Giti Tire
The Giti GTR955 Combi Road tyre is being launched in three new 17.5” sizes. The development marks the first time Giti Tire’s latest truck and bus tyre technology has been available in smaller rims. Initially available in 215/75R17.5, it will be followed by the 235/75R17.5 and 245/70R17.5 in quarter four.
Over the last five years of data collection for the Tyres & Accessories’ ranking of the leading tyre manufacturers, a few trends can be observed – see accompanying graphs for more details. Firstly, it is easy to see that there are a few separate groupings of rival companies within the top ten. In our first chart, we can see that Continental has continued to progress in narrowing the tyre sales gap with Goodyear, partially because Goodyear has yet to regain the level of sales achieved in 2015, despite improved results on its half-decade low in 2017. Tyrepress noted in 2018 that based on tyre volumes, Conti looked likely to overtake Goodyear in light vehicle (passenger car and light truck) tyre volumes, showing how it has gained ground on the previous ‘Big Three’. Regardless of their order, it has been appropriate to talk of a global Big Four tyre manufacturers for a few years.
With the VW Fun Cup 2020 season ready to commence its reduced calendar of five rounds, Giti Tire has confirmed that it is maintaining its position as Official Tyre Partner. The tyre manufacturer will also participate, racing its fully livered GT Radial car. Ellis Hadley, senior test engineer at Giti Tire, will line-up on the grid alongside seasoned racing enthusiasts from the GT Radial Performance Centre (GTPC) network. The VW Fun Cup will start with a One Hour Sprint Race and a Four Hour Endurance Race on 8 August at Snetterton, before hitting Thruxton, Silverstone and the season finale at Oulton Park on 17 October. All cars in the competition run on GitiCompete GTR2 tyres.
Giti Tire’s 2020 racing truck had a very successful debut at the Dekra EuroSpeedway Lausitzring in Germany. The new unit recorded two first and two second place finishes. The 11-12 July event was held behind closed doors with ten teams from the Dutch, British and FIA European Championship. The fully race-prepared and liveried MAN TGX 18.480 secured its four podium positions in two qualification and two reverse grid races.
Tyrepress has published its 2020 ranking of the world’s top tyre manufacturers. Our ranking lists the top 20 tyre makers ordered by turnover from tyres in the previous calendar year. For example, Continental turned over nearly 45 billion euros in 2019, but 26.4 per cent of this was from its tyre divisions, making it the fourth largest tyre manufacturer in the world with 11.7 billion euros. The ranking presents a baseline for discussing the relative positions of the largest global players in tyre production. In 2019, we noted that Bridgestone had opened up a gap at the top of our ranking, around 2.65 billion euros ahead of second-placed Michelin in tyre turnover. This year, the French giant has reduced this gap to just over half a billion euros, reflecting its most recent acquisitions.
Reifen Gundlach has resumed its exclusive distribution of GT Radial brand tyres in Germany. The new deal comes three years after Giti Tire ended their previously long-standing exclusive partnership with the wholesaler, started in 1994. Giti stated in 2017 that it wanted to to “achieve a higher market penetration with a planned realignment of the brand.” Part of the strategy was to make the GT Radial brand available through four different wholesalers. This coincided with the European entry of its eponymous Giti brand, with a special focus on the German market. At its peak, it had previously sold around a million GT Radial tyres per year, according to Gundlach statements. Now in 2020, the manufacturer has opted to resume its exclusive arrangement for GT Radial with Gundlach.
Giti Tire has introduced a new generation of its Giti GDM686 mixed service drive axle tyre. The new model increases mileage potential by 20 per cent, the manufacturer tells Tyres & Accessories. The manufacturer describes the tyre as one of its most popular products for on/off road vehicles.
Giti Tire has made its latest ultra-high performance tyre, the GT Radial WinterPro2 Sport, available to order. The tyre is the brand’s latest winter tyre for the UHP market, launching in nine 17-19” sizes. The manufacturer states that the tyre is designed for both high powered passenger cars and premium SUVs.
Giti Tire’s GitiVanHD1 tyre has been selected as original equipment for the award-winning VW Crafter. Named Parkers’ 2020 Best Large Van of the Year, the Crafter will roll off the Wreszenia, Poland production line on the size 205/70R17 C115/113R tyre on the front and rear axles. The rear axle is a twin fitment, distributing the load across four tyres. The deal marks Giti Tire’s first European light commercial vehicle OE fitment.
Giti Tire (UK) has donated 400 face masks to frontline NHS staff at Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (MFT), a key North West Trust in the fight against the coronavirus.
Giti Tire Motorsport’s all-female racing team took to the grid of the second Digital Nürburgring Endurance Series meeting on 4 April. Professional WS Racing drivers Carrie Schreiner and Celia Martin got behind the gaming wheel of a virtual Giti liveried Audi RS3 LMS TCR for the three hour endurance race and finished 10th in the TCR Class.
Giti Tire Motorsport partner WS Racing achieved a top ten finish in its first race of the 2020 season – the Digital Nürburgring Endurance Series. At the virtual start in the Green Hell, drivers and teams from the Nordschleife racing series competed in a four-hour race against experienced simracing and real life racing professionals. Watch the full race below.
Giti Tire has extended its support of MotoFest Coventry with an evening circuit programme for the first time. The main GT Radial sprint circuit will host a full track programme on the Saturday night, including a dynamic display of wheel to wheel motorsport from teams involved in the VW Fun Cup UK series.
Micheldever Tyre Service (MTS) states that it offers “the most comprehensive car mid-range tyre brand availability across the current market.” The wholesaler is exclusive distributor, or has preferred supplier arrangements, for some of the worlds’ leading manufacturers of mid-range brands, including Falken, General Tire, GT Radial, Sumitomo and Kormoran.
Giti Tire’s “busiest year-to-date in European motorsport” was capped by two victories by Giti and GT Radial sponsored partners. The all-female racing team, ‘Girls Only – Ready to Rock the Green Hell’, recorded their first ever class win in the ninth and last race of the VLN Langstreckenmeisterschaft in their VW Golf VII GTI TCR. Meanwhile Benjamin Boulbes became a six-time French Drift Championship winner on GT Radial tyres.
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