As of late June, Hankook will begin delivering its tyres as original equipment on the Mini. The BMW owned manufacturer will be supplied with the Ventus Prime from the tyre maker’s plants in South Korea under what Hankook calls a “prestigious cooperation;” the company further notes that with this BMW deal it is now successfully competing against tyre makers such as Bridgestone, Michelin, Goodyear and Continental.
Aston Martin refers to its V8 Vantage S as a “driver-focused” vehicle: “The Vantage S epitomises every attribute of the V8 Vantage and pushes the driver experience beyond what we have offered before,” exclaims Dr. Ulrich Bez, CEO of Aston Martin, “It combines dynamic exhilaration with all the charming finesse, beauty and practicality already associated with the Vantage range.” Bridgestone is thus pleased its Potenza RE050A has been selected as original equipment on the freshly released coupé and roadster. The Bridgestone tyre is fitted to the 430hp Aston Martin in size 245/40 on the front wheels and 285/35 on the rear.
The all-new Chrysler flagship, the 2011 Chrysler 300, is now on sale in the US, and UK sales are tipped to start in spring 2012. The 300 is shipped in four model specifications – Touring, Limited, 300C and 300C AWD – and Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations reports its Firestone-brand FR710 tyre has been selected as standard original equipment on the more upmarket Limited and 300C versions. Another Firestone tyre, the Firehawk GT, will be optional original equipment for the same models.
Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations has announced another original equipment deal for its Firestone brand. The manufacturer will supply Firehawk GT all-season tyres in size 185/55R15 82H to certain Fiat 500 models. In announcing the tyre’s OE supply, Bridgestone comments that the Firestone Firehawk GT is sport-performance tyre engineered to provide a blend of sporty handling while also offering practical all-season traction capability in many different driving conditions.
Bridgestone Americas reports the selection of the Firestone Firehawk GT Pursuit tyre as an original equipment fitment for the ready-for-duty 2011 Dodge Charger Pursuit. The Firehawk GT Pursuit is specifically designed for law enforcement use and is said to combine wet and dry handling with an emphasis on quick steering response. It will be fitted to the Dodge Charger Pursuit in size P225/60R18W.
Continental recommends car manufacturers worldwide adopt the consistent use of direct measuring technology in their new car models to ensure “vehicle tyres are always inflated to an optimum level.” Writing in a press statement promoting the international tyre, TPMS and automotive supplier’s position on the issue, Continental said its recommendation is based on “steadily rising requirements to take on TPMS” and also reflects the “significant potential of direct measuring technology, making it possible to exploit the greater contribution to CO2 reduction.”
Bridgestone has announced that Citroën has selected its Potenza RE050A sports tyre for the Citroën DS3 Racing, Citroën’s hot hatch in the premium DS line. The 215/40R18 tyre is now fitted on all Citroën DS3 Racing production cars. The ultra-high-performance Potenza RE050A is designed to handle the power output of an over 200 hp turbo-charged engine like this Citroën DS3 Racing. It has an asymmetric pattern designed for a dynamic balanced performance with sharp response, precise steering and high-level wet safety.
Dunlop Aircraft Tyres has announced that it has signed up to supply tyres to the 28 aircraft that are maintained by Icelandair Technical Services. The five-year agreement covers both the supply of new tyres and retreading for a fleet of 16 aircraft operated by Icelandair on passenger and cargo routes, as well as 12 flown by airlines in the Nordics and Russia. The company says the deal underlines its high-flying position with Boeing 757-200 operators like Icelandair; Dunlop also supports other major European 757-200 operators such as DHL, First Choice Airways and Thomas Cook.
Michelin has been selected to develop and supply tyres for the first commercial airliner to be designed in China, the Comac C919. The tyre maker reports the contract with the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China grew out of an alliance created in November 2009. Comac intends to have the first prototype C919 in the air by 2014 and Michelin will supply its Air X radial to the 150 to 200 seat single-aisle segment airliner. The C919 is expected to enter commercial service in 2016, with sales of the airliner initially targeted at China’s domestic market.
Bridgestone has confirmed its Potenza S001 is being supplied for original equipment fitment on Audi’s A1. Deliveries of the tyre in size 225/35 R18 87W began last September, the fourth OE supply deal for the Potenza S001 since its launch in February 2010. The Bridgestone tyre is also supplied to the Audi RS5, Aston Martin Rapide and Ferrari 458 Italia. Continental also supplies original equipment tyres for the Audi A1; in February 2011 it reported supply of its ContiSportContact 3 and the ContiPremiumContact 2 tyres in 15, 16 and 18-inch sizes.
Ferrari has chosen the Michelin Pilot Super Sport tyre to be fitted as original equipment on the four-wheel drive Ferrari FF. Michelin told Tyres & Accessories at the launch of the tyre back in November 2010 that the company had worked with Ferrari – in addition to BMW and most prominently Porsche – in the development of the tyre, furthering the link between the French tyre-maker and Italian car manufacturer forged in past OE deals. The tyre has been on the market since the beginning of 2011, and is the fastest ever commercial tyre, according to testing at TÜV-SÜD Automotive.
Deliveries of the Nissan Leaf – the vehicle recently crowned European Car of the Year 2011 – have begun in Europe, and Bridgestone reports that models of this all-electric car sold here and in Japan will be supplied with its Ecopia tyres as original equipment. The tyre maker will supply its Ecopia EP150 in size 205/55R16 91V. This fitment is part of a larger Ecopia EP150 line-up Bridgestone announced in January; the range is now available to fit a wide range of compact and mid-sized passenger cars with 14 to 16-inch rim sizes in 55 to 65 series.
Toyo Tire USA has announced that its Proxes A20 tyre will be fitted as original equipment on Nissan’s new 2011 Murano CrossCabriolet, which is available for sale this week. The Proxes A20 is an all-season tyre designed to reduce noise, while maintaining ride comfort in wet and dry. It also boasts reduced rolling resistance, according to the manufacturer.
Dunlop Aircraft Tyres has announced the signing of a major deal with Korea Aerospace Industries. The Birmingham-based manufacturer will be the exclusive supplier of tyres for its new Korean utility helicopter, the Surion. The aircraft is being developed to replace South Korea’s aging fleet of 500MD and UH-1H aircraft. The Surion made its first flight early in 2010 and more than 245 are on order.
Continental has gained new OE approvals from Audi for both quattro models R8 and RS3, the luxury A8 saloon and the compact A1. The sporty models come equipped with Continental's high-tech ContiSportContact 5 P as well as the economical ContiPremiumContact 2, whilst the A1 is being fitted with the ContiSportContact 3 and the ContiPremiumContact 2. 19-inch diameter tyres have been approved on R8, with tyres up to 21 inches destined for the A8. The RS3 is being fitted with 19-inch tyres, while for the A1 has a choice of 15, 16 and 18-inch sizes.
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