In a move intended to further strengthen its product offering at home, Apollo Tyres Ltd. has launched its 2009-aquired Vredestein marque in India. Products sold in India bearing this long-established European brand name will be manufactured locally, and Apollo Tyres is initially offering a line-up of car and SUV tyres that will “cater to the premium and luxury segment” as well as motorcycle tyres for the “growing superbiking segment in India.”
According to Auto Bild Allrad, winter tyres continue to improve in regards to their performance – but are also becoming pricier. The specialist SUV and 4×4 publication thus asks whether these products are worth buying. In order to provide an answer, it tested ten premium, value and budget tyres in size 235/55 R18. What Auto Bild Allrad found is that it is still possible to get “good performance at a fair price” when buying winter tyres. It rated the two best-scoring performers as ‘exemplary’ products and named them this year’s joint winners.
Yokohama Rubber Co. Ltd.’s Advan Sport V105 tyres have been selected by Volkswagen of America for its Atlas Cross Sport GT Concept, which was unveiled in July. The car is fitted with 285/35ZR22 106Y size V105 tyres.
In the preamble to its latest tyre test, Auto Bild Allrad comments that the “future belongs to all-season tyres” and notes the evolution of these products into a true alternative to dedicated summer or winter tyres. This year, the German magazine for 4×4 and SUV enthusiasts tested ten brands of all-season tyre in size 215/65 R17. Victory was claimed by the Hankook Kinergy 4S2 X, a tyre that Auto Bild’s testers declared an “exemplary compromise” for safe driving in all weather conditions.
Giti Tire has launched its new winter tyre on the European aftermarket. The GitiWinterW2 delivers improved dry dynamics, wet braking and aquaplaning resistance, the manufacturer states, while snow and ice grip and traction are maintained from the first edition. The tyre is available initially in 13 car and SUV sizes, including the 10 most popular in the European market, for rims between 15 and 19-inches. Giti adds that extra sizes will be introduced in 2022. The tyre targets a wide range of vehicles, from small and medium cars such as the VW Polo or VW Golf up to premium limousines such as the Mercedes C Class. CUV and SUV sizes are designed to be fitted on popular models like the Nissan Qashqai and VW Tiguan.
Giti Tire’s all-season tyre range has been boosted by 13 new sizes of the GT Radial 4Seasons tyre. Launched in May 2018 at Tire Cologne, the passenger car portfolio has increased by eight sizes to stand at 28, and now covers 26 of the 30 of the most in-demand sizes in Europe. The manufacturer has added five new SUV-marked tyres, bringing the SUV derivative up to a total of eight size options. The GT Radial 4Seasons range now includes 13 of the top 20 SUV size combinations in Europe, which equates to 70 per cent of market demand.
Kumho’s Crugen HP71 tyres are original equipment (OE) on the 2021 Nissan Pathfinder SUV. Specifically, new Nissan Pathfinders will leave the production line shod with 255/60 R18 products.
Kevin Burke Tyres (KBT) has signed an initial three-year distribution partnership with Groupe Michelin brand BFGoodrich. The wholesaler will supply BFGoodrich tyres across the whole of Ireland until at least mid-2024 with the option to extend for a further two years. The deal covers BFGoodrich car, van, SUV and 4×4 tyres, all of which will be stocked for next-day delivery at KBT’s warehouse facility in Athenry, County Galway. The company has stocked “large quantities” of BFGoodrich tyres since 2015, it said, with the new deal representing the latest step in its developing relationship with the brand. The deal follows news from Great Britain that newly appointed UK BFGoodrich 4×4 wholesaler Micheldever Tyre Services has almost doubled its sales of the brand in the last year.
The Hyundai Alcazar was launched recently on Apollo Apterra Cross tyres. Within few months of its launch, Apollo Apterra Cross has been chosen as the standard fitment tyre for the Hyundai Alcazar in 18-inch tyre size. This is also the first OE fitment approval received for Apterra Cross tyres, which was launched in March this year.
More than a year after its counterpart for conventional saloons came to market, Goodyear is introducing the UltraGrip Performance+ SUV. This new tyre range covers the growing SUV and crossover market by offering consumers a “technology-packed winter tyre that increases the versatility and contributes to the safety of their vehicles.”
Micheldever Tyre and Auto Services has become a four- time winner of the Pirelli 4×4 Key Dealer of the Year award in the sixth year of running the accolade. Each year, the 4×4 Key Dealer of the Year award gives 15 of Pirelli’s exclusive 4×4 Key Dealer Club members the opportunity to nominate one of their depots to enter for the prestigious award. As part of the process, each depot must take part in a number of independently-run mystery shop audits.
Kumho’s Ecsta UHP tyre range is currently represented by the PS91 and PS71 models, covering fitments between 17 and 21”. This Ecsta range has been embellished with runflat and SUV variants, extending its reach into other areas of the market, and in the process collecting an original equipment homologation on the BMW 5 Series.
With SUV tyres the fastest-growing replacement tyre segment during the last decade, branching out in this area has been one of the main targets of Triangle’s ongoing product development strategy. The introduction of AdvanteX SUV TR259 therefore represents a big leap forwards for Triangle towards high-quality and high-value SUV customers.
The Toyota Yaris has gone the way of the Mini and Fiat 500 and bulked out to meet market demand. Toyota has launched the Yaris Cross, a new and larger version of its popular supermini. It designed this B-segment SUV specifically for the European market and has selected Goodyear as an original equipment tyre supplier. The Toyota Yaris Cross will wear the Goodyear EfficientGrip Performance 2 in size 215/50R18 with a load/speed rating of 92V.
More than half of European drivers with all-season tyres choose them for their convenience as all-season tyres do not need to be changed twice a year. Another reason, according to the survey conducted by Nokian Tyres in the past year, is the safety aspect. 50 per cent believe that all-season tyres are safe enough to use throughout the whole year in central Europe and they meet all the regulatory requirements for winter tyres. The survey was conducted in four countries: Germany, France, Italy and Poland. The new Nokian Seasonproof all-season tyre is designed for drivers who need reliability and first-class safety for snowy and slushy winter days but who also want top-notch performance and effortless driving feel in the summer.
Read our sister site WhatTyre’s most recommended all-season tyres for 2021, the winner of the inaugural WhatTyre All-Season Tyre of the Year, and why an all-season tyre was WhatTyre’s pick for the overall 2021 Tyre of the Year.
If you would like the latest news from the Chinese tyre industry in Chinese, visit our partner site TyrepressChina.com. Or click below to continue on Tyrepress.
VW; Yokohama
Kumho
Hyundai
Triangle
Nokian