Triangle Tyre reports that between 24 July and 1 August an eleven-person company delegation, led by Triangle president and chairman Ding Yuhua, visited several regions of Russia on a fact-finding mission. Topics of focus during the visit were issues regarding investment and related policy, Russia’s tyre market and vehicle manufacturers. Triangle says the group was warmly welcomed by government departments and officials.
Milltek has designed and manufactured a new exhaust system for all three variants of the anticipated ‘Toyobaru’ – a vehicle the company describes as “one of the most hotly-anticipated tuner cars of the last decade”. The Toyota GT86, Subaru BRZ and Scion FR-S – the three versions of the tuning car – is to be offered gains in power “throughout the rev range”, according to Milltek. The exhaust manufacturer’s engineers worked alongside leading Subaru tuner Litchfield to create a design that enhanced the normally aspirated flat-four engine.
According to Thierry Chiche, Michelin’s senior vice-president Russia & CIS, the tyre maker plans to invest 35 million euros this year developing facilities within the country. Thierry shared this news during the Moscow International Automobile Salon 2012, which began yesterday, and said the funds would primarily go towards expanding the product portfolio manufactured at Michelin’s Davydovo factory near Moscow.
Repsol Honda’s Dani Pedrosa won an exciting last lap battle with Factory Yamaha Racing’s Jorge Lorenzo to win MotoGP’s Czech Grand Prix for his second successive victory. Lorenzo led Pedrosa for the first half of the race, with the two riders setting new circuit lap record on six consecutive laps; Lorenzo’s eighth lap time of 1:56:274 being the quickest. After Pedrosa made his way past Lorenzo on lap eleven the two riders held position until the last lap where Lorenzo squeezed past Pedrosa, leading to a close final bend where the Repsol Honda rider hit back, getting the better drive to the line to win the race by 0.178 seconds. Monster Yamaha Tech3’s Cal Crutchlow claimed his first ever MotoGP podium by taking third place, while Power Electronics Aspar’s Randy de Puniet made the most of his good qualifying performance to cross the finish line in eighth position to be the highest placed CRT rider. Bridgestone stayed in the Czech Republic after the race weekend, using Brno as the venue for its group test, where the company was due to unveil a new compound.
Regional newspaper the Journal Standard reports that the union representing workers at Titan Tire Corporation’s Freeport factory in the US has held “solidarity rallies” with a view towards discussing a renegotiated contract with the tyre maker. In an article published 23 August, the paper quoted the United Steelworkers union local chapter president Dale Sandell as saying “we have been under an imposed contract for about two years now. We’re trying to get back to the table.”
The inaugural plant manager of Continental’s still under construction Sumter plant in the US has been named. South African Craig Baartman, a 18-year Conti veteran, will be responsible for the factory’s overall leadership of the facility which, according to Continental Tire the Americas’ CEO Jochen Etzel, is scheduled to open in late 2013.
Bridgestone has sold its 11 hectare former factory site in Christchurch, New Zealand for an undisclosed sum. Production ended at the Papanui factory in late 2009 and the land was placed on sale last year, minus a 1.3 hectare chunk given to Christchurch City Council for flood protection.
Sumitomo Rubber Industries reports that its 100 per cent owned subsidiary, Sumitomo Rubber (Thailand), held a groundbreaking ceremony for its new agricultural tyre factory in Thailand on 2 August. The plant, which is currently under construction in the Amata City Industrial Estate, Rayong Province, will be Sumitomo’s first agricultural tyre factory outside of Japan. It is being set up with a total investment of some 10 billion yen (£80 million) and is scheduled to enter production in May 2014. The 130,000 square metre facility should produce around 50,000 tyres a month by the end of 2017.
A formal opening ceremony for Goodyear Tire & Rubber’s Pulandian plant in China was held on 15 August. Around 700 guests attended the celebration, including government officials and president of Goodyear’s Asia Pacific business, Dan Smytka. During a speech, company chairman and CEO Richard Kramer declared the factory’s commissioning to be of “extraordinary significance” to Goodyear.
MG Motor UK is doubling the size of the design centre. According to the company, the latest stage of the rebirth of Longbridge will see substantial investments in the design studio, the engine test centre and the factory. Meanwhile, the firm is recruiting new engineers and designers to work on the next generation of MG cars as the firm prepares to hit the export trail to mainland Europe within two years.
The victor in this year’s Pikes Peak International Hill Climb conquered the 'Race To The Clouds' in record time – and this is good news for Hankook Tire, as the protagonist responsible for this feat was none other than Hankook-sponsored driver Rhys Millen. The New Zealander’s Hyundai Genesis Coupe – fitted with Ventus F200 racing slicks – reached the summit with an overall time of 9:46:164 to claim victory over a field of almost 200 cars and motorcyclists. Millen’s Hyundai is the same car that his professional racer father Rod Millen drove to a world record time in the Time Attack 2WD class at last year's running of the race.
Wheel manufacturer Superior Industries International has reported a net income of US$6.4 million for the second quarter of 2012. This result for the three months to 30 June represents a 56.4 per cent year-on-year drop in net income despite a three per cent increase in consolidated net sales to US215.1 million. Unit shipments increased 14 per cent to 3.3 million from 2.9 million in last year’s second quarter, while gross profit was $15.7 million, or seven per cent of net sales, compared with $19.5 million, or nine per cent of net sales, in the comparable period a year ago.
Production at Tanzanian tyre maker General Tyre East Africa will reportedly resume within a year. Last year management of the company – which hasn’t produced a tyre since 2007 – was placed in the hands of Tanzania’s National Development Corporation, and the corporation’s corporate affairs manager now says that investors from China, Malaysia and South Africa have shown interest in the getting the company up and running again.
Several Kama-branded tyres produced by the Tatneft-operated Nizhnekamsk Truck Tires Factory and Nizhnekamsk SSC Tire Factory have been voted the winners in the ‘industrial and technology products’ section of this year’s Republic of Tatarstan Best Goods and Services contest. The tyres in question are the Kama 430 in size 395/80R20, Kama NF701 in 11R22.5, Kama NR201 in size 275/70 R22.5 and Kama NF201 in size 275/70 R22.5.
Tarox has released a brake upgrade kit for Ford’s powerful Mk2 Focus RS. The kit consists of two precision-machined 300mm two-piece discs and uprated pads. Also available is a matching rear disc upgrade.
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