The 2010 model Nissan Micra was displayed at the recent Geneva Motor Show and will eventually be sold in 160 countries. Production of the all-new small car, known as the March in some markets, commenced in Thailand on March 12. Tyre manufacturer Maxxis states it is “proud to supply original equipment tyres for this fine Nissan model” in the Thailand and Japan markets.
Bridgestone reports the reaching of a noteworthy milestone during the past year – the production of the 150 millionth Blizzak studless winter tyre. The brand was introduced in 1988 and the name is applied to passenger car, light commercial vehicle and 4×4 tyre ranges manufactured in Japan, Europe and Turkey. The range was introduced into North America in 1992 and Europe in 1994. The 100 millionth tyre was produced in 2004, and last year more than ten million Blizzaks were produced worldwide.
An estimate given by Sumitomo Rubber Industries suggests that sales of tyres in China will increase at three times the global rate. Bloomberg reports company president Tetsuji Mino as saying sales will increase about ten per cent per annum from just under 150 million tyres in 2009, compared with a global growth of three per cent. “We are sure that China is the most promising market,” Mino said. “Car ownership is spreading from wealthy people to ordinary consumers.”
The share of electrified powertrains is expected to increase significantly in all major automotive markets as a result of marked decreases in the cost of batteries over the next decade. Yet the desire to capitalise on this growing market may lead to problems in the years ahead: According to Roland Berger Strategy Consultants, planned investments in battery production will result in significant overcapacity occurring between 2014 and 2017, especially in the US and in Japan. As a consequence, experts at the strategy consultancy believe only six to eight global battery manufacturers will survive the next five to seven years. This is the conclusion the company drew from its “Powertrain 2020 – Li-ion batteries – The next bubble ahead?" market survey.
Maxxis International (UK)’’s motorcycle distribution arm, Bickers has expanded its range of brake pads from Vesrah. Made in Japan to OE specifications, Vesrah pads give powerful, responsive braking dependable wet or dry, fast or slow, road or track according to the manufacturer. The three ranges available comprise the RJL pad for road and race; the JL road and off-road pad; and the standard semi-metallic/organic carbon pad.
“We respect the Environment…” is a new slogan in use at Yokohama Rubber, and the Japanese manufacturer will be showing this respect in tyre form at the Geneva International Motor Show with the European premiere of its “C.drive2” high performance eco tyre. This new product will be presented alongside the company’s flagship eco tyre, the “dB super E-spec”, which was released in Europe during summer 2009.
Vehicle production in China is said to have exceeded an estimated 13.5 million units last year, with 2010 production expected to grow to around 14 million units. Alongside this growth, demand for tyres in this market has also risen sharply, and during the course of the coming year China is anticipated to surpass the US as the world’s largest tyre market. In a “strategic response” to moves by global tyre makers to enter the Chinese market, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) has taken the decision to manufacture tyre production machinery there through its wholly owned Changshu Ryoju Machinery Co., Ltd subsidiary. The Jiangsu Province based operation is now in the final stages of readying its plant, and this preparation should be complete by the end of February in time for a March commencement of production.
Yokohama Rubber has reported earning a net income of 9.0 billion yen (₤62.1 million) in the first three quarters of the present fiscal year, the nine months to December 31, 2009. That compares with net income of just 222 million yen in the same period of the previous fiscal year. Underlying the rebound in net income, the company explains, was a 0.1 per cent increase in operating income, to 17.3 billion yen (₤119.5 million). The improvement in profitability occurred despite a 16.2 per cent decline in net sales, to 344.0 billion yen (₤2.4 billion), and reflected a downward trend in raw material prices, reductions in selling and other expenses, and smaller losses on currency translation.
Following the success of the programme it introduced early in 2008, Federal Tire has further developed its marketing plan for tyre dealers. In order to strengthen its market position, the company has released an “image corner” – a move it hopes will help consumers gain a better understanding of Federal. The company says it aims, through the introduction of these displays in its export markets, to create a presence that “established the essence of the Federal brand” and helps the company sustain a competitive edge while improving business.
In 2009 Japan’s Bridgestone Corporation posted its first loss since 1931. The financial crisis and recession had strongly impacted upon the previously profitable Japanese home market and triggered the company’s implementation of a number of restructuring measures, notably in Oceania, where the closing of its plants in New Zealand and Australia closed the book on new tyre production in both countries. Furthermore, at the end of the current season the tyre major’s 14-year association with Formula One will come to an end. The decisive factor behind this decision was the cost and the exit of Toyota and Honda from the series, yet it can also be said that the company’s goal – increasing the Bridgestone brand’s recognition and profile – has already been reached. In this respect, remaining with Formula One would not deliver very much more and thus cannot be justified in terms of the enormous costs involved. Ecclestone & Co. also may have done nobody a favour when they decided to go with a sole tyre supplier, thereby eliminating any competitiveness from the equation.
Tyre tripling, inserting two used tyres inside another one, has been increasingly adopted as a method of saving space and achieving transportation cost savings. To give a real life example, up to around 1,600 tyres can normally be fitted into a standard container. Up to 3,500 “tripled” tyres can be fit in the same space. According to Arne Blaes, the proprietor of a company which manufactures tripling machinery, the process was invented by Africans who in most cases carried out the strenuous tripling process by hand.
The UK distributor for Yokohama tyres and replacement alloy wheels from TSW, MAK and Advanti, Yokohama HPT Ltd, kicked off its new year this week at the annual Autosport International show at the NEC. The company is exhibiting its full range of Yokohama high performance road and motorsport tyres, its key ranges of alloy wheels while the centrepiece of its stand is the innovative Tesla Roadster Sport, the world’s first all-electric track day car.
Continental reports that the following news is not intended for direct or indirect release, publication or distribution into the USA, Canada, Australia or Japan, so T&A invites subscribers outside of these regions to read further.
In January Yokohama Rubber intends to increase the export price of its tyres by as up to – and potentially even more than – 15 per cent. Yokohama states these increases apply to all passenger car, light truck, truck and bus, construction and industry tyre products in markets outside of Japan. In terms of specific increases, the company reports in an official statement that “the maximum mark-up is around 15 per cent. But even larger mark-up may be applied to specific regions and products.”
According to a November 28 article in Japan’s Nikkei newspaper, two Japanese chemical companies, Asahi Kasei Corporation and Zeon Corporation, intend to establish synthetic rubber plants in Singapore to cater for growing demand for low rolling resistance tyres.
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