For the first time ever, a tyre produced by Toyo Tire North America Manufacturing Inc. has been selected as an original equipment fitment by a US vehicle maker. The Toyo Open Country AT II will be factory mounted on Ford F-250 and F-350 pickup trucks.
Commenting on the SMMT’s van and truck registration figures for June, Sue Robinson, Director of the National Franchised Dealers Association which represents commercial vehicle and franchised car retailers across the UK, said: “June has been a good turning point in the year for the commercial vehicle market, and we have seen a modest improvement in overall sales figures”.
Kumho Tire has become the latest manufacturer to report original equipment homologation for the VW Polo. The tyre maker will supply its ecowing es01 KH27 in size 185/60R15 84H to Volkswagen-Navarra S.A for fitment on Polo models built at its plant in Pamplona, Spain.
Maserati has homologated Continental’s ContiSportContact 5 for original equipment on its Ghibli. The Continental tyre will be supplied in eight 18 to 12-inch dimensions, and all Maserati-approved fitments will carry the letters ‘MGT’ on the sidewall. The Ghibli approval follows last year original equipment homologation for the Quattroporte.
Kumho Tire has announced that work will resume on its tyre plant in the US state of Georgia. In a Korean-language statement issued 30 June, the company said it had approved an investment by creditors, and anticipates that the US$413 facility will be complete in early 2016. This information was confirmed the following day by the Macon-Bibb County Industrial Authority.
Nexen Tire has officially confirmed that it is building a new plant in Zatec, Czech Republic with the stated aims of developing its European foothold and expanding its global production base. The company also confirmed that the project will cost 1.2 trillion Korean won, approximately 829 million euros, bringing some clarity to reports that have also suggested a US$1.17 billion pricetag.
A lot has been going on at Nexen this year. Much of this activity has been taking place within the European market. And more still was going on during the weeks before, during and after the Essen Show.
Less than two weeks before the exhibition opened the company highlighted its recent progress with first quarter results punching above the company’s weight. During the exhibition the company was ostensibly there to display examples from its range and launch three new products – the N’blue HD Plus, Winguard SnowG and Winguard WT1(see textbox for more about what was actually presented in Essen). But it quickly transpired that there is more than this going on.
Swedish agricultural implement manufacturer Väderstad has recently added Starco to its portfolio of certified strategic suppliers. In common with other certification processes completed by Starco in recent years, the Väderstad certification began with a comprehensive audit of the most vital aspects of Starco’s product and service, including quality, product variance, delivery on-time, cost, and service factors such as purchasing, spare parts, service quality and logistics. The audit also included two focus areas of importance to Väderstad; delivery precision and production lead time. Starco shares that it scored top points in the focus areas of quality and delivery.
Nexen Tire has announced it will supply tyres to two European market Dacia models. The Korean tyre maker’s N’BlueHD will be fitted as original equipment on the Dacia Lodgy and Dokker models produced at Renault’s factory in Tangier, Morocco; the Tangier-produced Lodgy and Dokker are sold throughout Europe.
Taking Britain’s oldest and most polluting diesel cars off the roads could save lives, the Government is being told. The RAC Foundation believes that by offering financial incentives, some of the 30,000 people believed killed each year by dirty air in the UK could be saved.
Nexen Tire has appointed Seung-Do Jin, a former Hankook Europe head, as president Nexen Tire Europe. Jin has years of professional experience and, according to the company, his team will be able to align the company in order to “meet all future challenges successfully”.
Income generated by UK car exports more than doubled over the last decade, according to data collated by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). Exports totalled £12 billion in 2004, but rose to £24.8 billion in 2013. During the same period the average wholesale value of each exported car rose from £10,200 (2004) to £20,640 (2013).
At the organisation’s International Automotive Summit in Canary Wharf on 11 June, SMMT Chief Executive Mike Hawes also revealed that, alongside rising manufacturing volumes, the income surge is largely attributable to the shift to building higher-quality models across the country.
Figures from the SMMT show that new car registrations rose 7.7 per cent in May to 194,032 units – the most in May since 2004. This means that the new car market has grown for 27 consecutive months, breaking the record set in the late 1980s. Registrations for 2014-to-date have also passed the one million mark, rising 11.6 per cent to 1,058,974 units. Mike Hawes, SMMT Chief Executive, said, “The new car market has now grown in every month since March 2012 – the longest period of growth on record and a reflection of the UK’s ever-improving economic conditions.
Mitas is proud to announce its selection by TM Racing as an OEM tyre supplier for motocross, enduro and supermoto motorcycles. Mitas will supply C-21 Super and EF-07 Super tyres for enduro motorcycles (EN 300, EN 450FI, EN 530F, EN 125, EN 144, EN 250 and EN 250FI), C-19 and C-20 for motocross motorcycles (MX Junior) and Sport Force radial tyres for its supermoto models (SMM 530F, SMR 530F, SMM 450F, SMR 450F).
Since 2010, most vehicle manufacturers in Europe have been reluctant to engage on the topic of a meaningful and binding industry code of good conduct designed to foster clearer and fairer relations between dealers and manufacturers, says the NFDA (National Franchised Dealers Association).
This position has been adopted by the manufacturer body, ACEA, despite consistent lobbying on the part of dealer representative bodies such as the NFDA, ECD (European Car Dealers – a Division of CECRA) and support from the European Parliament.
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