Volkswagen AG and Ford Motor Company have will partner in the production of light commercial vehicles after announcing the first formal agreements in “a broad alliance”. The alliance does not involve cross-ownership between the two companies.
Van drivers should be asking Santa for a new van this Christmas according to research from Vanarama, the UK’s leading van leasing company. The research revealed how dirty old vans are costing tradespeople money, with 75 per cent of homeowners saying that turning up in a van that had clearly seen better days would mean they were less likely to offer them the job.
Buckinghamshire-based distributor Tomato Tyres has entered into an agreement to supply specialist aviation logistics company Comet Car Hire (CCH) with the new for 2018 Yokohama BluEarth-Van RY55 tyre for its fleet of Mercedes vans, minibuses and people carriers.
epyx is expanding its low price tyre initiative. According to the company, the project, which has so far concentrated on franchise dealers, is now moving into the independent garage sector. Called 1link e-procurement, it allows independents to access a much more competitive level of tyre pricing than they generally been able to achieve, the company says.
LeasePlan Corporation N.V., known for its Car-as-a-Service concept, and SAIC Mobility Europe, a division of China’s largest vehicle manufacturer, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to bring the first large full electric Light Commercial Vehicle (LCV) to continental Europe. Tyres & Accessories understands that tyres and maintenance are included in the deal.
From 1 September 2018, electric vans will no longer be exempt from the MOT if they:
It’s called the Vantastic, it’s a new tyre from Zenises and as you’ve probably guessed, it is designed with light commercial vehicles in mind. Initially available in seven dimensions for 15- and 16-inch rim diameters, the Z Tyre Vantastic is designed in and for Europe. Zenises says the tyre delivers “safety and mileage” as well as “good handling characteristics on the motorway.”
British light commercial vehicle (LCVs) registrations declined in June, according to figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). 35,182 new vans and pickups were registered last month, representing a -5.8 per cent decline on June 2017.
Tyre manufacturer Apollo Vredestein has been announced as a partner to the Freight Transport Association’s (FTA) Van Excellence scheme, an innovative initiative designed to recognise excellence within the commercial vehicle sector and improve operational standards.
The all-new Tire Cologne Show in Germany taking place in May represents “the perfect opportunity for…Enjoy Tyre to further expand their growing trading influence in Europe through their popular Private Brands – Rotalla and Routeway”, company representatives said in a statement ahead of the show.
Michelin has launched a new CrossClimate tyre to take on the demanding conditions in which European van drivers increasingly operate. Having successfully rolled out the “summer tyre with winter capabilities” to the consumer market with two iterations of CrossClimates for cars and an SUV version, Michelin has extended the concept to light commercial operators with the Agilis CrossClimate. To mark its launch, Michelin demonstrated the tyre’s winter characteristics at a special test site in the French Alps. With the so-called Beast from the East providing the most extreme winter driving conditions the UK has seen in more than a decade as Tyres & Accessories goes to print, the appeal of products to handle such conditions while also suiting the mostly moderate climate in a market disinclined to fit winter tyres seems likely to receive at least a short-term boost.
Bridgestone has signed a tyre partnership with online supermarket Ocado. The manufacturer will supply its home delivery fleet, encompassing more than 1,500 Mercedes Sprinter vans, with the Blizzak W810, which will stay on each vehicle all year round following rigorous internal testing. It is Bridgestone’s biggest UK van tyre fleet win to date.
Van and campervan tyres can lead hard lives. The vehicles they are fitted to are often driven fully loaded on poor roads and gravel surfaces. The tyres must bear the entire weight of the vehicle and provide safe and stable handling under all conditions. To give these products more strength, Nokian Tyres is now introducing its Aramid Sidewall technology into all Nokian van and campervan product lines. From 1 January 2018, it is present in the Nokian WR C3, cLine Van, cLine Cargo and Weatherproof C ranges. Nokian SUV tyres have been manufactured with aramid sidewalls for several years now, and in addition to the abovementioned products the material can be found in 15 Nokian tyre lines.
A new member of the Yokohama BluEarth tyre range specifically aimed at vans will be available from March 2018. The BluEarth-Van RY55 will be produced in a total of 30 sizes for 14- to 17-inch rim diameters. In addition to being sold in European markets, the BluEarth-Van RY55 will be available in Asia (excluding Japan), Oceania, Latin America, the Middle East, and Africa.
This year Stapleton’s celebrates 80 years since Sydney Stapleton set up his business in a simple parade of shops at 195 High Street, Watford in 1937. An entrepreneur of terrific dynamism and foresight, he was among the few to spot and take advantage of the fast-growing market for tyres. A decade on, in the post WWII years, the company’s total weekly wage bill amounted to the princely sum of £20. It’s safe to say in this 80th anniversary year the wage bill’s grown considerably now Stapleton’s employs some 1,100 staff at eight regional sales offices and eleven distribution hubs nationwide. It’s also safe to suggest that Sydney Stapleton would be staggered by the scale of his old business, with a current stock capacity of 1.5 million tyres available at any given time.
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