The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd. has previewed the February 2013 launch of its Advan Sport V105. Speaking alongside the Macau Grand Prix, Yokohama Rubber Group president Hikomitsu Noji explained that the tyre will replace its V103 predecessor and has been developed through experience garnered in motorsport.
Hankook launched the latest flight of its global television ad campaign "Be One with It" across Europe. Continuing from the "Sky Jumper" summer theme, the 2012 "Be One with It – Snowboarder" winter campaign will be aired on TV in October through to the end of December in the company’s key winter tyre markets Germany, Hungary, Italy, and Russia. The spots will also be shown online in various channels like social media in Sweden, UK, and France.
The sixth Reifen China show has opened at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre, with two neighbouring halls housing RubberTech China 2012 simultaneously. It is expected that the show will attract around 10,000 visitors over its three days, before wrapping up on Friday 16 November. Large stands near the entrance for leading Chinese manufacturers such as Double Coin, Shandong Linglong, Hangzhou Zongce and Cooper Chengshan greet the visitor, while less familiar and almost brand new names mingle with visiting stands from India (Apollo) and Europe (Deldo, Interstate and Profil) in the rest of the hall. Joint organisers Messe Essen – responsible for Germany's market-leading Reifen show – and the China United Rubber Corporation welcomed visitors on the first day; the latter's general manager Ma Junhua said that Reifen China's "six years of previous success" was "inseperable" from the support of visitors and exhibitors.
Chinese manufacturer Techking has announced that, after stringent testing, Terex Demag Germany has officially approved the Techking 445/95R25 (16.00R25) 174F ETGC tyre size for its all terrain mobile cranes.
Cooper Tire & Rubber Company Europe Ltd has launched a new website, which will include new product information, video features and promote greater user-friendliness. Probably the most significant new feature at this time is the dedicated section on tyre labelling legislation. Cooper’s section on the legislation and how it impacts customers is central to the revamped website, clearly explaining the meaning of the different labels, and providing the customer with an accurate understanding of the new legislation.
September results in the segment of buses and coaches over 3.5 tonnes were diverse across countries, leading to an overall 5.5 per cent contraction of the EU market. While the UK (+43.3 per cent) and Spain (+5.3 per cent) performed better than in the same month last year, France (-22.7 per cent), Germany (-26.3 per cent) and Italy (-26.6 per cent) experienced a double-digit downturn.
September, demand for new vans (light commercial vehicles up to 3.5 tonnes) declined across the EU, except in Slovakia (+9.5 per cent) and the UK (+1.1 per cent), resulting in an overall 13.5 per cent decrease. France (-12.4 per cent), Germany (-14.6 per cent), Italy (-27.6 per cent) and Spain (-34.3 per cent) all faced a double digit downturn. In total, the region counted 123,938 new vans in the month.
In September, the EU recorded 18,529 new heavy trucks (over 16 tonnes), or 14.8 per cent less than in September 2011. All significant markets contracted, from -6.7 per cent in the UK to -18.6 per cent in France, -22.9 per cent in Germany, -28.6 per cent in Spain and -33.8 per cent in Italy. Nine months into the year, the decline was 7.7 per cent, with a total of 162,355 new registrations.
In September, ACEA figures reveal that a total of 150,910 new commercial vehicles were registered in the EU, which is 13.7 per cent less than in the same month last year.
The safety benefits of fitting winter or cold weather tyres are still not fully appreciated by many fleet operators in the UK. And the relatively mild winter in the UK last year may well have lulled fleet managers into postponing a decision to fit winter tyres to their van or car fleets. That’s according to Delticom, Europe’s leading online tyre retailer, which is also a specialist in the supply and fitment of winter tyres. Operating in the UK fleet market as fleettyres24.co.uk, the company is drawing on its considerable experience of winter tyre sales throughout Germany and elsewhere in Europe where these tyres are compulsory and necessary over the winter period.
The Maxxis-sponsored and -supplied Team Japspeed won an emphatic victory in the 2012 Maxxis British Drift Championship, clinching both the drivers’ and constructors’ titles. The six-round series, which attracted drivers from all the home nations as well as Ireland, Holland, Germany, Portugal, Belgium and Norway, reached a thrilling climax at Knockhill in Dunfermline, as Paul “Smokey” Smith was crowned British Drift Champion 2012. With all four Maxxis-sponsored Team Japspeed drivers finishing in the top ten – Shane O’Sullivan was third while Stephen “Baggsy” Biagioni and Shane Lynch ended their campaigns in fifth and seventh place respectively – it came as no surprise that Team Japspeed were convincing winners of the constructors title.
Bridgestone Europe's newest ad campaign emphasises its continued sponsorship of Audi FIS Alpine Ski World Cup events in Europe, as well as Bridgestone's winter tyre range.
GiTi Tire has appointed Michael Kaletta as national Sales and Marketing manager for truck and bus tyres. Kaletta will be responsible for all aspects of the commercial vehicle tyre market, including the formulation and delivery of growth targets through a dedicated sales team. The appointment is designed to strengthen GiTi Tire’s German operation significantly, though the five members of the sales team already possess over 100 years of collective experience in the sector. Kaletta will report directly to Richard Lyons, managing director – GiTi Tire Germany, and play a key role in further establishing the profile of GiTi Tire’s leading brand, GT Radial as a “leading mid-tier proposition with an excellent price per kilometre delivered through a seamless buying experience”, GiTi Tire said.
Hankook is expanding its Europe Technical Centre (ETC) and will officially inaugurate its new facilities in Hannover this Friday. Hankook’s European R&D focuses on the development of tyres for the European markets as well as original equipment. According to the company, the expansion reflects the growing importance of Hankook’s OE supplies in Europe.
The world’s largest vehicle wheel manufacturer, Maxion Wheels, has completed its project to double production of cast aluminium wheels in Manisa, Turkey, near the city of Izmir. With this week’s official opening ceremony for the facility – which is promoted as a second plant – annual capacity has increased to four million units. This means the Manisa site is not only the company’s largest in this product segment, rather it is – along with the Borbet facility in Bad Langensalza, Germany – the industry’s largest plant in Europe.
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