After acquiring Guangrao Jixing under Doublestar, Huasheng Rubber has changed the facility’s name to Heda Rubber. On 18 November, Heda Rubber started manufacturing and the first passenger car radial tyres rolled off the production line. Zhang Shulin, chairman of Huasheng Rubber Group, and Zhao Ruiqing, general manager attended the first tyre roll-off ceremony.
Distribution of Xpeng in the UK will be “in early 2025” with the introduction of the advanced G6 mid-size SUV. But what tyres will the cars be fitted with? Suggestions that the carmaker with factories in Zhaoqing and Guangzhou, Guangdong province would choose Chinese tyre brands are undermined by the fact that the G6 is pictured wearing Michelin rubber in promotion shots located in London, Paris and Amsterdam.
Driven by the company’s corporate belief that mobility is a human right and essential for flourishing and freedom, Michelin is committed to decarbonising mobility and – of course – tyres play a key role in that. During a recent visit to Michelin’s Clermont-Ferrand headquarters and Ladoux research and development facility in France, Michelin executives articulated how that grand vision relates to the tyres and vehicles of today as well as the technology of tomorrow.
On 11 October Lynk & Co unveiled its first electric vehicle for the European market, the Lynk & Co 02. The debut marks the first global launch of a new model for Lynk & Co. And what’s more the new car came out on Continental tyres.
JK Tyre & Industries is supplying Vertelo with its “Connected Mobility Solutions”, a cloud-based monitoring system. Vertelo is a “bespoke electric mobility solutions provider”. Through this partnership, JK Tyre will be providing the brand’s 255/70R22.5 JUXe EV tyres equipped with connected Treel sensors with real-time monitoring for Vertelo’s fleet. The mobility services will be provided at Vertelo depots nationwide, starting with Mumbai. JK Tyre will deploy a dedicated team of experienced professionals to provide round-the-clock support at the depot as well as enroute assistance.
On 1 October 2024, Prince William visited 2023 Earthshot Prize Finalist, Enso, as the company announced a strategic partnership with Uber across the UK and USA.
During the visit, Prince William met with founder and CEO of Enso, Gunnlaugur Erlendsson, and heard how the business has developed and scaled since he last visited in October 2023. The Prince learned about the technology behind their sustainable tyres and the real-life impact it has on pollution levels around the world.
The new smart #3 Brabus edition is begin factory equipped with EcoContact 6 Q tyres from Continental. Specifically, the SUV coupé is being fitted with 245/40 R20 99V XL tyres as original equipment. The smart #3 is the second model produced by the joint venture between Mercedes-Benz and the Chinese manufacturer Geely.
Norfolk Truck and Van recently supplied three new Renault Trucks E-Tech Master L2H2 panel vans to help Burnt Mills Tyres provide on-site and roadside tyre fitting services. The new vans will clock up between 50 and 100 miles a day, with local trips in and out of the depot in Basildon, Essex where the vehicles will also be charged.
Earlier this year, during a recent visit to China, on the sidelines of the GRTAE expo hosted in what can only be described as the tyre capital of the People’s Republic, Tyres & Accessories enjoyed a panel discussion with Car & Tire editor, Alex Shi. Formerly an executive within the tyre industry – including time with Goodyear – Car & Tires is known for its focus on tyres and is particularly strong when it comes to tyre testing and in the social media space. Indeed, they are something of a force online, with some 300,000 followers on WeChat, which is a bit like WhatsApp here in the West. True to form, not only was our discussion hosted in the main meeting room at GRTAE, it was also video recorded and streamed live to a potential audience of hundreds of thousands of Chinese-language followers in the East. Beginning with the current state of the respective Chinese and European tyre markets in light of recent macro-economic market trends, our discussion then moved onto the similarities and differences between the European and Chinese online tyre sectors.
Truck tyres and electric vehicle tyres feature in the September 2024 issue of Tyres & Accessories, which is now available as an e-paper for Tyrepress subscribers. The issue also features the latest news from the international tyre business, including new products like Linglong’s new winter tyre range and Davanti’s Alltoura H/T, and Malvern Tyres’ acquisition of Just Tyres in the UK. Non-subscribers can gain access to Tyrepress with a print or online subscription. Tyre professionals can take advantage of the current Tyrepress Membership offer, helping to drive business online and stay informed with the industry’s leading magazine and websites.
Tesla Cybertruck owners are complaining of getting just 6,000 miles tyre life from the the famous electric pickups. According to The Drive, one member of the Cybertruck Owners Club says his barely three-month-old Cyber truck has just 6,251 miles on the odometer but is already needing a tyre change.
While the progress of electric vehicles in growing market share in Europe continues to be beset by headwinds, they have already built a sizeable presence. Projections suggest that fully electric car sales will make up nearly 16 per cent of all new car sales in the UK in 2024. One persistent barrier for some drivers continues to be range anxiety, and tyre makers such as Yokohama are addressing these fears with their recent product launches, such as its Advan Sport EV.
Bridgestone reports that it has custom-engineered three tyre fitments for Lamborghini’s latest Hybrid High Performance Electrified Vehicle (HPEV). Specifically, Bridgestone has delivered bespoke Potenza Sport and Potenza Race tyres for the Temerario’s summer and track fitments, and a custom-developed Blizzak LM005 tyre for its winter fitment to answer all drivers’ needs. All three tyres were developed using Bridgestone’s proprietary Virtual Tyre Development technology for additional benefits in terms of sustainability and efficiency.
After reporting triple-digit growth in its electric vehicle and automotive business in China during the first half of 2024, Eurogrip Laminations (EGLA) announced that it has agreed a partnership with China’s Hixih Rubber Industry Group. Italy-based EGLA turned over some 836 million euros in 2023.
July’s edition of Tyres & Accessories magazine focuses on three points – our latest ranking of the leading tyre manufacturers in terms of turnover and accompanying analysis of key players in terms of share price and third-party brand valuation (see pages 14 to 21); headlines and interviews from the recent The Tire Cologne exhibition (see pages 26 to 41); and our scheduled mining and construction tyre feature (see page 48 onwards). While they are not intentionally related, the impact measured within the pages of our leading tyremakers table and accompanying analysis, echoes into the key themes and movements on-show at Tire Cologne. And that impact revolves around three themes: one philosophical, one strategic and one product-related, namely – sustainability, investment in factories and the development of electric vehicle ranges. Of course, these themes interrelate like the overlapping circles of a Venn diagram. But they also represent distinct themes in and of themselves.
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