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Chassis System From Continental

Continental Automotive Systems and Volkswagen have developed the Phaeton – with a chassis system with all-round semi-active variable control pneumatic suspension. The Electronic Air Suspension (EAS) resolves the differences between optimal handling and comfort by calculating and establishing the correct suspension force required every 10 – 15 milliseconds. The system is an integral element of a chassis solution incorporating engine management, brake control and stability control.

10th June 2002/by Tyrepress Editors

Steel Versus Alloy Wheels

The oe alloy wheel suppliers get a lot of orders from car manufacturers these days. Even Volkswagen – in urgent need of a large quantity of alloy wheels – is looking for a qualified supplier in Turkey. But for a lot of companies this has bred complacency. So take care, alloy wheel manufacturers, because the steel wheel producers have not been sleeping in the meantime. Several new car models are being fitted with the latest in steel wheel designs. Concerning the weight of the wheel, the light steel version can be favourably compared with the level of the average alloy wheel. As far as price is concerned, steel is more economic and, in the field of design, a lot of developments have taken place.

1st February 2002/by Tyrepress Editors

Ford Jr.: Not Just For Sentimental Reasons

Two weeks ago William “Bill” Ford (44) played his part in the fall of Jacques Nasser and took on the responsibility for the company himself. Since then he has taken every opportunity to emphasise that he is very interested in repairing the ruined relationship between Ford and Firestone. Many newspapers stressed that his two great grandfathers were the founders of Ford and Firestone and his mother was born a Firestone. But sentimentality alone is not sufficient motivation. Almost single-handedly the now-resigned Ford boss Nasser ordered the additional recall of 12 million Firestone tyres that will burden the company’s balance sheet with a figure in excess of two billion US-Dollars. This has been regarded as completely unnecessary by Firestone and the tyre manufacturer has rejected any responsibility for this act. After the US safety administration (NHTSA) and Firestone had agreed on a voluntary recall of some hundred thousand tyres, costing the tyre manufacturer a two-figure million Dollar amount of money, Firestone regards its attitude as justified. Ford wanted to present the bill to Bridgestone/Firestone at the right time. This may not be possible, in legal terms, the car producer might have no grounds against Firestone. It is possible that a voluntary agreement could provide a way not to lose the face in front of the shareholders. If Bridgestone/Firestone were to resume its old position as a key supplier, settlements to accounts could be presented in a plausible way, as has already happened for example in the case of General Motors and Volkswagen in the “Lopez Affair”.

28th December 2001/by Tyrepress Editors

Higher Turnover for Audi

The turnover of car manufacturer Audi increased last year to 39 billion DM (1999: 29.6 bn DM). The Italian importer Autogerma S.p.A., which distributes Volkswagen cars in Italy, is included in this figure for the first time. Worldwide, Audi sold 653,404 cars in 2000; a 2.9 per cent increase over 1999.

30th November 2001/by Tyrepress Editors

VW Sets Aside DM 1bn For ELVD

The European End of Life Vehicle directive (ELVD), due to come into force in 2007, has threatened to be expensive for car manufacturers. Just how expensive is shown by press reports that Volkswagen has announced that it will be setting aside DM 1 bn in order to comply. BMW has already set aside half this figure and Daimler/Chrysler up to DM 400 m. Other manufacturers are expected to wait until next year

30th November 2001/by Tyrepress Editors

Alliance For The Development Of Tyre Pressure Monitoring Systems

Lear Corporation (Southfield, Michigan/USA) and Beru (Ludwigsburg/Germany) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to jointly design and develop Tyre Pressure Monitoring systems for the global automotive market. Under this strategic partnership, the two companies will develop Tyre Pressure Monitoring Systems that will relay information to drivers through the electronic architecture used for the Remote Keyless Entry System. The joint venture will combine Lear’s capabilities as the North American leader in Remote Keyless Entry Systems with that of Beru, the market leader in Tyre Pressure Monitoring Systems in Europe.

30th November 2001/by Tyrepress Editors

Strengthening of Continental Brake Business

Continental Teves plans a joint venture with the Shanghai Automotive Brake Company (SABC) – subject to the approval of the Chinese authorities. The aim is to provide the market with a complete brake systems package from one source. SABC already manufactures Continental Teves brake components under license, and produces components for both Volkswagen and General Motors.

30th November 2001/by Tyrepress Editors

“The Leading Edge” Award For Ronal From Volkswagen Group

Light alloy wheel supplier Ronal has been honoured by the Volkswagen Group with the Corporate Supplier Award “The Leading Edge”. Ronal is a supplier of the car brands VW, Audi, Seat and Skoda and has also received new development orders for the prestigious Bentley brand.

7th December 2000/by Tyrepress Editors

Continental Number 34 In German Company Rankings

In a list of the 100 largest German industrial and trading companies, published in the newspaper Süddeutschen Zeitung, Continental was ranked in 34th place, with a 1999 turnover of 9.132 bn. Euros. This is a rise of eight places from the previous year’s list. The leading trio remains unchanged; undisputed leader is still DaimlerChrysler, followed by Volkswagen and Siemens.

7th December 2000/by Tyrepress Editors

30 Years Of BBS

This year alloy wheel producer BBS celebrates its 30th birthday. BBS is not one of the biggest producers of aluminium wheels but intends to grow significantly: from 2003 BBS plans to build up capacities of more than 4 million pieces a year at its headquarters in Germany’s Black Forest town Schiltach, at Italy’s Ruina factory near Ferrara and at a new plant in Herbolzheim near Freiburg. BBS is an oe supplier for car brands like BMW, Mercedes (AMG), Porsche, Ferrari, Jaguar, Saab, Volvo, Peugeot and Volkswagen and specialises in highly sophisticated wheels which means that the wheels are in extreme sizes or modular or have additional other special features. The history of BBS includes a lot of success in motorsport. BBS has been producing wheels for motorsport since 1974, and in 1991 the cooperation with Ferrari began. High-end products are the forged magnesium wheels for Formula 1 which are also flow-formed. Not only Ferrari with top driver Michael Schumacher, but also Benetton, Jaguar, Arrows, Prost, and hundreds of racing teams in other series all over the world trust in racing wheels by BBS – one of the main reasons that BBS is also the image leader in the alloy wheel aftermarkets of the world. Learn more about BBS in NEUE REIFENZEITUNG’s October issue.

7th December 2000/by Tyrepress Editors

Quality Award For Dunlop

Dunlop Germany has been awarded a top level “Formula Q” award by the Volkswagen Group. Dunlop was the only tyre producer to gain the award for Supply Reliability, Productivity and Error-free Quality. Every year Volkswagen awards 20 of its 8,000 suppliers for their outstanding performance.

7th December 2000/by Tyrepress Editors

New Distribution Channels in the Tyre Trade

The tyre trade as we know it is fighting a defensive battle, finding it harder and harder to maintain its 60 p.c. market share of sales to the user. Not only car franchise firms with their recently acquired considerable strength give the tyre trade a hard time in competition, but new forms of distribution, which may be grouped together under the loose label “Fast Fit”, are on the advance. Many Volkswagen, Fiat, Ford (to name but a few marques) so-called contract dealers have had their contracts terminated and are looking for new means of earning a livelihood. These companies, mostly family-run, will not easily be displaced. They will specialise in marketing replacement parts complete with a competent and reasonably priced service. Fichtel & Sachs, a Mannesmann group subsidiary, offers a franchise system under the AutoCrew name, naturally also for the optimum marketing of its own products, shock absorbers. Bosch, the giant in the electrical field, is also looking for new openings for its service workshops. The objective is to gain marketing expertise in tyres by cooperation with Goodyear, with Bosch offering Goodyear’s tyre trade partners know-how in the automotive field in return. Specialist markets like ATU with their increasing importance in tyre marketing should not be overlooked either. In the nineteen nineties ATU grew from zero to the current number of 230 outlets throughout Germany, all of them with high turnover figures, i.e. each of them probably turning over well above 2.5 million euros. ATU founder Peter Unger’s appetite, however, is not nearly satisfied, the expansion will go on. The article in the January issue of NEUE REIFENZEITUNG describes the individual tyre marketers. It queries many things, asks many questions without being able or willing to provide the answers. Only one thing remains clear: To found a new company exclusively for tyre trading (including the services related to it) is dangerous. The chances of surviving a long start-up phase are regarded as relatively small. The gist of the article is this: In future we will see an ever increasing number of Fast Fitters making the bulk of their turnover with tyres, while Automobil, Bosch, AutoCrew and similarly derived Fast Fitters will focus mainly on other products, with tyres nevertheless generating a significant share of total turnover, somewhere between a quarter and a third.

7th December 2000/by Tyrepress Editors

Share Prices At A Low Point

With the exception of Peugeot, Porsche and Beru, other share prices from automobile and tyre companies have fallen to an all-year low. Companies in this category include DaimlerChrysler, Volkswagen, Kiekert, Delco Remy, Delphi, Phoenix and Johnson Controls, as well as Continental, Cooper, Yokohama, Toyo and Goodyear.

7th December 2000/by Tyrepress Editors

Pirelli Wants to Grow Faster than the Market

Dr. Paolo Masera, the current boss of Pirelli Reifenwerke, is convinced that Pirelli has every reason to look to the future as a profitable, independent tyre manufacturer. The revolutionary production method MIRS will not only make it possible for the Italian manufacturer to gain cost leadership, he believes, but the automated production process also promises a great improvement even on today’s quality. He stresses Pirelli’s role as the well-accepted technology partner of the motor manufacturing industry in Europe, supplier to Porsche, BMW, Rover, DaimlerChrysler, Ford, Volkswagen, Audi, Opel and others. Pirelli will not offer a multi-brand strategy because users are less interested in so-called cheap brands; they would rather buy first-class brands at a more favourable price. That does not exclude arrangements with larger customers for the supply of certain group house brands, e.g. Courier, if there is a call for it. The German organisation is facing a fundamental change. In future the emphasis will be more on key accounters, and so-called “channel marketing” is to be strengthened.

7th December 2000/by Tyrepress Editors

BMW Chief Milberg Does Not Convince The Press

It seems that BMW’s CEO Joachim Milberg may be close to being dismissed. The German magazine stern reports that the major shareholder – the Quandt family – has lost confidence in Milberg due to his mis-handling of the problems associated with daugther company Rover. The BMW boss also left many questions unanswered at a press conference on 17th March. For example, he and his colleagues neglected to mention the planned sale of Land Rover to Ford. Milberg also responded with ‘no comment’ to the question why had three colleagues been forced to leave the company over the Rover fiasco when Milberg himself and the boss of the Supervisory Board Doppelfeld had been the ones responsible? The Quandt family owns over 40% of BMW’s shares and they have said that they would never entertain a take-over bid for the company. In the light of recent events, many people are sceptical of such statements.

7th December 2000/by Tyrepress Editors