New look for Falken at Tokyo Auto Salon
Falken Tyre will present its new brand identity at the upcoming Tokyo Auto Salon 2016 at Makuhari Messe in Chiba Prefecture from Friday 15thJanuary to Sunday 17th January 2016.
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Video: new race car for Falken Motorsport
Falken Motorsport will introduce a new car for the forthcoming 2016 season. A teaser video showcasing some of the new machine’s engineering is available to view in the article below, and on the Sumitomo tyre brand’s YouTube channel.
New regional fitments join Falken Tyre Europe’s commercial vehicle range
From January 2016, two new types of regional traffic tyre will enter the Falken tyre Europe product range; the steer axle RI 151 and the drive axle BI 851. Falken says both tyres target exceptional mileage performance with even wear.
New year, new business structure – SRI making changes in North America
Falken Tire Corporation has announced a realignment of its business units that accommodates changes brought about by the dissolution of the global alliance between parent company Sumitomo Rubber Industries and Goodyear Tire & Rubber. The realignment will take place in stages and begins on 1 January with the subsidiary’s renaming as Sumitomo Rubber North America, Inc.; Richard Smallwood, who is currently CEO and president of Falken Tire Corporation, will hold these positions in the retitled business.
3 tyres rated ‘exemplary’ in Auto Bild’s winter tyre test
Having reduced a field of 51 to 19, Auto Bild announced that three of the winter tyres tested had made it all the way to the top of the German magazine’s rankings, picking up “exemplary” ratings. Continental’s WinterContact TS 850, Pirelli’s Winter Snowcontrol Serie 3, and the Barum Polaris 3 were the best performers, according to Auto Bild’s testers, who ranked the tyres based on their performance on snowy, wet and dry roads and their cost. The tests were performed on a VW Polo, with the tyres sized 185/60R15 T.
Sumitomo, Falken to present Advanced 4D Nano Design at Tokyo Motor Show
Sumitomo Rubber Industries will present its latest “Advanced 4D Nano Design” materials development technology at the 44th Tokyo Motor Show, with a booth displaying both Falken Tyre and Dunlop brands. The show runs 29 October to 8 November 2015 at Tokyo Big Sight, Japan. In Europe, Falken tyres have achieved double-digit performance improvements with the earlier application of these design techniques used to develop Ecorun-branded products. With a Dunlop-branded version already on sale in Japan Sumitomo has already previewed a prototype Falken “fossil fuel-free” tyre for the European market, and the 4D Nano design process has been used in their development too.
Falken Motorsports driver James Deane is crowned Drift Allstars champion
European drifting champion James Deane has retained his title, becoming the first driver ever to win a European double championship, having secured the 2015 Irish Drift Championship title. Deane ran away with the Drift Allstars European title for the second year running with a second place finish at the final round in Poland.
TyreClick, CORE programme helping Micheldever support independents
Micheldever Tyre Services’ wholesale business, worth £230 million in annual sales, has taken significant steps to support the on and offline operations of its independent tyre dealer customers in 2015. The added value of MTS’ services has become increasingly important in the light of continued growth in the number of retail branches controlled by the top 20 multiples (as noted in our Tyre Retail feature in the May magazine), and the increased online competition provided by internet specialists, big retail brands from within and outside the traditional tyre sector, and now, with Michelin’s acquisition of Blackcircles.com, major tyre manufacturers themselves. Alan Baldwin, sales director at Micheldever Tyre Services, told Tyres & Accessories, “I’m confident that there isn’t another wholesaler, distributor, and in many cases, manufacturer, in the UK that invests as much money, time and resources in supporting dealers as we do.”
Falken sponsoring Major League Baseball
USA-based Sumitomo Rubber Industries subsidiary Falken Tire Corporation has entered into a multi-year marketing agreement with Major League Baseball (MLB). This partnership is Falken Tire Corporation’s first deal with a professional sports league; for the past 30 years it has focused on motorsports marketing.
Sumitomo Rubber to raise Thai tyre output
Sumitomo Rubber Industries is set to raise car tyre production capacity in Thailand by 9 per cent in response to strong exports to the US and anticipated sales growth in Southeast Asia, according to a Nikkei report.
Falken trialling low-noise tyre with car maker
Several tyre manufacturers have already utilised foam as noise reduction solution, and now Falken Tyre has presented its own version – which it says can lower drive-by noise by up to ten decibels compared to standard tyres and cabin noise by four decibels. The solution was material developed together with parent company Sumitomo Rubber Industries (SRI) and consists of a double-humped layer of ether-polyurethane foam material. Falken calls it Silent Core.
19 finalists chosen for 2015 AutoBild winter tyre test
In its annual winter tyre performance survey, German motoring publication AutoBild narrows a wide field of 49 winter tyres and two all-season tyres with wet and snow braking measurements before conducting a full test of a range of characteristics. 19 tyres made it through to the 2015/16 season test, conducted using the tyre size 185/60 R15.
Falken off-road 4×4 tyres make sporting impact
Falken’s 4×4 tyres are increasing their presence in a variety of sporting contexts. While the brand in general is increasing its marketing presence in Europe through perimeter advertising at some of the continent’s premier clubs, the manufacturer has come up with an agreeably quirky way to show its off-road WildPeak line of tyres to UK […]
Tyres in football: 2015/16 season heralds expanded deals with biggest clubs
Coinciding with the start of the 2015/16 European football season, various tyre manufacturers have continued the step up in sponsorship involvement with some of Europe’s biggest clubs. Continuing the trend Tyres & Accessories observed last year, bigger, broader deals are expanding tyres’ role in football, and increasing the prominence of brands outside the traditional premium names.
Falken offers M+S winter Espia EPZ2 tyre in Nordic region
Falken has made its latest tyre developed with its 4D Nano Design process available across the Nordic region. The Espia EPZ2 M+S and Snow Flake marked passenger car and SUV tyre offers 25 per cent better braking on ice and 10 per cent improvement in acceleration against its previous EPZ1 pattern. Wet braking performance is also increased by 10 per cent over the previous EPZ2 tyre.
