Global markets and tyre markets interact with each other. With economics and indeed the tyre market being more “global” than ever, events in one market are bound to have a greater impact on other markets than ever. And with Europe having experienced its share of political and especially economic instability in the last decade, while […]
Cinturato All-Season designed for markets like the UK Pirelli has launched a new all-season tyre aimed at increasing premium seasonal tyre sales amongst daily drivers living in markets with temperate European climates and especially in urban areas. The Cinturato All-Season not only marks the first time that Pirelli has really pushed an all-season tyre under […]
The gap at the top of Hankook Tyre UK’s management following Gaugseung Lee’s appointment as vice-president of marketing and sales for Europe has been filled by Jong Jin Park. Mr. Park is now managing director of Hankook’s second largest entity in Europe, and joins Hankook Tyre UK with more than ten years of experience in various positions within the company.
Hankook has confirmed reports of Gangseung ‘Tony’ Lee’s appointment as vice president of marketing and sales for Europe. The manufacturer said his appointment reflects both the continual and long-term growth of the Hankook brand in the European tyre market as well as the increasing importance of the European business unit within the group. The appointment was effective from New Year’s Day 2015.
Kumho Tire Europe reports the relocation of its motorsport division from Birmingham to Germany. It gave word of the shift to Offenbach am Main, where the tyre maker’s European headquarters are situated, upon announcing the appointment of Manfred Theisen as head of Kumho’s European motorsport division. Theisen began in his new role in January 2015; prior to his appointment he held similar positions of responsibility within Dunlop and Yokohama’s motorsport departments.
As reported last month, Michelin is gearing up to make some changes to its Exelagri dealer network in Europe. In a UK-market press release, the tyre maker describes these changes to its agricultural tyre dealer programme as “ambitious growth plans” and says its enlarged, 1,000 outlet network aims to gain a 50 per cent share of the agricultural tyre market by 2024. While the release does not specify where this growth will take place, Tyres & Accessories understands that Exelagri growth efforts will focus on Eastern Europe.
A new national day to rival St George’s Day will be observed for the first time this year – 15 January is National Pothole Day, a campaign day organised by Street Repairs in order to prompt motorists to speak out against the state of our roads. A number of companies within the tyre industry – including manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers – have voiced their support for the day.
Hee-Se Ahn, who until recently served as vice-president of Marketing & Sales at Hankook Tire Europe, has been appointed president of Hankook Tire America Corp. and chief operating officer for the tyre maker’s business operations throughout the Americas. Mr Ahn’s new role began on 1 January, and he is now based at Hankook Tire’s America headquarters in New Jersey. His successor as vice-president of Marketing & Sales in Europe is Gang Seung (Tony) Lee, who was previously managing director of Hankook Tyre UK Ltd. Hankook will release details about Lee’s successor in the near future.
Martha Desmond has been appointed Apollo Tyres’ new chief human resources officer. She replaces Tapan Mitra, who retires from the role at the end of the year, and is based in the company’s office in London, reporting to vice-chairman and managing director Neeraj Kanwar. As chief human resources officer, she takes on responsibility for all aspects of human resources within the organisation. Desmond has also been appointed a member of Apollo’s Management Board.
The United Kingdom is already the European market where Cooper Tire & Rubber is best-represented, however the tyre maker sees further potential to expand its market share. Speaking at the Bank of America Merrill Lynch 2014 Leveraged Finance Conference on 3 December, Cooper Tire & Rubber treasurer Tom Lause conveyed the company’s aim to grow in both developed and emerging European markets, and singled out the UK and Germany as areas of particular focus.
JK Tyre has been chosen as a Superbrand for the year 2013-14 and ranked amongst the top ten per cent of all brands, across categories in India. This is the third year in a row that Superbrands India has chosen JK Tyre as a Superbrand, and so far it is the only Indian tyre brand to be chosen as a Superbrand. This year, the company improved its overall net score from 6.8 to 7.6 out of 10.
Vehicle tuner Gemballa has increased its presence in the UK through the signing of a second distribution partner. Under the name Gemballa Liverpool, independent Porsche specialist OCD will engage in sales, fitting and service roles for the German tuner. “A decisive factor in our choice of partner, alongside high-quality technical equipment, was the experience of its workforce. Almost every employee has a background with the Porsche brand or in the Porsche tuning sector,” commented Gemballa CEO Andreas Schwarz. “Therefore we have found the optimal complement to our existing representation in London, which is operated by the renowned Porsche specialist Charles Ivey Ltd.”
Yesterday, tyre and automotive component manufacturer Continental celebrated the grand opening of its new automotive research and development centre in Lewes, East Sussex. In Lewes, Continental develops Surround View systems that provide 360-degree detection of what is happening around a vehicle. The new ‘Pannett’s Building’ provides additional offices, meeting rooms and a workshop, as well as a showroom for vehicles with Surround View systems.
Although slightly fewer cars were manufactured in the UK last month than in September 2013, production in the first nine months of 2014 was the highest in six years. Mike Hawes, chief executive of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, commented that “it is testament to the strength of the automotive industry that it continues to break records – yielding the best year-to-date performance for six years and comfortably surpassing one million units.” The reason for the “slight dip” in output in September was, he added, that some plants undertook retooling for new models; this investment, he added, will help increase future production volumes.
Registrations of new passenger cars within the European Union were up for the thirteenth month in a row in September. Information published by the ACEA (European Automobile Manufacturers Association) shows a 6.1 per cent year-on-year increase in registrations for the month across the combined EU28 and EFTA regions, and a 5.7 per cent rise for the EU15 and EFTA regions.
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