Despite the April 1 date of announcement, the Volkswagen Polo was nobody’s fool at a press conference hosted by Bridgestone Corporation along with the New York International Auto Show and BASF SE – the German hatchback was declared 2010 World Car of the Year. The Polo was chosen from an initial entry list of thirty entries nominated by fifty-nine jurors from twenty-five countries.
The 2010 model Nissan Micra was displayed at the recent Geneva Motor Show and will eventually be sold in 160 countries. Production of the all-new small car, known as the March in some markets, commenced in Thailand on March 12. Tyre manufacturer Maxxis states it is “proud to supply original equipment tyres for this fine Nissan model” in the Thailand and Japan markets.
A new man is heading up Hankook Tire’s motorsport activities in Europe. Manfred Sandbichler, who has almost 20-years’ tyre industry experience under his belt and joined the company’s German division in 2003, was named manager of Motorsports on March 15.
“As a company, we lead the industry with forward-looking tyre technologies that contribute to greater road safety and reduce the impact on the environment.” These words of confidence came from Goodyear Dunlop Tires Europe president Arthur de Bok, who was commenting on the company’s presence at the Geneva Motor Show and the innovations the company is highlighting there.
Dunlop has announced that it will launch the SP Quattromaxx – an ultra high-performance summer tyre with a sleek sidewall design by Pininfarina – at the Geneva Motor Show. The new tyre will be on display at the Goodyear Dunlop stand – number 2057 in Hall 2 at the famous Swiss motoring event. The introduction of the new ultra high-performance SUV product comes backed with some impressive lap time results. Prior to its launch, the new tyre was put through its paces on the Nürburgring Nordschleife where it helped driver Patrick Simon and his 550 HP Porsche Cayenne Turbo achieve one of the fastest lap times ever set by an SUV: 8:33:99.
Those of you with around £180,000 stashed away in your piggy bank may wish to add Lamborghini’s new Gallardo LP 570-4 Superleggera to your new car shopping list, and if your budget does stretch to this latest supercar from Sant’Agata Bolognese, your next set of wheels will come fitted with the finest Pirelli has to offer. In the countdown to the start of the International Motor Show in Geneva, the Italian tyre maker has bolstered its ongoing technological partnership with Lamborghini and announced the premiere of its new PZero Corsa System at the exhibition.
“We respect the Environment…” is a new slogan in use at Yokohama Rubber, and the Japanese manufacturer will be showing this respect in tyre form at the Geneva International Motor Show with the European premiere of its “C.drive2” high performance eco tyre. This new product will be presented alongside the company’s flagship eco tyre, the “dB super E-spec”, which was released in Europe during summer 2009.
Bridgestone Europe reports the company’s presence at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show will centre upon Bridgestone’s long-term safety and environmental protection strategy. The 210 square metre stand (no. 2143 in Hall 2, for those of you planning a visit) will throw the spotlight on the Ecopia range – a product that, incidentally, derives it name from a combination of the words ‘ecology’ and ‘utopia’ – and feature no less than four key Ecopia products.
Bridgestone has obtained exclusive title sponsorship for the 2010 World Green Car Award. The global agreement was drawn up between Bridgestone Corporation of Japan and the World Car of the Year Awards Association, based in Canada, in December 2009. The agreement gives Bridgestone exclusive global branding rights on all communications emanating from the World Green Car Award during the 2010 calendar year and at official awards press conferences to announce the World Green Car three finalists and winner.
Concept vehicles are an integral part of the motor show circuit, and the North American International Auto Show in Detroit is no exception. Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations (BATO), in cooperation with General Motors, has debuted two new fitments on GMC and Cadillac concept vehicles at the show.
Details of a cooperative partnership between Vredestein and vehicle manufacturer Carlsson were announced on January 11. Upon announcing the commencement of the collaboration, Vredestein Germany managing director Michael Lutz stated “in Carlsson we now have a strong partner in the field of premium styling. Carlsson is one of the best car tuning manufacturers anywhere in the world. Above all, the Carlsson name stands for elegant and exceptional design, high-torque engines and innovative German quality engineering for Mercedes cars.”
The laser etching process that Kumho showed off at last September’s Frankfurt Motor Show has landed the South Korean manufacturer an iF Product Design Award. The accolade from Germany’s International Forum Design, first introduced in 1954, is awarded upon the merits of a product’s design, technology, degree of innovation and brand value potential. A total of 2,486 entries from 1,081 companies in 39 countries were submitted for the latest round of awards. The awards are divided into 16 categories, and Kumho’s victory in the 2010 awards took place in the ‘Advanced Studies’ category.
The North American International Auto Show in Detroit gets underway on January 11, and the 2010 exhibition marks the 22nd year of Michelin’s sponsorship of the show’s official facility for journalists and other media representatives. For the 2010 Detroit show the Michelin Media Center has grown to 27,500 square feet and accommodates 600 working desk spaces. Each desk features electrical and hard-wired, high-speed connections to a robust fibre-optic network for working media. In addition, the 2010 facility includes an expanded photo centre, media lounge, and additional team tables customised for the needs of new media.
Yokohama Rubber has announced its participation in the Dubai International Motor Show 2009, which will run from December 15, Tuesday, through December 20, Sunday. A key product on display at the show will be Yokohama’s new “Advan dB”, which will be launched in Asian markets in July. The company says it will also exhibit “as reference products” a number of its latest offerings that have not been released in the Middle East market. A new corporate visual theme – "Samurai" – will also be unveiled for overseas markets during the show.
Continental has announced the availability of its new tyre for high performance sports cars, the ContiSportContact 5 P. The tyre is already fitted as standard on several Mercedes AMG models, displayed alongside the new Audi TT RS at the Frankfurt Motor Show. The tyre’s official launch in Portimao, Portugal this week is marked by a particular focus on the sorts of technological developments for which Continental is often lauded; representatives of the manufacturer describe the brand as “technology-driven”.
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