Proxes R35A have been chosen by Toyota for original equipment fitment on the new Prius+. The first full hybrid seven-seater in Europe has been equipped with Toyo 215/50 R17 91V Proxes R35A from launch.
Toyo Proxes R35A tyres reportedly help the Prius+ to offer the lowest emissions of any seven-seater on the market.
Goodyear is supplying some of the most vaunted vehicles at this week’s North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit. The 2013 Ram 1500 and the Tesla Model S have been honoured in two very different categories, though Goodyear supplies the standard tyres on both models.
Remy Automotive UK Ltd has introduced 25 new steering pumps and five new steering racks for popular vehicle applications to its range of parts, which now totals well over 2,000, covering more than 20,000 car applications. These are said to be the first of many new steering references which Remy plans to develop during the course of this year.
Writing on the website AM Online (Automotive Management), Jeremy Bennett reports that Indian manufacturer Tata is showing an interest in Aston Martin. The article quotes a Birmingham Post source that Tata is “one of several potential buyers for Gaydon-based Aston Martin, alongside the likes of Toyota and Mahindra & Mahindra.”
Toyota has recalled 2.8 million cars in order to fix faulty steering columns and water pumps on nine models worldwide. In the UK, the recall is estimated to affect 75,000 cars, including Avensis, Corolla and Prius models. Around 496,000 vehicles are estimated to be affected across Europe.
Infinity Tyres has supplied its INF-05 tyre to the Acorn Motorsport Division team it sponsors in the Maxxis British Drift Championship this year. Its drivers, Ian Waddington and Mark Lappage achieved third and second positions in the Semi Professional and Professional classes respectively, both of which comprised 40 competitors in 2012, while AMD finished fourth in the Constructors Championship. Infinity is pleased with this “creditable” performance, especially considering it was achieved with two cars rather than the three most competitors enter. The concluding fifth and final rounds of the BDC at Knockhill Race Circuit saw Lappage climb into second place overall in the Pro Class, while Waddington held off challengers to claim the third podium position in the Semi-Pro final standings.
Tyre manufacturer Maxxis will be completing a programme of activities at this year’s Top Gear Live, at Birmingham’s NEC from October 25-28, where Jeremy Clarkson, James May, Richard Hammond and their racing driver colleague, The Stig, will be joined by guest drivers and awe inspiring vehicles in the Live Action Arena and Track. Maxxis will seek to raise its profile with a stand in the automotive exhibition. The company says the stand is designed to highlight its strength in depth in car and motorcycle tyres. Also, the ubiquitous Maxxis Babes will be on hand to mingle with fans and pose for photos.
Facebook has just announced that its membership has passed the one billion mark. A smaller, but nevertheless significant, milestone has also been reached by Nitto Tire – on 8 October the company announced that two million Facebook users are now fans of its facebook.com/nittotire page.
Milltek has designed and manufactured a new exhaust system for all three variants of the anticipated ‘Toyobaru’ – a vehicle the company describes as “one of the most hotly-anticipated tuner cars of the last decade”. The Toyota GT86, Subaru BRZ and Scion FR-S – the three versions of the tuning car – is to be offered gains in power “throughout the rev range”, according to Milltek. The exhaust manufacturer’s engineers worked alongside leading Subaru tuner Litchfield to create a design that enhanced the normally aspirated flat-four engine.
The British passenger vehicle market was the only car parc in Europe to increase registrations in July. According to analysis produced by Jato Dynamics, Europe’s new car sales declined by 8.2 per cent in July, and 4.9 per cent year-to-date compared to last year. Great Britain grew 3.5 per cent. Meanwhile Italy and Spain recorded the greatest drops in July unit sales. Volkswagen’s Golf maintained its position as Europe’s top performing model.
London’s largest green minicab company has switched to a full Michelin tyre policy. Explaining the decision to switch over to Michelin, greentomatocars managing director Jonny Goldstone said “Our customers expect us to offer the most environmentally friendly service possible, and working with Michelin helps us to achieve that goal. We believe Michelin products are the best on the market and we have been thoroughly impressed with the tyres since we started using them in February this year.”
First Line’s Borg & Beck braking programme was launched by First Line in February after more than a year’s work. The production team behind the range aimed to ensure that the programme “provides installers with a range of high quality, matching original equipment components designed to rival the ‘genuine’ or OES parts offered by the franchised dealer,” the company says. This meant that when an OES pad set incorporated a chamfered edge, shim, slot, or included a wear indicator lead, then the Borg & Beck pad set would do so too.
The Maxxis Bighorn MT762 radial tyre is designed to delivers a smooth ride on the road alongside superior off-road grip, especially in muddy conditions. One characteristic you don’t necessarily expect from mud tyres is longevity, but a driver in Australia predicts he has recorded a total 100,000km out of a set of Bighorn tyres. The feat isn’t “half bad”, according to electrician and refrigeration mechanic Bob Stokes, whose modifications to a 76 Series Toyota Landcruiser have been chronicled by Australian motoring magazine 4WD Action.
Cooper Tire & Rubber Company has launched a new addition to its performance winter tyre range, the WeatherMaster WSC – which stands for winter and snow confidence. The tyre’s directional tread design and high-silica polymer, low-modulus tread compound are designed to provide increased grip on icy, slushy and wet surfaces. It is launched in sizes suitable for SUVs and some passenger cars, including the BMW X3, Lexus RX350/450, Mazda 3 and 5, Toyota Rav-4 and Nissan Murano.
Team Nexen Tire Europe drivers Alan Sinnot and Luke Fink dominated the Drift Allstars Europe season opener in Birmingham, taking the top two places. The team, which launched on the Friday before the event, runs on Nexen’s new N8000 tyres. Luis Lopez also joined the two drivers in the Nexen team, which launched on the Friday before the event.
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