(Akron/Tire Review) Pirelli Scorpion LT/SUV tires have earned an OE position on the 2006 Ford F-150. The new F-150 Harley-Davidson model will have 22-inch wheels with Pirelli Scorpion Zero Asimmetrico tires in size P275/45R22. And the F-150 FX4, Lariat, and King Ranch models will have an available 20-inch wheel with Pirelli Scorpion ATR tyres in size P275/55R20. Pirelli Tire North America said this was the first OE fitment for the Scorpion ATR.
(Akron/Tire Review) Toyo Tire (USA) Corp. said it would increase prices on all of its passenger and light truck/SUV tyres by up to 8 per cent, effective Jan. 1, 2006. No pricing announcement was made regarding Toyo’s commercial tyres.
Michelin has launched its Alpin, Pilot Alpin and Latitude products on the Bulgarian market. While the Alpin will provide a new winter option for the Bulgarian market and the Pilot Alpin will provide a higher specification winter option, the Latitude SUV tyre is seen as something of a novelty, the Sofia News Agency reported.
(Akron/Tire Review) Toyo Tires International has begun “prototype tyre production” at its Toyo Tire North America (TTNA) plant in White, Georgia. The first test tyres rolled off the line on 10 October, just a year after ground was broken for the highly automated plant. Toyo officials said that upon completion of product quality checks and performance tests, TTNA will launch commercial production in early 2006. The plant will have an initial capacity of 2 million passenger and light truck/SUV tyres per year.
At the beginning of September Van den Ban Autobanden BV launched its new ‘Clear’ brand in several European countries. Produced in China, the new exclusive brand, is said to have attracted “a great deal of interest” already. Van den Ban has stated its intention to enhance its size range by the end of 2005, but the company says its “ultimate objective” is to present a comprehensive portfolio of over 30 high performance size options in due course. There are even plans to extend the range to include SUV and truck sizes. The Clear HP166 model is being promoted on the basis of its V-shaped pattern. In addition to wet and dry traction performance, the new tyre is said to include a rim protector to guard against wheel damage.
In response to sky-high fuel prices, US consumers are switching their SUVs for CUVs or crossover utility vehicles. Sema’s Research and Information Center has published figures which suggest that although American vehicle owners are becoming more efficiency conscious, there are no signs that they will abandon SUVs altogether. 56 per cent of those surveyed indicated that they do not plan to downsize their vehicles at all.
Continental Tire North America has announced that it is increasing prices on its replacement passenger and light truck/SUV tyres by up to 8 per cent. However, the increase is not due to take effect until 1 January 2006. The price increase includes all Continental, General and private brand tyres.
Less than a month ago, Continental announced a second price increase in the US (passenger and light truck tyres), of between 3 and 8 per cent, which became effective 1 October after a 6 per cent rise last February. Analysts expect Continental and the industry in general to fully offset raw material price increases.
(Akron/Tire Review) Bridgestone/Firestone North American Tire’s (BFNAT) lone Canadian tyre plant is celebrating its 40th anniversary this week. The celebrations at the Joliette, Quebec, plant included a large family event, attended by nearly 1,000 workers and their families, as well as local and provincial officials.
“We are very proud of how far we’ve come in 40 years and are confident for the future of the plant, now favourably positioned to face world competition,” said plant general manager Isaku Motohashi. The nearly one-million-square-foot plant employs some 1,250 workers, and produces passenger and light truck/SUV tyres.
Following numerous complaints from pickup and SUV owners, General Motors Corp has issued a US recall for 804,000 of its Chevrolet and GMC branded vehicles. The complaints refer to a problem caused by corrosion from road salt gets in between the casing surface and the sensor of the manufacturer’s ABS system. The problem is reported to lead to false readings, causing the anti-lock brakes to activate at the wrong speeds, alarming drivers and making stopping difficult.
Matador divides its winter tyre portfolio into three levels – mild winter for use in Western Europe; mountainous, for central and Eastern Europe; and, for the most extreme winters, the Scandanavian/Siberian range. According to Matador, the company’s Western European products (MP 59 Nordicca and MP 58 M+S Silika) are “renowned for good driving properties on snow, wet snow as well as on wet roads.”
(Akron/Tire Review) Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. is looking to launch a number of new products by the end of this year that will be “more impactful” than its already popular Assurance and upgraded Fortera and Wrangler lines. So said Bob Keegan during a briefing with analysts after revealing the company’s first half results. While he would not elaborate, Keegan told analysts, “We have more impactful products that will be introduced later this year.” Goodyear said sales of its Assurance line are well ahead of last year’s, and its revised Fortera and Wrangle light truck/SUV tyres are selling faster than its Assurance tyres.
Across the Texas prairie, in a place where the staff occasionally encounter rattle snakes, Cooper’s 1000 acre Tire and Vehicle Test Center can be found. Originally constructed in 1999, the site has recently been upgraded through the addition of 4×4 and off-road testing facilities. Tyres & Accessories travelled to San Antonio to experience Cooper’s newly enlarged test centre first hand.
The most recent developments at Cooper’s Tire and Vehicle Test Center (TVTC) prove that the $13 million it originally spent on the facility was just the beginning. Now the company has 4×4 testing capabilities and it is likely that there will be further additions in due course. For now the centre’s primary work is product testing and competitor benchmarking.
Toyo Tire & Rubber Co. Ltd is to “spin off” the Nitto brand division of Toyo Tire (USA) Corp, incorporating it as a separate company. The new business will be called Nitto Tire North America Incorporated, from 1 July 2005.
Less than three years ago, the Governor of Georgia and Guy Mannino, President of Pirelli Tire North America (PTNA), pushed the button to start production at Pirelli’s first Modular Integrated Robotized System (MIRS) module in North America, in Rome, Georgia.
Federal Tire’s subsidiary in Jiang Xi, China (JFT) will invest $30 million into equipment and people to double annual capacity to 5 million units a year, by the end of 2005. According to the company the investment is required due to an increase in demand for its tyres.
The majority of the investment will go towards the purchase of curing presses, tyre building, uniformity inspection equipment and mixers as JFT increases the size of its current tyres and finalises plans for new additions to its product line. JFT manufactures a range of Hero and Federal brand tyres including UHP, PCR, SUV, light truck.
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