Hot off the back of beating a four wheel-drive Group N rally car on a Wales Rally GB stage ahead of the event recently, a Yokohama-shod Ariel Nomad has again won critical acclaim from the media. The Nomad scored third in Autocar’s Best Driver’s Car 2015, finishing behind the Ferrari 488 GTB in first and the Porsche 911 GT3 RS.
Austrian motorcycle manufacturer KTM has chosen the Metzeler Sportec M7 RR as the original equipment tyre for its 690 Duke. The new mid-capacity naked will receive the Sportec M7 RR in size 120/70 ZR 17 M/C (58W) TL (M) for the front wheel and 160/60 ZR 17 M/C (69W ) TL for the rear.
Michelin Tyre has appointed Stewart Pooley, 58, as UK original equipment country manager for the company’s truck and bus division. The 26-year Michelin veteran assumes the role after two years as sales manager for Michelin solutions. The role will see Pooley working closely with domestic bus, coach, trailer and truck manufacturers, as well as advising manufacturers importing finished vehicles into the UK from production plants worldwide.
Mercedes-Benz has approved the Michelin X Line Energy Front and X Line Energy D2 tyres as original equipment options on its Actros. Starting January 2016, customers ordering the long-haul truck can request fitment of the Front in size 385/55R22.5 and the D2 drive tyre in size 315/70R22.5.
Michelin’s 315/70 R 22.5 X Line Energy tyres has become MAN’s preferred choice for its new EfficientLine2 model. The tyres’ fuel-saving credentials are cited as MAN’s key consideration, with the model designed for improved efficiency. Trials were conducted with the support of Michelin’s UK technical team; the tyres ran a 130 mile test route for a week.
The Conti Hybrid HT3 is being introduced as a standard tyre in truck trailer manufacturer Schmitz Cargobull’s product portfolio. Commenting on the tyre’s selection by Schmitz Cargobull, Peter Matzke, head of OE Truck Tyres at Continental remarked: “We are delighted that Schmitz Cargobull has included our Conti Hybrid HT3 in its original equipment manufacturing portfolio, further strengthening our longstanding collaboration.”
Pirelli is now an original equipment provider of both summer and winter tyres to the BMW X5 M and X6 M. For the warmer months, Pirelli has 100 per cent OE on the 20-inch fitment, supplying its P Zero in size 285/40R20 104Y for the front wheel and 325/35R20 108Y for the rear. And when summer comes to an end, the Pirelli Scorpion Winter has been homologated for the sporty BMW SUVs in size 285/40R20 108V XL. The tyres’ status as products tailor-made for BMW is indicated by the presence of the (*) sidewall marking.
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) is now fitting Kumho tyres to the new Jeep Renegade SUVs produced in its Melfi plant in Italy. The Kumho Crugen Premium KL33 has been approved as an original equipment tyre for the Renegade in sizes 215/60R17 100V XL and 225/55R18 98H. Kumho already delivers original equipment tyres to FCA for the Jeep Grand Cherokee and Fiat Freemont.
Toyo’s new New NanoEnergy 3 is the latest addition to its NanoEnergy range and is aimed squarely at the compact and mid-range car sector. As with all preceding NanoEnergy models, the latest incarnation of these popular tyres offers safety, durability, fuel savings and efficiency characteristics, states the manufacturer.
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.
Bridgestone’s Battlax Racing Street RS10 tyre will be original equipment on Kawasaki’s 2016 model Ninja ZX-10R, the top-ranked model in the Superbike World Championship 2015.
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.
It’s already gained the attention of Auto Express’s tyre testers, been rated “exemplary” and taken top honours in this month’s Auto Bild test of ten all-season tyres, and gained approval as original equipment on Audi, Ford, Vauxhall/Opel and Renault models. Therefore it’s high time that we report the launch of the second generation Goodyear Vector 4Seasons.
After reporting the approval of its Vector 4Seasons as original equipment for the new Renault Kadjar, Goodyear has given word of further OEM homologations for its all-season tyre. The Vector 4Seasons is also being supplied to Audi for fitment on the A1, to Ford as an original equipment tyre for the Fiesta, Focus and Focus C-Max, and to Vauxhall/Opel for the Adam and Corsa.
The Goodyear Vector 4Seasons has been named an original equipment fitment for Renault’s new mid-size SUV. Those wishing to have their Kadjar roll on all-season rubber will receive the Goodyear tyre in 215/60R17 96H.
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