Pirelli winter tyres performed well in tyre tests organised by leading German motoring magazines, Auto Zeitung, Adac Motorwelt, Auto Motor und Sport, Autobild, Sport Auto, Auto Bild Alles Allred, Automobil and Promobil. The results were achieved across the tyre spectrum, from uhp tyres to SUV and touring tyres, plus winter run-flats.
Kraiburg Austria aims at increasing its market share by integrating end-users. As part of this strategy the company offers its retreader partners a comprehensive service package which includes modules for improving productivity and for providing support in advising users and selling the right tread patterns.
To enhance this service, Kraiburg has brought an additional industry expert onto the team. Thus, since October, Michael Schwämmlein (40) has been assisting Kraiburg in providing customers with advice and support
Continental is the leading player in the Bulgarian tyre market, with a 30 per cent market share, Bulgarian newspaper Dnevnik am has reported. According to Europool figures, total sales in Bulgaria will reach 1.1 million units this year. Goodyear is estimated to hold the second largest share with 25-27 per cent of the market, followed by Michelin with 18-23 per cent and Bridgestone-Firestone with 8-12 per cent. These figures do not include the local sales of Korean, Turkish and Russian tyre brands.
(Akron/Tire Review) Treadways Corp. has hired Ed Nini as market development manager for its private brands unit. In his new role, Nini will be responsible for competitive price analysis, market share analysis and coordination, and Treadways’ supplemental pricing programs. Nini is new to the tyre industry and was previously employed with Dow Jones as its senior marketing manager. He will be based at Treadways’ headquarters in East Norriton, Pennsylvania.
October car sales of 14.7 million were the lowest since August 1998, Deutsche Bank analysts have reported. “GM’s retail sales declined 30 per cent year-on-year; Ford’s retail sales declined 31 per cent; We estimate Chrysler’s retail sales fell 24 per cent. This was weaker than expected, and it represents much more of a decline than can be explained by pull forward,” they explained.
(India/Rubber Asia) JK Tyre chief RP Singhania recently announced that his company plans to increase annual production of truck and bus radials to 1.5 million units by 2010. At the same time Mr Singhania spoke of his confidence that India’s road infrastructure “is getting better now.”
JK Tyre told local media that the company plans to invest 600 million rupees in alternate years in its Mysore (South India) plant to increase the capacity from its current annual capacity of 370,000. JK currently holds an 85 per cent market share in the radial tyre segment.
Continental AG is planning to spend between £22 million and £27 million on equipment and machinery at its plants in Malaysia, the company’s director of marketing and sales for passenger car replacement Europe Jurgen Schmidt told the Malaysia Star newspaper.
In response to sky-high fuel prices, US consumers are switching their SUVs for CUVs or crossover utility vehicles. Sema’s Research and Information Center has published figures which suggest that although American vehicle owners are becoming more efficiency conscious, there are no signs that they will abandon SUVs altogether. 56 per cent of those surveyed indicated that they do not plan to downsize their vehicles at all.
Michelin Malaysia is aiming to increase its market share in the region by penetrating the original equipment market.Michelin Malaysia Sdn Bhd general manager Ronald Sutadja hopes Michelin’s strong carmakers such as Toyota Motor Corp and DaimlerChrysler AG, will support this strategy. Outside Malaysia Michelin is OE supplier for Toyota Camry and Mercedes-Benz E-Class, among others, he told the Malaysian Business Times
Continental has strengthened its position as one of Europe’s leading manufacturers of original equipment tyres for passenger cars, claiming that one in four new cars leave the factory on Continental rubber. The international vehicle industry supplier can now boast a market share of 26 per cent.
The company ranks number four worldwide in the tyre business with vehicle manufacturers, says Conti, holding a 20 per cent market share in the NAFTA countries alone. In 2004 the manufacturer boosted volume sales to the global automobile industry by 12 per cent, and posted another five per cent gain in the first six months of 2005.
General Motors, Ford and Chrysler have posted double-digit US sales gains for July. Toyota and Nissan North America also posted their best sales month in the United States.
DaimlerChrysler, including Mercedes-Benz, sold 260,945 units in July, a boost of 25.1 per cent for the month. Year-to-date, the car manufacturer has sold 1,547,536 vehicles, up 6.9 per cent from the same period in 2004.
GM’s July sales rose 15.2 per cent, boosted by the GM Employee Discount for Everyone incentive programme said the company. Its US sales totaled 524,218 vehicles in July compared with 454,963 in July last year. GM has sold 2,844,839 vehicles to date, a 4.3 per cent increase from the same time last year.
Paul Ballew, GM’s chief sales analyst, said 71 per cent of retail sales in July came from trucks, and he predicted that the company would achieve a market share of 27 per cent for the year.
Firestone has invested in a new mobile exhibition unit, which it recently put to the test during Grasslands 2005. The unit is available for free hire to support Agri Point dealers at relevant agricultural/country exhibitions subject to availability.
The 3,500 kg trailer unit features a hospitality seating area for up to 10 people and a well-equipped kitchen. The unit already has livery for Firestone including graphics panels featuring a number of advertisements from the current ‘Testimonial’ campaign.
Industry analysts Plimsoll Publishing asks, if the market suffers a recession this year, which companies in the Tyre Manufacturers and Distributors sector will be most affected and which couldn’t care less? It also asks which companies are already at risk and will use any talk of a slow down to bury bad news? The new publication (Plimsoll Portfolio Analysis, Tyre Manufacturers & distributors 3rd Edition 2005) examines the current financial state of the top 240 companies in the sector and the study has revealed four distinct profiles of company behaviour.
Snap-on Tools is celebrating its 40th anniversary of the opening of its UK operation this year.
“Today we are clear brand leaders in the UK automotive tools market, with a commanding market share,” said Terry Barcham, Snap-on Tools UK managing director, at a recent press conference.
(Akron/Tire Review) JD Power/LMC Automotive Forecasting Services predicts that new vehicles powered by hybrid electric or clean diesel engines will garner 11 per cent of US sales by 2012. Currently, such vehicles hold a 4.8 per cent market share, said the firm.
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