April 2012 passenger car registrations in the European Union hit ten-year lows according to the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association. There was a decline overall in the Union of 6.9 per cent in comparison with April 2011, itself a decade-long low – a fair comparison, given that there were the same number of working days in each month. The UK and Germany bucked the trend, posting modest growth in April at 3.3 and 2.9 per cent respectively.
Vipal, one of the largest manufacturers retreading and repair materials, has agreed to sponsor the Buggyra Formula Truck team for the second consecutive year.
In the 2011 season, Vipal participated with a VIP area in 5 of the 10 races and brought 75 customers, mainly retreaders form across Europe to the events. The races invited partners to were at Misano, Italy; Albacete, Spain; Nurburgring, Germany; Most, Czech Republic; and Le Mans, France. This year Vipal will participate with VIP areas in Istanbul, Donington, Nurburgring, Most and Jarama.
Ahead of Pirelli’s latest financial results, rumours are circulating between the press and financial analysts that Pirelli COO Francesco Gori could be about to resign. A report from analysts Morgan Stanley cites an article in the Italian newspaper "Il Corriere della Sera" today (8th May) making this suggestion.
Pirelli itself has reportedly been quite non-committal in its response. Morgan Stanley reports that it has “spoken to the company this morning and this was neither denied or confirmed. The company have signalled before that they are looking to simplify their organisational structure, however unconfirmed rumours in the industry are that there were clashes between the CEO (and owner) Tronchetti on Pirelli’s long term strategy."
While the Formula One season currently involves 20 long weekends across most of the world’s continents – Africa and Antarctica continue to hold out – tyre supplier Pirelli is adding a mid-week run at Mugello, Italy from 1-3 May; the first time that in-season testing has been seen in Formula One since September 2008 (excluding last year’s Abu Dhabi young driver test). The manufacturer explains that the test will allow for greater understanding of the way the P Zero, and Cinturato if rain is forthcoming, tyres work, “accumulating more data” and allowing some of the team’s “third drivers to get time in a Formula One car on the current tyres.” This is the first mid-season test since Bridgestone completed a session in 2008, though pre-, and post-season sessions are common practice.
Commercial vehicle venture Speedline Truck, created by global wheel manufacturer Ronal, has appointed SP Holding as the UK aftermarket agent for its new range of forged truck wheels. Marketed through an independent sales and distribution centre based in Italy, the new range represents the Ronal group’s response to what it perceives as a growing demand for forged aluminium truck wheels.
Bridgestone Europe indicates that is sponsorship of the Audi FIS Alpine Ski World Cup events will continue in the 2012/13 season. The company will thus be a main partner at 35 World Cup Alpine Ski events in eight European countries – Austria, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Slovenia, Sweden and Switzerland – starting in October 2012. As in the previous season, Bridgestone will supplement its sponsorship branding package on start huts, gate flags and athlete singlets with high-visibility track-side signage and local marketing programmes.
The latest analysis from JATO Dynamics, the provider of automotive intelligence, reveals that new car sales in Europe for March declined by 7.1 per cent and were also down 7.5 per cent, year-to-date compared with Q1 2011. While there was growth in the British and German markets, this was countered by reduced sales in France and Italy.
Michelin has announced details of a road safety competition for young drivers run through Facebook. The company explains that social media is a logical means for disseminating information to the young; nearly 80 per cent of young Europeans aged 16 to 24 are regular users of social media. They are also the main victims of road accidents, twice as likely to be involved in accidents as older, more experienced drivers. Every year nearly 5,000 young people aged 18 to 24 are killed in road accidents in the European Union on average. Named Tom European Tour, Michelin’s game invites young people who drive – or are learning to drive – to travel with a virtual character named Tom through the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Poland, Hungary, Romania and Spain.
Audi AG has agreed to buy Ducati Motor Holding S.p.A. for a reported £708 million. According to the company, the transaction will be completed “as quickly as possible” once authorized by the competition authorities. Ducati is now a third pillar for Audi AG in Northern Italy alongside Lamborghini and Italdesign. The company sees the move as "another building block in its growth strategy."
Michelin has launched an iPhone version of its Great Britain & Ireland 2012 guide. This app, released along with Apple-friendly guides for Italy, Spain, Portugal and Europe, is downloadable from the App Store and contains information for all the restaurants and hotels featured in the 2012 guide.
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Hot on the heels of the news that growing Korean tyre manufacturer Nexen has secured OE supply to Fiat, the firm has revealed details of its plans to expand in the well-known marques domestic Italian market. With a replacement market potential of over 30 million tyres a year in the passenger car segment, Nexen has suggested Italy is one of its key countries for expansion in Europe.
The Cooper Tires British F3 Series – long established as a feeder series to the pinnacle of single-seat racing – begins at Oulton Park on Easter weekend, alongside the British GT Championship, provided and sponsored by Cooper brand, Avon. The F3 series runs on Cooper rubber, and the brand has been title sponsor since the 2009 season, when it took over from Avon; in total the company has now been involved in the series for 30 years, its first season being 1982.
The newest member of Pirelli’s Diablo motorcycle tyre range – the Supercorsa SC – has hit the track, the Italian tyre maker reports. It says the new tyre took centre stage at the Autodromo Enzo and Dino Ferrari in Imola, Italy during the first Superstock 1000 FIM Cup race held on 1 April as part of the World Superbike championship. As of this year, all riders in this race category will use the SC2 compound version of the Pirelli Diablo Supercorsa SC in sizes 120/70 ZR17 for the front and 200/55 ZR17 for the rear.
At present the Italian retreading market, following years of crisis, is experiencing a new birth. “From this and the coming years we expect that industry will recognise retreading in terms of its quality and its utility to the market,” comments Brenno Benaglia, vice-president of the Italian retreading association AIRP (Associazione Italiana Ricostruttori Pneumatici) and the European association Bipaver.
On 27 March the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association, or ACEA, released its figures for commercial vehicle registrations during the month of February. These show demand for new commercial vehicles to be weaker in all major markets, with EU registrations declining 11.3 per cent year-on-year. The major market downturn ranged from 3.2 per cent in France to 29.9 per cent in Italy; the UK experienced a 16.6 per cent decline in total new commercial vehicle registrations. In total, 126,010 new commercial vehicles were registered in the European Union during February 2012, while UK registrations came to 11,102.
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