On 2 December 2020 Pirelli announced price increases in the United States for car and light truck tyres, taking effect on 1 January 2021. According to the company, the increases will vary according to the tyre model and size.
One way or another 2020 has been an eventful year for all of us. The same is true at Apollo Tyres where, at a global level, the company has had to navigate pandemic-related production pauses and restarts along with new factory openings and the decision to enter the two-wheel segment. At the same time as continuing to develop the Apollo brand, the company has also given the Vredestein brand a big push during the last month or so. First, with the launch of a new all-season range, then with the introduction of a new North American tyre line-up and – in order to support both – a pitch-side advertising partnership with Manchester United football club. Tyres & Accessories recently interviewed Neeraj Kanwar, vice chairman and MD, Apollo Tyres Ltd in order to find out more.
Introducing its 2020 all-season tyre test, Auto Bild Allrad comments that these particular products weren’t always highly regarded. Their reputation was tarnished with allegations of compromise; rather than a true alternative to summer or winter tyres, they were viewed as a choice best suited to drivers who demanded little from their tyres. In the words of the specialist 4×4 and SUV magazine, an all-season tyre “used to be a bad summer tyre and then, in the second half of the year, a bad winter tyre.” But its current test shows that the story is very different today.
An absence of alps, frequent sub-zero temperatures and heavy snowfalls make winter tyres a hard sell in the UK. And just as our football fans’ capacity to brave the cold has earned them bemused respect throughout Europe, the average British motorist is content to soldier on with summer tyres even when the mercury drops. But for those who decide to invest in a set of dedicated winter tyres, it’s worth making sure you know what you’re getting.
Leo Mandlsperger may not be a household name over here, but in Germany and some other markets he is famed for his falconry. Now, he is endorsing Loder Tire’s new AT#1 tyre. At the same time, Loder Tire’s distribution partner, delta4x4, is offering a special promotion for all off-road enthusiasts.
4×4 tyre sales may have fallen due to the effects of coronavirus and lockdown, but prices in certain key sizes are actually higher than they were before those challenges presented themselves at the start of the year. Tyres & Accessories spoke to tyre market and pricing data experts Encircle Marketing in order to learn the details.
When you break the data down by size, a number of interesting trends are immediately identifiable. Firstly, there was a clear pre-lockdown price fall in February. The average price of a 255/55 R19 V tyre, for example, fell almost £6 from £138.10 to £132.86 between January and February. However, the average price of this size recovered to a point higher than the January starting point in March (£138.90).
The latest data might show that 4×4 replacement tyre sales are down 6 per cent, however Tyres & Accessories asked market analysts GfK how past trends compare with current realities and found: 4×4 tyres have been hit by the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, but far less than most other segments. At the same time, the all-season 4×4 tyre sub-segment witnessed some examples of positive growth.
4×4 tyre sales may have fallen due to the effects of coronavirus and lockdown, but prices in certain key sizes are actually higher than they were before those challenges presented themselves at the start of the year. Tyres & Accessories spoke to tyre market and pricing data experts Encircle Marketing in order to find out more.
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Germanophone auto clubs, ADAC, the Austrian Automobile, Motorcycle and Touring Club (ÖAMTC) and the Touring Club Switzerland (TCS) have presented the results of their joint all-season tyre test. Despite the rising popularity of all-season tyres in European markets, the clubs did not recommend any of the seven tyres in the test without condition. The tyres were tested in size 235/55R17 103V/Y using a Ford Kuga as an exemplifier of heavier, larger SUVs, which are themselves increasing in popularity throughout Western Europe. Such vehicles are also amongst those most likely to fit all-season products. Tyres tested were Bridgestone’s Weather Control A005, Conti’s AllSeasonContact, Goodyear’s Vector 4Seasons Gen-2, Michelin’s CrossClimate +, Nokian’s Weatherproof, Uniroyal’s AllSeasonExpert 2, and Vredestein’s Quatrac Pro. The publication of the test was delayed from its original planned publication date in April due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Micheldever Tyre Services (MTS) is celebrating 25 years of its partnership as the sole distributor of the General Tire products in the UK.
Upon launching in July 1995, the partnership set out to introduce General Tire’s world-renowned 4×4 tyres to the British market and as the working relationship developed and General Tire’s reputation in the UK grew, in 2009 the General Tire range of car and van tyres was also made available for UK customers.
The Covid-19 pandemic and lockdown has made 2020 an annus horribilis for the UK car tyre market, with a near quarter-long lockdown slashing miles driven, original equipment sales due to prolonged factory closures, and reducing sales opportunities further with the government’s MOT exemption. However, tyre businesses have begun ramping up again in response to the reopening of business sectors, people returning to work, and the possibility that private car usage could become increasingly popular as commuters avoid public transport – though the trend for working from home could create more than a headwind for any growth in miles driven. Perhaps the greatest driver of UK car tyre sales growth in 2020 could be the projected spike in MOTs in the autumn, as the period of exemption expires for many pandemic affected motorists. Halfords Autocentres estimates that there could be an 85 per cent jump in demand for MOTs in October – click here for Tyrepress’s own analysis of the MOT situation. Why is this important in a feature about all-season and winter tyres? As we are about to see, the all-season tyre segment continued its impressive growth over April 2019 – March 2020.
Avon is preparing to introduce a new all-season product: the Avon AS7. Boasting both 3PMSF (Three Peak Mountain Snow Flake) and M+S (Mud and Snow) ratings, it is designed to deliver reliable traction in unpredictable weather and demanding conditions all year round. The tyre is the latest in the Cooper Tire portfolio, joining the launch of the Cooper Discoverer A/T3 Sport 2 (pictured) earlier in 2020, and enhancing the company’s all-season portfolio.
Cooper Tire Europe is supplying tyres to 4×4 tuner Brute Jeeps. Cooper will provide Brute, which focuses on creating exclusive customised editions of the Jeep Wrangler, with “professional off-road tyres”.
Cooper Tire has invested in increasing production capacity at its Kruševac, Serbia tyre manufacturing plant. – Cooper Tire Serbia, a subsidiary of Cooper Tire & Rubber Company, is managing the US$55 million equipment upgrade and facility upgrade project. As a result of the investment, Cooper’s Kruševac facility will expand to more than 882,000 square feet, adding 118 new jobs.
Continental is a founding partner and, from 2021, the premium sponsor of the Extreme E series. In this role, Conti will fit all race vehicles with tyres for the very challenging action. Indeed, according to the tyre and automotive supplier, Extreme E is the biggest challenge tyres have faced in motorsport. With this in mind, Nico Meier, product designer at Continental, talks about the challenges Extreme E tyres are exposed to in this unprecedented series, the importance of the tyre sidewall in general, and the sidewall design of the Extreme E tyre in particular.
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Loder Tire
Encircle Marketing
Dariusz Sakowski; Pixabay
Andrew Martin; Pixabay
General Tire
Yokohama
Cooper; Brute
Cooper Tire
Continental