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700 Michelin Tyres Stolen

Over 700 Michelin and Kleber car tyres were stolen from a truck in a lay-by on the A1 in Rutland on 5 May. The tyres were en-route from Michelin’s Dundee factory to a distribution centre in mainland Europe when, Michelin reports, they were stolen by thieves who slashed the curtain-sides of the trailer while the driver was asleep. The sizes of tyres stolen were as follows (quantity in brackets):

195/65 R 15 91H Energy Saver (35); 185/65 R 15 88H Energy Saver (205); 195/65 R 15 91V Energy Saver (164); 155/70 R 13 75T Energy E3B (67); 185/65 R 14 86T Energy Saver (92); 175/70 R 13 82T Energy E3B (55); 165/70 R 13 79T Energy E3B (61); and 155/80 R 13 79T Kleber Viaxer (58)

19th May 2010/by Tyrepress Editors

Dinex Achieves A/S TS-certification

Dinex A/S, the exhaust manufacturer, has completed implementation of the Quality Management System ISO/TS 16949 and has achieved the certification. This latest announcement, made at the end of April, follows the news in June last year that the Dinex Group’s fifth production facility, Dinex Latvia, achieved the ISO 9001:2008 certification.

19th May 2010/by Tyrepress Editors

Chevrolet Cruze Eco to Roll on Goodyear

At the New York Auto Show, Chevrolet unveiled a new, 40mpg addition to next year’s Cruze model range, the Cruze Eco. And Goodyear reports that the new model, when it hits US showrooms in the fourth quarter of 2010, will be fitted with its Assurance Fuel Max tyres in a 17-inch wheel diameter as standard. This latest news follows earlier announcements from the US of the tyre also being chosen as the exclusive fitment for the 2011 Chevrolet Volt, and for the 2010 Toyota Prius and 2010 Ford Fusion S.

19th May 2010/by Tyrepress Editors

Tyre Market Data Shows Growth in All Regions

According to data released by Pirelli & C. SpA, Europe’s passenger car and light commercial vehicle replacement tyre market grew 14 per cent year-on-year during April 2010, below the 20 per cent improvement observed in March yet a three point improvement on the market’s 10.5 per cent year-to-date improvement. Original equipment sales of all tyre brands in Europe improved one per cent year-on-year during April, considerably lower than the 19.25 per cent improvement seen in the year-to-date. Replacement market truck tyre sales showed a 20 per cent year-on-year improvement during the month, down on the year-to-date increase of 32.75 per cent. The original equipment truck tyre market in Europe shot up 60 per cent in April, by far the largest monthly year-to-date growth so far this year. Year-to-date, growth in this sector have improved by 16 per cent over last year.

19th May 2010/by Tyrepress Editors

Sava Range Offers Performance in the Cold

Slovenian manufacturer Sava has added a high performance range to its winter tyre portfolio. Known as the eskimo hp, this lower-case titled tyre is described by Sava as a “high-performance winter tyre that offers excellent handling performance in difficult winter conditions as well as good mileage levels to the cost-conscious passenger car driver.” The eskimo hp is available in 23 sizes fitting most passenger car models and features a directional tread design optimised for winter conditions plus optimized plus a full silica compound. The Sava eskimo hp features the snowflake symbol on its sidewall, certifying that it meets the required performance levels of winter testing.

18th May 2010/by Tyrepress Editors

Bridgestone Wins Supplier Award

Every year PACCAR Inc., the parent company of truck manufacturer DAF, acknowledges suppliers meeting specific quality requirements with a “PACCAR 50PPM Quality Achievement Award”. The ‘50PPM’ refers to 50 parts per million, the maximum proportion of non-conforming parts PACCAR allows for from its suppliers, and Bridgestone has received a 50PPM Quality Achievement Award for its performance as a tyre supplier in Europe during 2009. This is the first time Bridgestone has received such an award from DAF’s parent company.

18th May 2010/by Tyrepress Editors

UK Registrations Up 11.5% in April

New passenger car registrations in Europe (EU27 lands) fell by 7.4 per cent year-on-year in April. This drop in comparison with April 2009 figures is not unexpected when it is remembered that registrations began to rise a year earlier in response to short-term scrappage schemes introduced in a number of countries. Over the first four months of 2010 the market expanded by 4.8 per cent compared to the same period a year ago, while shrinking by 11.6 per cent in comparison to January-April 2008.

17th May 2010/by Tyrepress Editors

European Vehicle Production Outlook ‘Very Good Indeed’

The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders anticipates a rise in vehicle production volumes this year, the start of a recovery that will accelerate over the next two years. “Looking at the production picture in Europe at the moment, we think the recovery is actually beginning now and despite the threat of the financial crisis hitting Europe we think there is a good chance that 2010 will be much better than had been hitherto thought,” stated Ian Henry, director of AutoAnalysis and author of the May 2010 SMMT report on production outlook. “We actually now think that in 2010 the volumes will actually be up over 2009 and we think there’ll be a further recovery in 2011. But the real climb back will come from 2012, once the financial crisis has completely been erased and a range of new models come on-stream.”

14th May 2010/by Tyrepress Editors

Michelin Supports Gerry Jones European Freight Expansion

Considering an expansion of its services into new European territories, Gwent-based haulier Gerry Jones Transport was faced with the problem of height restrictions that ruled out its trailers’ conventional setup. The company’s solution is to fit the Michelin X One MaxiTrailer as original equipment on five new Wilson curtainside tri-axle trailers. They say that with a lower profile sidewall than traditional 385/65 R 22.5 tyres, the new tyres offer a reduced ride height of 20cm, therefore allowing increased volumes of nine cubic metres within 40-tonne limits. The tyres will therefore allow Gerry Jones to provide six additional services each week in France, Belgium and Holland.

13th May 2010/by Tyrepress Editors

Rubber Price Falls Over Debt Crisis Fears

BusinessWeek.com reported on 7 May that the price of rubber fell to its lowest price in more than four months, erasing this year's gains, on concern that Europe's debt crisis may slow the global economic recovery. However, while financial analysts agree that tyre raw material prices have “ticked down for the first time since March 2009,” they say the full year effect in 2010 is still likely to be 15 – 20 per cent higher than last year.

10th May 2010/by Tyrepress Editors

Bridgestone Potenza S001 OE on Audi RS 5

Audi has selected Bridgestone to supply tyres for the 20-inch option on its new Audi RS 5 Coupé. As a result Bridgestone will supply its newly-developed flagship UHP tyre, the Potenza S001 in time for the car’s European launch in April 2010. Designed exclusively for the world’s most powerful sports cars, the Potenza S001 meets the performance targets set by German manufacturer Quattro GmbH for this new 450 hp Audi coupé.

“Bridgestone is proud that Audi has chosen the new Potenza S001 for such a dynamic performer as the Audi RS 5,” Didier Schneider, vice president original equipment, Bridgestone Europe said: “Bridgestone worked hard to meet the extremely demanding requirements in all areas of tyre performance.”

10th May 2010/by Tyrepress Editors

XLite Aiming to Shine in Forged Aluminium Wheel Market

Motor Wheel Service Distribution (MWS) has invested £500,000 in UK and European infrastructure in preparation for the “official launch” of its xlite range of forged aluminium commercial vehicle wheels. According to the company, these are five times stronger and 40 per cent lighter than standard steel wheels. xlite wheels, which were “soft launched” some time ago, are forged from a single aluminium billet using computerised numeric control machine to produce a higher degree of production accuracy, are available in 17.5,19.5 and 22.5 inch sizes.

The product is being offered with three finishes – machined, polished and xbrite – with the latter using a special coating which means lower maintenance, minimal cleaning and a lasting shine. Other added benefits common to aluminium wheels include reduced vibration and longer wear on surrounding parts.

6th May 2010/by Tyrepress Editors

New Vehicle Registrations Show Continued Growth

Department for Transport figures published on 6 May suggest that the growth in first-time UK vehicle registrations continued to grow in March 2010, with a 23.1 per cent year-on-year rise in vehicles registered in the month. 455.5 thousand vehicles of all types were registered in March 2010, compared with 370.1 thousand in March 2009. While this represents a palpable rise in line with year-on-year figures over the last six months, sales are still down on pre-recession figures; 535.6 thousand vehicles were registered in March 2008.

6th May 2010/by Tyrepress Editors

Nexen Raises European Prices 7%

Nexen Europe GmbH has announced that it will implement a price increase of 7 per cent across its ranges of car, 4×4 and van summer tyres. According to the company, the price increases has been prompted by the continuing series of prices increases the manufacturer has itself experienced in the commodity markets and also in logistics, which account for “a significant portion of Nexen Tire’s costs.” The situation has reportedly been exacerbated by the “ever weakening euro against the dollar” due to the fact that raw material and logistics deals are generally settled in dollars.

5th May 2010/by Tyrepress Editors

Pirelli Examining Real Estate Spin-Off

Pirelli & C. SpA confirmed yesterday (3 May 2010) that its board of directors is meeting today “to examine, among other things, the transaction for separation of Pirelli Real Estate from the Pirelli Group.” According to various sources, the timing of the meeting (a day before the company’s first quarter 2010 results presentation) suggests that the company is likely to announce a spin-off of the real estate business tomorrow 5 May. Deutsche Bank analysts estimate that the move is worth 0.04 euros a share or 8.5 per cent of market capitalisation.

4th May 2010/by Tyrepress Editors