Kama Tyres turns 50
On 29 April, Kama Tyres celebrated 50 years of tyre-related production. On that day in 1973, Nizhnekamsk tyre factory produced its first inner tube for 6.15 x 13 tyres destined for fitment on Zhiguli (Lada) cars.
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Russian light-vehicle sales plummet 42.5%
There is chaos in the Russian light vehicle market, with some of the fastest contractions on record. The Russian light-vehicle market posted a the highest rate of monthly contraction since the accelerated decline of 2009 of 42.5 per cent year-on-year to 139,850 units, according to the latest data set released by the Association of European Businesses (AEB).
The chairman of the AEB’s vehicle manufacturers committee blamed the pull-forward effect of the government’s scrappage scheme and the heavy price inflation. The latter is no doubt a bigger reason for the collapse as the general macroeconomic environment in Russia continues to deteriorate alarmingly as the rouble weakens and sanctions bite,
Continental, Nokian strong performers in Russian tyre test; Bridgestone in last place
Although sitting near the bottom of the size pecking order, a fair number of vehicles still arrive in Russian showrooms fitted with 14-inch rims. Therefore the latest issue of motoring magazine Za Rulem has opted to evaluate tyres for this smaller wheel size. Using a Lada Priora as test vehicle, the publication evaluated 11 size 185/60 R 14 tyres from European and Asian manufacturers at the AvtoVaz proving ground in Togliatti, Russia. Top honours in the test went to Continental’s ContiPremiumContact 5.
Russian auto market crashes
Demand in the Russian light vehicle automotive market has crashed following what some analysts have called a “perfect storm” of contributing factors. As a result the country’s light-vehicle market suffered a massive 24.4 per cent year-on-year decline in sales during January to 115,390 units (down 32,272 units).
IHS Automotive said this was the result of “a perfect storm in macroeconomic terms with rising prices, declining spending power, eroded confidence and the economic effect of sanctions on the Russian government.” The worst thing is that this is despite the renewal of the Russian government’s vehicle scrappage scheme. And it looks like it won’t get any better. IHS Automotive forecasts that the Russian light-vehicle sales will fall by 27.4 per cent year-on-year in 2015 to 1.81 million units.
Kama Euro OE on Lada Largus
Russia’s JSC Tatneft reports that Kama Euro-236 tyres are being supplied as original equipment for the Lada Largus. The first tyres were supplied from the Nizhnekamskshina factory in May 2014, added Tatneft in a press statement. The Lada Largus is built on the Renault-Nissan Alliance VO platform; the equivalent vehicle is sold in Europe as the Dacia Logan MCV.
