The latest car registration figures released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) show that the market is levelling off, after a 1 per cent drop in October 2015 figures. 177,664 new cars were registered in the month, down 1.1 per cent on last year’s figure, following 43 consecutive months of growth.
European trailer manufacturer Schmitz Cargobull has approved Goodyear’s Ultra Grip Max T winter trailer tyre as original equipment fitment on its trailers for customers operating in severe winter conditions. Goodyear’s recently-introduced truck winter tyres will be available in sizes 385/65R22.5 and 385/55R22.5 for trailers destined for regions such as the Alps, the Nordic countries and Russia.
Goodyear has announced that it is supplying 19- and 20-inch OE tyres for the Mercedes-Maybach S-Class. As you would imagine, smooth ride is an important part of this particular OE deal, so it is interesting to note that the associate OE fitments feature Goodyear’s SoundComfort Technology integrated into the tyres.
Bentley’s new SUV, the Bentayga, is capable of 301kph, making it the fastest SUV in the world, and the brand has chosen Pirelli’s P Zero as the original equipment tyre tasked with transmitting its power to the road. The car’s launch is accompanied by a video showing the Bentayga reaching its top speed on 22” Pirelli P Zero tyres (285/40ZR22 110Y XL. Pirelli is also supplying other 20” and 21” sizes for the Bentayga. Each tyre homologated for the luxury SUV features the B marking, indicating to dealers and end-users that the tyre was made especially for Bentley. The video is available to watch within the full article below.
Renault’s 6×2 T-series Optifuel will roll off the production line on Michelin 315/70 R 22.5 X Line Energy tyres as standard, after intensive trials.
During three days of testing around a 143.6 mile test route, the low rolling resistance Michelin 315/70 X Line Energy tyres – designed to operate at a high average speed on long-distance trunking – showed a three per cent advantage in fuel efficiency over a set of competing premium-brand 295/80 R 22.5 ‘regional’ tread pattern tyres. The trials took in a combination of A-roads and motorways, and were conducted with the support of Michelin’s UK technical team.
Goodyear has become MAN’s exclusive tyre partner for its MAN ProfiDrive driver training initiative across Europe. The partnership includes equipping all 25 tractors and trailers used by MAN ProfiDrive with the latest Goodyear premium tyres. These comprise the fuel-efficient Fuelmax, the dedicated mileage line Kmax and the mixed service Omnitrac II for use both on and off road. Goodyear will maintain the tyres, which includes taking over the tyre repair shop. The partnership further involves Goodyear training the MAN trainers in tyre matters. This builds on Goodyear’s and MAN’s long-term close collaboration related to original truck equipment. The two companies have worked together for some time with events such as the MAN Trucknology Days.
A new analysis of future automotive demand in Africa suggests the continent will experience “significant growth opportunities” and almost double in the next 10 to 12 years. The IHS report, which is called “Final Automotive Frontier”, suggests that Africa, with one of the world´s fastest- growing middle classes, is showing “pronounced promise for the global automotive industry”.
European passenger car registrations continued their growth phase with another strong monthly rise in September. According to ACEA (European Automobile Manufacturer’s Association) figures, growth was up 9.8 per cent year-on-year to 1,356,868 units.
28,000 new jobs could be created in the UK automotive supply chain by 2020, according to a new forecast report from industry trade body The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).
The report, “The future of UK automotive manufacturing in 2025 and beyond”, identifies growth in vehicle manufacturing and a move to connected and autonomous technology as presenting significant opportunities for British component suppliers in the coming years. It estimates that British car production is set to reach a record two million vehicles annually by 2020 – a 33 per cent increase on the current 1.5 million.
Krone has become the first trailer manufacturer to offer Goodyear’s latest winter commercial vehicle tyres as original equipment. Krone has approved the Goodyear Ultra Grip Max T in sizes 385/65R22.5 and 385/55R22.5 for trailers destined for severe winter operations.
The instability in Ukraine plus the plummeting oil price has had a devastating impact on the outlook for trailer demand in Russia, according to new research published by Clear. Nearly 24,000 trailers were wiped from the last forecast for the 2015 – 2019 period in the report issued in March 2015. In the latest forecast a further 8,000 trailers have been removed from the forecast for Russia and the Ukraine.
On 1 October 2015 Nexen Tire broke ground on the site of its new plant in Zatec, Czech Republic. The company has committed to investing more than 829 million euros in building the new plant on 650,000 square metres of land in Zatec.
DAF has become the first truck manufacturer to approve Goodyear’s Ultra Grip Max winter truck tyres as factory-fit options. Operators ordering new DAF trucks built from week 41 onwards can now specify Goodyear Ultra Grip Max S steer tyres and Ultra Grip Max D drive tyres in sizes 315/70R22.5 and 315/80R22.5.
Trade values of Volkswagen vehicles have fallen 3 per cent following news of the emissions scandal, according to figures from Glass’s. The figures may be marginal when considered in detail, but they go against the flow of the market.
Trade values of all Volkswagen used cars in the Glass’s database are currently the same as they were at the beginning of September. However, the overall used car market has seen an increase of 2.1 per cent during the same period – meaning that the value of the VWs have effectively fallen by 2.1 per cent.
In mid-September the emissions hit the fan for VW. What began with an admission that half a million Golfs and Beetles were not showing the right emissions values in lab tests, quickly became a global scandal involving 11 million vehicles, disastrously affecting the group’s share price, resulting in the ‘restructuring’ of the firm’s global leadership and worst of all affecting confidence in both VW and the wider automotive and automotive testing industries.
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