October car sales of 14.7 million were the lowest since August 1998, Deutsche Bank analysts have reported. “GM’s retail sales declined 30 per cent year-on-year; Ford’s retail sales declined 31 per cent; We estimate Chrysler’s retail sales fell 24 per cent. This was weaker than expected, and it represents much more of a decline than can be explained by pull forward,” they explained.
(Akron/Tire Review) Gary N Benninger, PhD has been appointed chief operating officer at Amerityre Corp, effective 16 October. Previously, Benninger was director of technology development at auto parts supplier Magna International Inc. and its affiliate MEC. He was responsible for identifying new technologies and managing product launches.
(Akron/Tire Review) Bridgestone/Firestone North American Tire (BFNAT) has reached a settlement agreement with Ford Motor Co on “outstanding financial issues” tied to BFNAT’s August 2000 Firestone Wilderness tire recall and Ford’s subsequent May 2001 tire replacement program. In the agreement, BFNAT will pay Ford some $240 million. BFNAT said the deal “settles all remaining matters between the two companies related to these campaigns.”
Glanworth Tyres has been appointed as Kleber’s exclusive wholesaler in Ireland. It will distribute Kleber car and van tyres in what, the manufacturer claims, is one of the brand’s fastest growing markets and the sixth largest in Europe.
“The link between the largest tyre manufacturer in the world, the largest wholesaler in Ireland and some of the best tyre retailers around is sure to guarantee a successful future,” remarked sales director Estelle.
Tenneco Automotive has launched a new monotube shock absorber which features a Monotube Blow Off (MTBO) valve at the Frankfurt Motor Show in Germany (IAA) last week. The new Ford Focus ST, which will be introduced in Europe later this year, will include shocks featuring the new MTBO valve.
(Akron/Tire Review) Hankook Tire Corp. has earned an optional equipment position on the 2006 Saturn Ion. The South Korea tyre manufacturer will supply Hankook H725A tyres in size P205/55R16H to GM for the vehicle. Hankook CEO Choong-hwan Cho said the new OE contract “has not only brought recognition of Hankook Tire’s technology within the advanced auto market, but will also result in a significant boost to exports and overseas brand recognition.”
The new deal with GM pushes Hankook’s non-domestic OE business past $100 million annually, the company said. Hankook currently supplies tyres to Ford, Volkswagen, Renault, Daihatsu and Mitsubishi, among others. Hankook’s overseas OE business will rise to 10 per cent of its total exports, the company said.
In 2000, Guy Carter, co-owner of Haweka UK with Dave Smith, obtained full distribution rights outside the USA for Pro-Cut machines and started Pro-Cut Europe. Now the company is aiming to improve its already widespread coverage in the UK and across Europe.
Kwik-Fit will remain in its Edinburgh headquarters despite the fact that it has been bought by European equity firm, PAI partners. Paris-based PAI Partners confirmed to The Times that Kwik-Fit’s management team and the headquarters in Broxburn, West Lothian, would remain in place. London-based PAI partner Hamish Mackenzie, who negotiated the deal, said: “The business remains as it is. You wouldn’t think, with my name and my accent, it would be moving out of Scotland, now would you?” the newspaper reported.
(Akron/Tire Review) Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co has named Christopher Werner as its new vice president of manufacturing for its North American Tire unit. Christopher Werner comes to Goodyear from GST AutoLeather Inc, a supplier of automotive leather for luxury vehicles from Toyota/Lexus, Acura, Ford, Chrysler and others, where he served as senior vice president of global operations. Mr Werner, 42, will report to Jon Rich, president of North American Tire, and Chris Clark, senior vice president of global sourcing.
(Akron/Tire Review) In an unusual split from its Big 3 brethren, General Motors did not take the opportunity to stand with Ford and DaimlerChrysler on the subject of tyre aging. GM, in a statement issued earlier this week, said it would not endorse the other automakers’ position that tyres six years old or older should be replaced.
Cooper Tire has launched its latest high performance tyre the Zeon XTC to the European market.
Aimed at a range of vehicles from a Ford Focus to a Jaguar X-type the tyre is designed to offer a quiet, comfortable and confident drive in both wet and dry weather.
Bosch has released the updated 2005 version of its range of DVD-based technical information, ESI[tronic]. The new version of the company’s software package will provide garage technicians with more technical knowledge for problem solving on a wider range of modern vehicles.
Montupet S.A., the French aluminium wheel manufacturer, is to put 70 million levs (£24.6 million) in the construction of a new production plant in Bulgaria, according to the Bulgarian investment agency.
Ford Motor Company’s Halewood Jaguar assembly has earned the Gold Plant Quality Award for assembly plant quality in the European region, according to the J D Power and Associates. The 2005 US Initial Quality Study (IQS) found that the Jaguar X-Type, receives a score of 70 problems per 100 vehicles, the best score among European plants assembling vehicles for export to the United States. The Halewood plant, which was first included in the IQS in 2002, has shown a 55 per cent quality improvement to 70 problems per hundred in 2005 from 157 in 2002.
(Akron/Tire Review) Pirelli Pneumatici SpA received Ford Motor Co’s Gold World Excellence Award, recognising the manufacturer’s performance in quality, cost and delivery. In all, Ford honoured 52 suppliers from 21 countries, but only 17 received the Gold World Excellence Award, according to Pirelli.
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