GT Radial has launched its new passenger car tyre for the mass market, the Champiro FE1. Angelo Giannangeli, marketing director – Europe for passenger car and light truck said that the tyre’s launch “is a huge statement of intent”. It will be available on European markets between September and October.
Giti Tire is returning to the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb on 29 June after playing a key role in last year’s electric division victory by Nobuhiro “Monster” Tajima and his ‘Monster Sport E-Runner Pikes Peak Special.’ Last year, Tajima switched from Falken to Giti tyres for the Pikes Peak event and set a new electric record of 9:46.530 last year after Giti Tire engineers hand cut tread grooves into the tyres after the road became wet from a 30-minute rainfall – a measure the driver said gave him much-needed grip. For the 2014 event, he will compete in a vehicle that is based on last year’s machine but incorporates a number of performance enhancements, including specially designed 17-inch GitiCompete GTR1 slicks (340/710-18) in place of the 20-inch version used last year.
GITI Tire has appointed Richard Lyons to the position of general manager Europe as part of a series of moves that sees the firm implement a new organisational structure for its European operations. The structure, which took effect 1 May 2011, has been established following the departure of Michael Andre in March. Andre previously held the role of marketing director for passenger car tyres Europe and was managing director of the company’s Giti Tire Germany GmbH Deutschland subsidiary. Hervé Richert, GITI’s executive director, international sales and marketing described the new-look team a “direct consequence of GITI Tire Europe’s growth of business over recent years.” Writing in a statement detailing the reshuffle, he explained that it also follows the company’s “clearly defined strategy of building on strong relationships with its partners and customers with a focus on key markets in Europe and emerging markets” such as CIS and Russia.
Goodyear and Michelin penetration into Europe took a few decades, Bridgestone more than halved that, Hankook and Kumho did it in about 12 years, Giti Tire want to do it in five. The largest Chinese manufacturers are growing quickly, they have their sights set breaking into the US and Europe, and what’s more they plan to do it quicker than any company has before. Speaking to Tyres & Accessories, Dr Enki Tan predicted that Giti Tire will soon be known as the manufacturer to emerge from China. Giti is already a global scale operation, with 2007 sales totalling the best part of $2 billion. And while the fact that the group’s holding company is registered in Singapore means it can’t be officially be called a Chinese domiciled manufacturer, semantics can’t stop Giti from being the largest manufacturer of tyres in China.
The company’s biggest production base is in Hefei, Anhui province (not a long way from where Continental recently announced it will build a Greenfield site of its own). The manufacturing complex here employs around 6400 staff and covers some 1.11 million square metres – only 350,000 m2 of which is currently covered. At the end of 2007 production totalled 34,000 passenger/light truck, 6500 truck and bus, and 4000 bias tyres per day.
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