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Goodyear Launches High Performance Tyre

Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. announced the latest offering in its line of high-performance tyres, the Eagle GT. Starting in July, the Eagle GT will be available in 24 sizes representing 70 per cent of the volume potential in this segment, according to the tiremaker. Goodyear will add 19 more sizes by September, creating a 43-size lineup that ranges from 15- to 22-inch wheel diameters.

Design features include an aggressive dual zone asymmetric tread with an outboard High Performance Zone to aid grip and responsive handling, and an all season zone on the inboard side for all-season traction. Microgrooves in the all season zone help provide traction during normal driving, but lock together in handling maneuvers to provide a solid foundation for cornering, Goodyear said. (Tire Review/Akron)

2nd June 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Jury for Michelin Challenge Design Named

The 2009 judging panel for Michelin Challenge Design has been announced, and in July the panel will meet to select the vehicle designs and concepts that will make up the special exhibition at the 2009 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit.

The central theme for this year, the eighth in which the international competition has been held, is ‘Brave and Bold, America’s Next Iconic Vehicle’, and Michelin says that companies, studios, design teams and individual designers from more than 45 countries have submitted full-size vehicles, scale models and renderings. The designs will be evaluated, says Michelin, for uniqueness, emotional appeal, design courage and technical execution.

2nd June 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Right to Repair Group Calls for Sector Specific Regulations to Remain

The UK Right to Repair Campaign (UK R2RC) has welcomed a statement from the European Commission that its evaluation of the Motor Vehicle Block Exemption Regulation’ of 2002 does not prejudge any decision on the future of that legislation. However, UK R2RC also said that parts of the Commission’s proposals would add uncertainty, and penalise the independent aftermarket by making it harder to remedy incidences of market abuse. The independent aftermarket, the organisation added, needs simple and sector-specific legislation.

Jim Mazza, Chairman of UK R2RC, said “though the tone of the report is softer than expected, it still understates the benefits to consumers and the independent aftermarket alike of having a single piece of legislation regulating the availability of service and repair information and the supply of replacement parts.

2nd June 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

CTNA Debuts Redesigned Media Website

In May Continental Tire North America (CTNA) launched its completely redesigned news website www.CTNAMedia.com. The site features a distinctive new look, and Conti explains that it comes with a variety of new features that make it an ‘even more exciting and useful online destination’.

“We are very excited about the new design of CTNAMedia.com,” said Dana Zamalloa, CTNA manager of PR and communications. “We are particularly proud of our unique online product request module, which makes it easy for editors and project vehicle builders to place their tyre requests electronically.”

2nd June 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Michelin Ranked No.1 in J.D. Power Winter Tyre Survey

For the fifth year in a row J.D. Power Asia Pacific has ranked Michelin the top brand for Japanese motorists in terms of winter tyre product satisfaction. The J.D. Power Asia Pacific 2008 Japan Winter Tire Customer Satisfaction Index Study is also itself now in its fifth year and measures customer satisfaction in five key areas: performance on snow covered roads, icy roads and regular roads, as well as tyre appearance and quality/durability. The overall index score is calculated based on customer evaluations and scored on a 1,000-point scale.

Average customer satisfaction for all brands is 592 points, up ten points since 2006. Industry-wide, the survey has shown tyre performance in icy and regular road conditions to have improved during the past three years. However, performance on icy road conditions has consistently received low ratings during the past three years, and according to the survey results continues to be an area for improvement for the industry.

2nd June 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Custom Wheels Entering US Aftermarket Mainstream – SEMA

Custom wheels and performance tyres in the US are rapidly expanding beyond the hot rod and racing market and into the mainstream aftermarket population, reports the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA). Retail sales of custom wheels increased from US$1.265 billion in 1991 to more than $4.5 billion last year, a rise of 257 per cent. The percentage of cars produced with custom wheels has grown from 40.3 per cent in 1996 to 66.5 per cent in 2006, and the number of light trucks so equipped has gone from 70.9 per cent to 72.2 per cent during the same period.

Specialty/performance tyres often follow the custom-wheel market, SEMA adds. When customers upgrade the wheels on a vehicle, there is an inclination to do the same for the tyres. The market for performance tyres is slightly larger than the custom-wheel market. Performance tyres generated $4.4 billion in retail sales in 2006.

2nd June 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Cooper Tire Europe Plaintiff in Cartel Lawsuit

A number of tyre manufacturers have filed a lawsuit against chemical producers alleged to be members of a cartel operating in the late 1990s and early this decade. According to a report published by Czech Republic newspaper the Prague Daily Monitor, Cooper Tire & Rubber Company Europe Limited and 25 other plaintiffs filed the UK based lawsuit with the High Court of Justice, Queen’s Bench Division, on February 22. The 26 plaintiffs are said to be seeking an unspecified amount of compensation from 23 companies.

One of defendants, Czech group Unipetrol, received notification of the lawsuit in late May. Speaking to the Prague Daily Monitor, a company spokeswoman, Blanka Ruzickova, said: “It is now being analysed by our lawyers, but it is sure that we are going to defend ourselves. The lawsuit is based on an accusation of a cartel agreement that we rejected already two years ago and that we still reject.”

2nd June 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Kumho Tires Starts Work on Central R&D Centre

Kumho Tires makes no secret of its ambition to stand amongst the world’s top five tyre companies by 2015, and one channel the company says it will use to achieve this is to strengthen the Kumho R&D network. One key part of the South Korean manufacturer’s strengthening programme is the planned Kumho central R&D centre in Yong-in, Gyeonggi Province, and on May 15 an official ceremony was held to mark the start of construction work at the site. Numerous company executives and employees, including CEO Sae-Chul Oh, attended the ceremony.

The anticipated completion date for the central R&D centre is the latter half of next year. A sum of 70 billion KRW will be invested into the project, which will cover a floor space of 24,092 square metres and a land area of 34,842 square metres. The facility is planned to be, says Kumho, one of the world’s top three central R&D centres.

2nd June 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Devalued Rupee Leads to Opposing Opinions on Tyre Dumping Duty

Depreciation of India’s Rupee against the US dollar is leading to stronger voices being raised for and against the country’s dumping duty on imported tyres. At present the duty is applied to bias tyres, and the All India tyre Dealers’ Federation (AITDF) is calling for its abolition in face of prices that effectively have increased 10 per cent in the last two to three months.

“Over the last eight to ten weeks, the rupee has depreciated by 10 per cent vis-à-vis dollar,” commented AITDF head SP Singh. “This has resulted in an increase of Rs 2,100 in the prices of a pair of radial truck and bus tyres. Moreover, the existing anti-dumping duty on bias tyres has already hit imports. So, we want the import duty to be abolished to compensate for the impact of rupee depreciation on the import of latest technology radial tyres.”

2nd June 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Sumitomo Increasing Capacity at China Facility

Plans are reportedly underway to increase capacity at the Sumitomo Rubber (Changshu) Co. Ltd tyre facility in China by 20 per cent. Capacity at the factory, opened four years ago, has already been expanded once, and this latest round will increase daily output by some 30,000 passenger car tyres and 3,500 truck and bus tyres. About £68 million will be invested in the project.

2nd June 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Kumho On Top at Jim Clark Rally

Kumho notched up another rally success at the Jim Clark event held on the weekend of May 23-25. The rally, which Kumho describes as effectively being five events in one, ended with the first four places in the National event held by Kumho shod vehicles. Finishing in the top four spots were:

David Kynaston/Andy Russell (Audi A3 Quattro)
Andy Fenwick/Lee Tindall (Skoda Octavia WRC)
David Mann/Alun Cook (Subaru Impreza WRC)
Alistair Thorburn/Paul McGuire (Subaru Impreza)

Andy Fenwick and Lee Tindall, who returned to the Kumho fold this year after a season on rival rubber, were also the outright victors of the Reivers event.

2nd June 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Yokohama Geared Up for Success at Isle of Man TT

After a week of practice racing in the Isle of Man TT gets underway on May 31, and Yokohama is proud that its tyres will see plenty of three-wheel action in the coming days. It reports that, once again, it is by far the dominant tyre brand in the sidecar class, with no less than 41 of the 58 entrants running on Yokohama products, serviced by Yokohama HPT dealer Express Tyres.

The favourite for the two race wins has to be Dave Molyneux, the third most successful rider ever in the history of the Isle of Man TT in terms of race wins, behind John Surtees and Joey Dunlop. He holds the position as the most successful sidecar racer, with 13 wins to his credit and giving Yokohama an outstanding record of 14 consecutive years with a win on the island. Other top runners in the class have also chosen to ride on Yokohama, with last year’s early leader Nick Crowe looking to heap the pressure on Molyneux once again. Crowe also has the island lap record under his belt, an accolade he took from Molyneux at last year’s event, with a stunning lap averaging 116.667mph over the 37-mile course. On top of this, Yokohama regular John Holden is tipped to put up a strong showing, as he, Crowe and Molyneux were the main protagonists in last year’s event.

30th May 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

A Little Bit Different: Vogue Follows Its Own Path in Industry

Founded in 1914, Vogue Tyre has always been a little different, a bit more upscale. Best known as “that Cadillac tyre,” Vogue catered to top-end cars and sold what was touted as the industry’s first whitewall, a stark contrast to the day’s solid black tyres. Later, it added its now trademark white/gold sidewall stripes.

A family-owned company then as it is now, Vogue has never aspired to be a major tyre player, but rather wants to be known as a quality company with quality people (180 of them) offering quality products. The Mt. Prospect, Illinois-based Vogue is also a quality customer, celebrating its 70th anniversary as a Goodyear customer – and as Goodyear’s oldest private brand account.

30th May 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Michelin Sponsors Land Rover Monthly Billing Show

Michelin will be title sponsor of the LRM (Land Rover Monthly) Billing Show, which takes place at Billing Aquadrome, Northampton from 18 to 20 July. This year marks the 60th anniversary of the launch of the iconic Land Rover brand; and follows the company’s recent purchase by India’s Tata Group from Ford.

An annual show for Land Rover enthusiasts, Billing provides the platform for Michelin to showcase its comprehensive 4×4 tyre range. This covers all market sectors from heavy duty off-road and multi purpose tyres, to high performance on-road tyres for vehicles such as the Porsche Cayenne and Range Rover Sport.

30th May 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Infinity Distributors Mix Business and Pleasure at ‘Partners Day’

The Infinity brand is one that steadily continues to gain momentum in Europe as a popular choice for competitively priced quality in the passenger car and truck sectors. The number of distributors that have been appointed in 25 countries throughout the region is growing and, towards the end of April parent company – The Al Dobowi Group in conjunction with their European associate – Goldspark Trading Limited, organised a special three-day dealership event for both new and existing distributors.

At the ‘Infinity Partners Day’ Infinity distributors from Europe, the UK and Ireland were invited to be the guests of Al Dobowi’s Chairman, Mr Surender Singh Kandhari and his family for a combination of business and recreation in the United Arab Emirates. Attendees came from all corners of Europe and included Bond International (UK), Kings Road Tyres (UK), Daly Tyres (Ireland) Kings Road Tyres (Ireland), Reifen Ruhdorfer (Austria), Fort Pneus (France), Intergomma (Italy), Distyre (Spain), Guitires (Spain), Heuver Banden (Netherlands), Euro-Tyre (Netherlands), AKH (Hungary) and Latex (Poland.)

30th May 2008/by Tyrepress Editors