will be fitted to the 116i, 118i, 116d and 118d in size 195/55 R16V. The upmarket 120d will also receive the Ventus Prime², in size 205/55 R 16W. The 1 Series fitment is Hankook’s first OEM deal with the German vehicle manufacturer.
According to Johnson Controls, an estimated 70 per cent of all new vehicles manufactured by 2015 will feature Start-Stop technology. Yet Joacim Adlerborn, the company’s training and technical services manager, opines that the majority of independent workshops still feel ill-equipped to service these vehicles.
Projex Design UK Ltd recently launched the latest addition to its Italian-made commercial van alloy range. The Storm wheel is now available for the Toyota Hi-Ace
and Hyundai I-Load. The company has been producing this wheel for more than 18 months and it now reportedly caters for every model of commercial van in Europe.
Alcoa Wheel Products Europe is introducing a new 22.5 x 11.75 wheel with 120 mm offset and a 5000 kilogram load index for truck front steer axles and trailer axles. According to the company, the new wheel weighs only 23.6 kilos and is available with Ø 26mm mounting holes in four finishes: brushed, mirror polished, Dura-Bright and Dura-Flange. Alco reports that its wheels’ rim flanges are engineered to a unified rim flange design, allowing to accommodate both adhesive and clip-on balancing weights.
European supplies of Federal Tyres’ Formoza AZ01 are expected to begin in December when long-time Federal customer, Van den Ban Autobanden, receives the first Europe-bound container load. Federal reports the Netherlands-based wholesaler’s first order of size 225/50R17 98W XL and 225/55R17 101W XL Formoza AZ01 tyres has been dispatched from its Jiangxii plant in Nanchang, China.
Reuters and Marketwatch have reported comments made by Michelin managing partner Michel Rollier regarding the global tyre market’s general good shape. Reuters quoted Rollier, who was speaking on the sidelines of a Comité des Constructeurs Français d'Automobiles (French Automobile Manufacturers Committee) event, as saying “today, overall, we see a situation which remains relatively healthy with one exception, which is nonetheless a worry, namely the heavy truck tyre market in Europe.” Marketwatch reported that Rollier said the Chinese market remains “very robust” while North America “remains at a good level.” The managing partner however noted, added Marketwatch, that the outlook for 2012 “remains very uncertain.”
National Association of Motor Auctions (NAMA) figures for October show that average values of used cars sold at auction decreased from £4,718 to £4,558, a 4 per cent decrease. Values for fleet cars recorded a 6 per cent decrease. Year-on-year, the average price of cars at auction has increased just 0.1 per cent from £4,554 a year ago to £4,558 this year.
According to the latest vehicle registration figures, the Volkswagen Golf remains Europe’s best-selling car despite a sales decrease of 2.5 per cent in October compared to a year earlier (its sales also fell 1.8 per cent measured year-to-date). The Volkswagen Polo, with sales up by 1.2 per cent in October, regained second place while the Ford Fiesta claimed third, selling 26,553 vehicles.
Figures released by Michelin indicate year-on-year growth for Europe’s original equipment and replacement consumer tyre markets during October 2011, however the month’s results show growth of less than half the year to date amount. According to Michelin, the European (including Russia and Turkey) passenger car and light commercial vehicle original equipment market grew 2.5 per cent in October compared with the same month of 2010. The replacement market grew 3.8 per cent year-on-year during the same period. Year to date, the original equipment grew an average of 7.6 per cent year-on-year between January and October 2011, while the replacement market grew 7.9 per cent.
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