This magazine is not Tyres & Tyres, it is Tyres & Accessories, so true to our name, in October we present a feature not focusing on the round, black, rubber objects. And as there is much worth reporting, our coverage will be – if you will just this once indulge us – exhaustive.
Hankook’s Optimo 4S has received the best ratings in an all-season tyre test by Auto Bild, the German car magazine, with testers acknowledging “top driving performance under any weather conditions”. The company says that the “exemplary” rating of the tyre substantiates Hankook’s claim to premium standards in its products. The Optimo 4S is also the only tyre in the world to receive the German Federal Environmental Agency’s prestigious Blue Angel mark, attributed because of the tyre’s reduced road and rolling noise, as well as helping to reduce fuel consumption by up to five per cent.
Hankook is – According to the US-Magazine Modern Tire Dealer (Jan. 2008) – currently the seventh largest and fastest growing tire manufacturer in the world, and the company is keen to emphasise the “landmark” nature of the results of the tests by Auto Bild, Europe’s largest automobile magazine. Eight all-season-products from various makers were tested on a VW Golf with the dimensions 195/65 R 15 T/H/V. The Optimo 4S (standing for four seasons), was – according to Auto Bild’’s editor – the only tested tyre “that outperforms in any kind of weather”. He also praised its “dynamic handling quality on snow-covered roads as well as short braking distances on wet as well as dry courses,” making the tyre one of only two to receive the magazine’s “exemplary” rating.
Michelin has sought to play down earlier news reports that suggested the French tyre manufacturer would may acquire Continental’s tyre unit, should the division be for sale. According to German magazine WirtschaftsWoche, Michelin give Continental’s truck tyre unit “a great deal of attention, even though there might be cartel related problems,” quoting Michelin managing partner, Michel Rollier.
However, in the wider context of the article Reuters reports that Rollier was asked by the paper if Michelin would be interested following Continental’s acquisition the company: “The opportunity has not presented it self until now and it would not be a surprise if the Continental tyre business remains a core part of the Conti group,” Rollier said.
A Continental representatives told Tyres & Accessories that while the company has received a number of offers for both its commercial vehicle and ContiTech business units it is not interested in selling and does not comment on speculation.
Phil Pacsi, vice president of consumer tyre marketing for Bridgestone/Firestone North American Tire, was named as one of Brandweek magazine’s “Marketers of the Year.” The award was unveiled in the magazine’s September issue.
“I really view this honor as recognition for the incredible work done this past year by our entire BFNAT marketing team and our agency partners,” said Pacsi. “It’s been a total team effort as we’ve looked for new and creative ways to leverage our new sports marketing partnerships and raise awareness for our Bridgestone brand, drive customers to our dealers and ultimately sell more tyres.”
Pasci was honored for his efforts in aligning the company and its brands with major sports events, such as the NFL and Super Bowl, the NHL, IndyCar racing, PGA golf, team sponsorships and more. (Tire Review/Akron)
The Aftermarket Show is gearing up for next year’s event, following a successful 2008 exhibition this January. The self-styled “must-attend event for all automotive service industry professionals” takes place at the Birmingham NEC from Thursday 8 – Sunday 11 January 2009, and is currently open for trade visitor registration. The event is being supported by Car and Accessory Trade magazine, while the organisers promise a continuation of the Talkshop tool, which provides a free forum for exhibitor-visitor interaction.
This year’s event – held in January – was attended by nearly 4,100 dedicated aftermarket industry trade visitors, in addition to over 23,800 Autosport International trade visitors. More than 56,700 end users of automotive products walked the exhibition floor over the long weekend, representing an estimated spend of £3.2 Million on car and motorsport related products.
The Pirelli P Zero (225/45 R17), achieved the highest overall score in this year’s Auto Express tyre test, coming top in a comparison test against 15 other competitor brands. The magazine test examined several key disciplines including: dry handling, wet handling, dry braking, wet braking, aquaplaning and rolling resistance. Pirelli achieved first overall in the Dry Handling discipline with Auto Express commenting: “None of our contenders inspired as much confidence as the Pirelli, which felt spot-on as soon as we turned into the corner. Grip was plentiful too”.
Hubertus von Gruenberg, Continental AG’s supervisory board chairman, has been excluded from negotiations with Schaeffler in spite of his approval of the potential takeover. According to the Financial Times Deutschland report, adviser Perella Weinberg Partners had suggested von Gruenberg and Conti’s personnel representative, Werner Bischoff, get involved to try and help break the deadlock in talks between Schaeffler and Conti CEO Manfred Wennemer.
The latest 18-inch UHP wide-base tyre test published in Germany’s leading automotive consumer magazine “Auto Bild” shows that paying attention to rolling resistance does not necessarily have to come attached to an unacceptable sacrifice in the areas of handling or braking. Hankook in particular is pleased with the results of this test, having not only achieved an overall “good” test result, but also coming out ahead of its competitors in the rolling resistance category. At the same time the experts testing the tyres attested that the braking performance of Hankook’s new UHP wide-base tyres was excellent both in dry and wet road conditions. In addition, the Ventus V12 evo also impressed the testers with its noise level on rough roads, something that has generally been a problem with wide-base tyres, but is becoming increasingly important because of reported health dangers stemming from the considerable noise created by road traffic. The test was carried out using 225/40 R18tyres fitted to the latest version of the Mercedes-Benz C class.
Goodyear Dunlop’s detractors would have the truck tyre market believe that there are serious problems in the company’s commercial vehicle department. Goodyear Dunlop UK, managing director, Mark Brickhill, however, paints quite a different picture. In a recent interview with Tyres & Accessories (to be published in our August magazine) Brickhill gave details of progress in the truck business. Firstly, Brickhill told T&A that Truck Force is already showing signs of being a turnaround success story.
Since the commercial vehicle retail arm separated from the HiQ passenger retail business, and the two chains were each allowed to follow strategies tuned to the respective business areas, both operations appear to be better off. Perhaps the best sign of this is the fact that Truck Force, which was once a significantly loss making operation, is now at breakeven and on schedule to enter profit in 2009. But this doesn’t tell the whole story. From Mark Brickhill’s point of view, the fact that Truck Force has evolved into a service-led operation has had much to do with its improved performance.
Forbes magazine has bestowed the honour of being named one of the Reputation Institute’s most respected American companies upon the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company. Goodyear is 16th on the publication’s list, details of which can be found on the publication’s website.
The RI’s criteria for ranking include the organisation’s “seven dimensions of reputation”, which comprise products/services, innovation, workplace, citizenship, governance, leadership and performance. The ratings were generated by the RI’s Global Pulse consumer opinion survey, while the company’s score of 76.0 shows an impressive 7.54 increase on 2007’s score. Goodyear is the sole representative of the tyre manufacturing industry on the list.
Pirelli Tyre has appointed the Tampa, Florida based advertising agency Pyper Paul + Kenny to develop the company’s worldwide branding and creative platforms. PP+K came to Pirelli’s attention through the agency’s work for the Grand American Road Racing Association, whom the manufacturer sponsors.
The Italian firm hopes to develop strategic alliances with the Association and with World Rally Championship through the new appointment. PP+K will simultaneously launch a magazine advertising campaign in various auto-magazines worldwide.
The Michelin Pilot Road 2 has for a second year come first place in tests conducted by European motorcycle publications. This year, Germany’s Motorrad magazine and France’s Moto Revue have awarded top honours to the Michelin products.
The Pilot Road 2 2CT received an impressive average total of 8.83 points out of a maximum possible 10 points in Moto Revue’s test, obtaining its best individual result, 9.5, in the roadholding category. Motorrad also declared the Michelin product its test winner, with its strongest individual result being in the wet handling category, describing the Pilot Road 2 as “virtually unbeatable” in the wet.
Pirelli have obtained eight overall victories and two top-three placements in 11 tests conducted by European motoring authorities and the specialist press.
The Cinturato P4, designed for medium displacement and city cars (with its ecocompatibility and safety-conscious characteristics) and the P Zero, the high technology tyre developed for the most sporting cars, have been singled out for the highest praise in their categories.
In Germany, the P Zero won four overall victories in four tests conducted by Auto Zeitung, Sport Auto, Sport Auto Tuning Spezial and Power Car, which unanimously voted it the top tyre in the reference segment.
The successful introduction of the Michelin range of motoring accessories has been recognised with the Award for Excellence in Brand Extension presented recently by the Marketing Society in association with Marketing magazine. The Award for Excellence 2008, described by Michelin as the Oscars of the marketing world, recognises the creative skills Michelin Lifestyle Ltd used “to expand consumers’ awareness and accessibility to the Michelin brand by introducing new products for motorists, in addition to the traditional tyre products.” By developing and establishing the Michelin range of premium quality motoring and leisure accessories, the company’s brand recognition is enhanced.
The Kumho Road Venture MT KL71 and BFGoodrich Mud-Terrain T/A have been named joint winners of 4×4 Magazine’s ‘ultimate tyre test’. In conducting the test, in which 4×4 Magazine aimed to discover the UK’s best mud terrain tyre, the tyres were reportedly subjected to the key obstacles and conditions encountered throughout the country. Size 235/85 R16 tyres from eight manufacturers were in turn fitted to a 2007 Land Rover Defender 110 and subjected to six challenging real world tests – mud climb, bog run, side slope, rock crawl, gravel and tarmac braking – at a venue in South Wales.
The Kumho and BFGoodrich products finished the test eight points ahead of their nearest rivals, the Goodyear Wrangler M/T and Maxxis Mudder Buckshot. The magazine found the Kumho KL71 radically different in appearance from all its competitors and, in fact, to be the best looking as well as the joint best performer. The Kumho was awarded top marks on the rock crawl and gravel braking tests and performed with credit on the mud climb and bog run. The BFGoodrich tyre, said 4×4 Magazine, is an item considered by some to be the original and best mud terrain tyre. “Slippery mud and dangerous grass were its key strengths, with both obstacles proving no problem for the traditional American,” reported the magazine.
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