Mercedes-Benz Archives - Page 13 of 19 - Tyrepress

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Wheel Weight Maker Wegmann Automotive Grows in Down Market

The establishment of Wegmann Automotive in October 2009 saw some of the world’s leading wheel weight brands (Hofmann, Franken, F-Ecoline and Perfect [US]) reorganised into a single unified group. Now united under the Wegmann umbrella brand, sales and marketing director Thorsten Thom reports that the company is facing the current market challenges well and in certain cases actually gaining market share. Thom also praised the positive impact made by recently appointed UK sales manager, David Peacock. According to Thom, 2009 UK market sales have experienced double-digit growth compared with 2008.

1st December 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Mercedes Joins TyreSafe

Mercedes-Benz has become the latest vehicle manufacturer group to join TyreSafe. The company will run a series of tyre safety initiatives across its retailer network and fleet customers, highlighting the important role that tyres play in road safety, which will include a cold weather tyre programme for this winter. As well as supporting and participating in TyreSafe’s national campaigns, Mercedes-Benz will give input into the organisation, helping it develop further and reduce the number of accidents and fatalities caused by defective tyres.

30th November 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Continental Extends GGI Tuning Programme in the US

Continental Tire North America has extended its partnership with GGI European Tuning, and will be the sole tyre supplier for all Carlsson Mercedes-Benz tuning packages sold in the United States. The exclusive use of Continental brand tyres extends Conti’s ongoing relationship with GGI – Hartge BMW and Sportec Porsche tuning packages that GGI sells in the United States are already fitted with Continental tyres as standard.

12th November 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

October New Car Registration up 32%

October new car registration shot up 32 per cent in October to 168,942. According to figures released today the increase is the best gain so far in 2009. Private purchase shot up between September and October, prompting the SMMT to report that the latest numbers are the result of the fourth month of sustained growth coming from the Scrappage Incentive Scheme (SIS).

Looking at the figures broken down by brand, it is clear that Vauxhall and Ford remain outright market leaders. However, there is continued progress amongst the once smaller Korean brands. To put this into perspective, in October Hyundai (7179 registrations) out-sold Fiat (6570) and Kia (5633) sold more cars than Honda (4490).

5th November 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Bridgestone OE for Mercedes S-Class Hybrid

The Mercedes-Benz S-Class Hybrid Long is the first imported hybrid vehicle to hit Japan’s roads, so it’s no surprise that Bridgestone is proud to announce the supply of its Potenza RE050 Ecopia range as original equipment. The RE050 Ecopia will be fitted to the large German saloon in 255/45R18 99Y size.

15th October 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

John Mitchell Signs 5-Year PPK Contract

John Mitchell Haulage & Warehousing, one of Scotland’s largest hauliers, has signed a new five year pence-per-kilometre (PPK) tyre contract. One of the first road transport operators in the country to adopt a PPK approach to its tyre requirements in 1992, ATS Euromaster and Michelin have managed the tyres across the John Mitchell Haulage & Warehousing fleet of commercial vehicles, for over three decades now.

With a mixed fleet of 350 MAN and Mercedes-Benz trucks as well as Dennison trailers operating from its base in Grangemouth, the agreement sees ATS Euromaster support the company with monthly fleet inspections and UK-wide emergency roadside assistance in the event of a tyre-related breakdown.

2nd October 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Uniroyal Takes on Forest Tracks

Earlier this year Cumbrian operator John Miller Limited selected Uniroyal tyres for use in its general haulage fleet. The reason? The tyres stood up to real-life tests consisting of frequent journeys of up to 20 miles on unpaved forest tracks as part of the company’s timber fleet. Now they’re fitting them to steer axles on Mercedes-Benz Actros tractors on general haulage work and looking to achieve up to 180,000 kilometres of life before they go for regrooving.

10th September 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Ruia Group Toys with European Acquisitions

The lights may still be out and the machinery standing idle at Dunlop India’s Sahaganj factory, but this isn’t stopping parent company the Ruia Group from eyeing up new acquisitions further afield. The Indian conglomerate is reportedly in “an advanced stage of talks” regarding the purchase of a European sealing systems company.

6th August 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

BITS Buys Static Axle Weighbridge

British and International Tyre Supplies (BITS), part of the County Tyres Group, recently bought a new static axle weighbridge from Axle Weight Technology Ltd (Axtec) in order to help it stay within strict axle load weight rules. According to the company, the increased weight of tyres has been making it more difficult to judge if the company’s delivery vehicles are within legal limits when they set off on their daily delivery runs. BITS wanted to achieve the maximum payload of around 1.2 tonnes on its 3.5 tonne Mercedes-Benz Sprinters, while also staying on the right side of the law.

Taking 10 kgs as an average weight per tyre meant that 120 tyres can usually be safely loaded onto the Sprinters. But this way of doing things is a bit haphazard as the product mix can change the weight significantly, especially if heavier 4 x 4 or ‘run flat’ tyres are being carried, leading to the risk of an axle or gross weight overloading.

15th July 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Advan Sport Given Green Light for Mercedes C-Class OE

At the top of Yokohama’s tyre pecking order sits the Advan performance line-up, and its manufacturer has announced another original equipment selection for the brand. Three sizes of Advan Sport tyres – 205/55R16 91V, 225/45R17 91W, and 245/40R17 91W (the last only for the rear wheels) – will be fitted to the Mercedes-Benz C-Class. This mid-size Benz thus joins its AMG tuned stablemates, the CL65 and 63 AMG, C63 AMG and ML 63 AMG, in the ranks of those shod by the Japanese tyre maker.

1st July 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

The Delivery Co Appoints ATS Euromaster for PPK Contract

The Delivery Co has appointed ATS Euromaster to manage the tyres across its mixed fleet of DAF, Iveco, Mercedes-Benz, Scania and Volvo commercial vehicles on a pence-per-kilometre (PPK) contract. The agreement will see ATS Euromaster support the company’s fleet of 350 trucks with 30 distribution centres across the UK. The contract will see Pirelli and Vacu-Lug tyres fitted across The Delivery Co’s fleet, supported by ATS Euromaster’s 250 frontline rapid response vehicles. These vehicles are further supported by another 950 mobile service vans, which carry out routine tyre maintenance at a customer’s own premises.

21st May 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

TMD Friction Acquired in Equity-backed Management Buy Out

On 3 April TMD Friction was bought out in an all equity acquisition led by its senior management team and Pamplona Capital Management, a London-based investment fund. According to a company statement, the move will safeguard approximately 3,800 jobs worldwide. Completion of the acquisition is expected by the end of April.

TMD Friction manufactures disc brake pads and drum brake linings for passenger cars and commercial vehicles, together with brake pads for racing cars, and friction materials for industrial and rail applications. TMD Friction supplies global automotive and commercial OEMs across a wide range of vehicle platforms. The company is also one of the largest suppliers to the global aftermarket with its Textar, Pagid, Mintex, Don, Cobreq, and Cosid brands. The company operates from locations across Europe, the US, Brazil, Mexico, China and Japan.

9th April 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Demand For AGM Batteries to Increase, Says Johnson Controls

Johnson Controls Batteries has urged the UK aftermarket to gear up to cope with stronger demand for AGM (absorbent glass mat) batteries to support the stop-start technology now available on an increasing range of new cars. Stop-start is the European automotive industry’s primary response to EU guidelines for the reduction of average CO2 emissions to 120 g/km by 2012. It conserves energy by shutting off the engine whenever the car stops, such as at a traffic light, thus reducing fuel consumption by up to 10 per cent and also reducing CO2 emissions.

New European models launched with automatic stop-start include the Audi A4, Fiat 500, Panda and Croma, Mercedes-Benz C, E and S Class, Volvo C30, S40 and V50 and the new Mk 6 VW Golf. Re-starting the engine requires sufficient power, but in urban driving conventional batteries often do not charge sufficiently. To resolve this, all cars using stop=start technology rely exclusively on an AGM battery to provide enough starting power to support the new system.

13th March 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Sterling Forest Performance Sees Fleet Adopt Uniroyal

The performance of Uniroyal tyres on timber hauling trucks belonging to Cumbrian operator John Miller Limited has prompted the company to adopt the brand for its general haulage fleet. Frequent journeys of up to 20 miles on unpaved forest tracks can be punishing on tyres, and Millers says it is impressed by how well the Uniroyal tyres have stood up to the arduous conditions they’re subjected to. Now the company is fitting them to steer axles on Mercedes-Benz Actros tractors on general haulage work and looking to achieve up to 180,000 kilometres of life before regrooving.

28th January 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

European New Car Market Continues Slump

JATO Dynamics, a provider of automotive data and intelligence, reported the European new car market fell by 7.8% (1,227,941 units) during 2008, recording a steady decline since May. Though the market maintained a strong growth at the start of 2008, in May the global economic crisis began to take its toll. The picture is yet more bleak when comparing figures over the second half (July to December) of 2008 to the same period in 2007, as the market recorded a 14.5% drop.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, in December alone, the European new car market fell by 17.8 per cent (196,337 units), when compared to the same month in 2007. However, whilst this signals the market performing poorly, it is less of a reduction in sales than the previous month. Total new car sales throughout Europe during 2008 stand at 14,459,714. (Tire Review/Akron)

20th January 2009/by Tyrepress Editors