Middle East
Analysts at IHS Automotive light-vehicle predicting modest growth in the Iranian light vehicle market after the UN lifts sanctions against the country. This suggestion contradicts some suggestions from the Iranian automotive and tyre industries that the country could be on the brink of a production boom. According to HIS, despite the signing of nuclear deal between […]
Membat is exhibiting at Automechanika Jeddah, Saudi Arabia’s leading regional trade fair for automotive industry, which takes place between 26 and 28 January 2016.
The Mediterranean tyre brand will introduce the tyre patterns developed during 2015 to the local market. The new catalogue will include the Passion Runflat tyre. In less than a year, this pattern has achieved A Grade in all sizes for Wet Grip.
2015’s Formula One calendar concludes at Yas Marina, Abu Dhabi; a venue with which Pirelli is very familiar. The F1 tyre supplier has used the venue for testing, including the world’s first wet-weather test run at night, and a pre-season launch. The smooth asphalt means the softest tyres in the range will be supplied, a combination previously employed at the slowest grand prix, Monaco, and at four other race weekends. The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix is held from late afternoon into the evening, so track temperatures tend to drop over the course of the race, meaning that the pattern of tyre behaviour is different to normal: another complex variable for teams to factor into their strategy calculations. Pirelli expects a performance gap between the two compounds of 1.0-1.2 seconds per lap.
Following an agreement ratified by the FIA World Council, Pirelli will hold a tyre test in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday 1 December following the final grand prix of the 2015 season. The joint purpose of the session is to develop the new construction to be used for the manufacturer’s 2016 slick tyres and to test the new “ultrasoft” compound, which will form part of the P Zero F1 range next year. The one-day test will take place from 9:00-21:00 continuously.
Eight full-season FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) LMP2 entries will be battling for another podium or win at the 6 Hours of Bahrain. All eight have chosen to compete on Dunlop tyres and all eight have been on the podium during the season – a statistic Dunlop states demonstrates the competitiveness of the series. Joining […]
Cooper Tire Europe has launched its first full Arabic website, www.coopertire.me. The new site has extensive content including product pages, company information and a dealer locator. The company stated the site demonstrates its continued commitment to the region, coming shortly after Cooper Tire Europe announced that it will be the official tyre sponsor of this year’s Dubai International Motor Show.
Apollo Tyres has opened its first branded retail outlet in Lebanon. Branded as Apollo Zone, this outlet is designed to provide customers with an enhanced retail experience and a better feel for the brand and products on display, including passenger car, truck-bus and agriculture tyres. This Apollo Zone is located in the Beqaa Governorate of Lebanon, which is the main road connecting Lebanon to Syria. The Apollo Zone has been opened in association with Saka Trading Co, one of the Lebanon’s oldest and respected wholesalers and retailers of tyres, batteries and car accessories.
Cooper Tire will be the official tyre sponsor of this year’s Dubai International Motor Show. Announced during a visit by the vice president and managing director of Cooper Tire, Europe and the Middle East, Jeff Schumaker, the sponsorship will mark the tyre brand’s first move to increase its presence across the Middle East ahead of a series of new product arrivals over the coming months. The manufacturer has a tangential connection to the region through Arsenal Football Club, for whom it is the Official Tyre; Arsenal’s shirt sponsor is Dubai-based airline, Emirates.
For the past few years Autopromotec’s organisers, Promotec Spa, have observed an ongoing “regional versus national trend” in the automotive trade show field. Up till now Promotec executives haven’t shared much about what this means for their shows or what plans they have in response, but now it looks like the goal is to export the successful Autopromotec model to other regions and markets, making the Bologna ‘mother show’ even more of a regional exhibition rather than simply an Italian show. Tyres & Accessories met up with Autopromotec brand manager Emanuele Vicentini during May’s Autopromotec in Bologna and learnt that we could soon be hearing about Autopromotec events in other countries.
Alcoa Wheel Products Europe has named Kai Sommerlatte as sales director for the Europe, Middle East and North Africa region, effective 1 May 2015.
In 2013, about 0.74 million units of commercial vehicles and passenger cars were sold in Saudi Arabia, giving the Kingdom one of the highest per capita vehicle totals globally. However, virtually all of this is imported as Saudi Arabia is also home to a huge vehicle production deficit. Nevertheless, a new report distributed by Bharat books suggests expanding growth potential in the automobile sector is attracting several vehicle manufacturers to Saudi Arabia.
The Marshal tyre brand’s digital presence in the Middle East region has been expanded through the launch of a new website. The multilingual English-Arabic-Persian site aims to inform consumers prior to making a purchase decision, and in addition to covering the entire Marshal product range it provides a dealer locator to help potential buyers find the nearest centre. The site is optimised for desktop, tablet and mobile viewing.
Pirelli is to be the main sponsor of the grand finale of the eni FIM Superbike World Championship. Held next weekend in Qatar at the Losail International Circuit, Doha, the last round of the season will take the official name: “Pirelli Qatar Round”. The event is also notable as the first time the Superbike World Championship will take place at night.
While many of the quarterly results released at the moment make for depressing reading, those published by Goodyear Tire & Rubber yesterday show that the US-based tyre maker is making even better than expected progress on the path back to financial strength. An obviously pleased Richard Kramer reported on 29 October that Goodyear “delivered outstanding earnings growth in the quarter and achieved a segment operating income margin of more than 11 per cent, the highest in more than a decade, despite an increasingly challenged global economy. The chairman and chief executive officer added that “these results reflect our focus on capturing the value of our branded products in the marketplace and continued progress generating cost savings through our operational excellence activities.”
Apollo Tyres is reporting further inroads into the Kuwait market with the opening up of it first branded retail outlet in the country. The Apollo Zone is designed to provide customers with an enhanced retail experience and a better feel for the brand and products on display, including passenger car, 4×4 and light truck tyres. The new Apollo Zone is located in the up-market Canada Dry Street of Kuwait, and is operated by Federal General Trading & Contracting Co.
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