In June, new commercial vehicle registrations dropped for the fifth consecutive month, falling by 5.8 per cent compared to June last year, as a total of 157,232 units were recorded in the EU. Italy (-29.8 per cent) and Spain (-28.7 per cent) faced a double-digit downturn, while France (-0.8 per cent) and the UK (+0.2 per cent) remained relatively stable. Germany was the only major market to post growth (+8.8 per cent).
Following the announcment that Dutch tyre firm Magna Tyres became an official preferred supplier to Terex Cranes in March, the company has continued growing both around the world and closer to home. All cranes produced by Terex at its Zweibücken, Germany and Montceau les Mines, France production lines are now equipped with Magna Tyres as standard.
128,871 new vans (up to 3.5 tonnes) were registered in the EU, or 6.5 per cent less than in the same month last year. Germany was the only significant market to post growth (+12.3 per cent), while all others contracted. The French shrank by 0.8 per cent, the British by 2.5 per cent, the Italian by 30.3 per cent and the Spanish by 30.9 per cent.
Titan Europe plc has announced that limited production at the company’s large agricultural wheel facility in Finale Emilia, Italy recommenced on 16 July, a little under two months after being knocked out of operation by an earthquake in the region. The rim-rolling and assembly welding areas of the factory will progressively return to normal volumes over the next few weeks, with production scheduled to continue during the normal summer shutdown period, the company’s Board of Directors stated.
Halfway through its first season supplying rubber to the series, Yokohama was at Brands Hatch last weekend (14-15 July) for the FIA Formula Two championship. The Official Tyre Partner called Kent’s Brands Hatch circuit the series' spiritual home, and was supplying drivers with its ADVAN A005 dry slick and ADVAN A006 wet tyres – a necessity with the inclement conditions in the south of the UK. The meeting saw another new face on the top step of the podium while a prospective motorsport student got a behind-the-scenes look at the series with the Yokohama technicians.
Zafco exhibited its Zeetex brand at Reifen 2012, unveiling the latest ZT1000 pattern. The company said that the focus of the tyre was to deliver eco-friendly attributes. The launch itself was embellished by the acrobatics of the entertainment group, LaMetta. Describing the objective behind the exhibit, Rashmi Bhola, senior vice president of Sales at Zafco for Europe, said that the stand provided an opportunity for customers to see ZT1000 and learn more about the very positive results of a recent test at IDIADA.
The latest report from AlixPartners reveals that the decline in vehicle sales is not evenly distributed across Europe, but has distinct focal points.
Belgium, Italy and France have experienced double-digit declines in sales and the outlook remains negative. In the UK, Germany and Spain, by contrast, declines have been relatively moderate (between 0.8 per cent and 2.4 per cent), while the markets in Russia and Poland have grown slightly.
The European automotive industry is severely in need of consolidation, says AlixPartners. In North America, the crisis of 2008/2009 led to "a healthy streamlining" of the automotive industry – by contrast, only three car factories have been closed in Western Europe since 2007, while eight Eastern European plants were opened during the same period.
Richard Hayes, the incoming president of the Institute of Highway Engineers (IHE), has certainly started his term with a bang by calling for HGVs to be banned from UK motorways on Sundays and has written to Roads Minister Mike Penning, asking for the Department of Transport to investigate the possibility.
Aldermore, the new British challenger bank, says UK haulage firms still need fuel price parity with other European countries if they are to successfully fight-off foreign competition.
Responding to the announcement that the government is to postpone its proposed 3p price increase in fuel duty until January 2013, Damon Walford, Managing Director of Aldermore Invoice Finance, said: "The UK haulage industry remains at a significant disadvantage against European competitors, who pay as little as 106p per litre for diesel in Spain, 111p in Austria and just 96p in Luxemburg (even in Germany and France, diesel prices are significantly lower at 115p and 118p respectively).
Green Flag Breakdown Service wish to remind motorists that as of July 1st France is taking a new approach in battling drink driving by legally requiring every driver, including visitors from the UK and elsewhere, to carry a single-use breathalyser kit.
In May, ACEA figures show that new commercial vehicle registrations continued the downward trend commenced in January, facing the sharpest decrease since 2009 (-17.8 per cent , compared to May 2011). The UK was the only market to post growth in the month (+10.0 per cent ), while Germany (-13.6 per cent ), France (-22.1 per cent), Spain (-27.4 per cent ) and Italy (-42.4 per cent ) all recorded double-digit downturns. From January to May, the EU market shrank by 11.8 per cent, compared to the first five months of 2011.
Hubert Plouchart has joined the French subsidiary of Cooper Tire & Rubber Company Europe. Holding a BTS in Management and a Masters in Business and Marketing from ESSEC, Plouchart was formerly head of National Sales of the glass repair department at Speedy France.
When the latest generation BMW M6 is released in summer 2012, the German manufacturer’s largest M-badged coupé and convertible will be supplied exclusively with Michelin’s Pilot Super Sport tyres. Michelin has not specified which dimensions are covered by the supply agreement, however BMW has selected 265/40 ZR19 102Y for the front wheels and 295/35 ZR19 104Y on the rear as standard equipment on the M6, with 265/35 ZR20 99Y as a front axle option and 295/30 ZR20 101Y as an option for the rear.
Using input drawn from users, Michelin has updated its ViaMichelin website. The French manufacturer reports that the new site – which is also available for mobile devices with the free ViaMichelin Mobile application – features completely reworked ergonomics that make it easier to use. Michelin describes the most important additions to the new version as being a map on the home page that is geo-positioned to the user’s last search, highly visible itinerary options, unique data-entry fields and, for users in France, the integration of traffic conditions when calculating travel time.
Bridgestone has called for context to be taken into consideration in response to Michelin’s decision to release fleet car tyre wear data that pointed to its tyres lasting the longest. For its part Bridgestone has added further detail, which the company believes shows that its tyres offer the best pence per mile. The tyre manufacturer came to this conclusion by taking Michelin’s own mileage figures and factoring in third party sell-out pricing data produced by Encircle marketing. According to this calculation, when mileages are divided by the initial purchase cost Bridgestone tyres come out on top.
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