Hampshire based Vintage Tyre Supplies have become exclusive distributors of the Camac range of classic crossply and radial tyres. The company says this is good news for many 50s, 60s and 70s classic car owners who will remember fitting them to the likes of Beetles, Minis, Cortinas and Anglias.
During recent years Vredestein has steadily built up its Eastern European business and overseen this region from its operation in Poland, which was established three years ago. Now, from January 1, 2011 onwards, Apollo Vredestein’s markets in Eastern Europe and the CIS will also be serviced by a second “Area Manager Export”, who will take on the responsibility of building up the company’s activities and structure within the region. Stepping into this role is Thomas Mittendorf, who is currently Apollo Vredestein’s public relations and media manager. Mittendorf explained to Tyres & Accessories that he will mainly take care of tyre markets in the Baltic States, the Ukraine, Moldova, Armenia, Kazakhstan and Belarus – markets where Apollo Vredestein currently operates no marketing organisation of its own.
Nominations for this year’s Tyre Manufacturer of the Year Award were fairly evenly split between 2009 nominees vying for success this time round (Bridgestone, Continental and Michelin) and relative newcomers in this category Hankook and Vredestein. With some characterising this as a David and Goliath fight, in a twist that betrays the original story the UK part of the current world number one – Bridgestone – won out. Last year’s winners Continental were left to congratulate Bridgestone on its success, but with one of the two awards the German-based company won in 2009 now out of contention, would the company go home empty-handed?
As UK tyre suppliers, distributors and fleets show increasing interest in stocking and promoting winter tyres, consumer magazine Auto Express has published a winter tyre test showing that the season-specific products offer three times more grip than standard “summer” products. The winter tyre test, full details of which are published in the latest issue of the magazine (available today – 27 October 2010), saw Auto Express test six current winter tyres (205/55 R16) against all-season and summer tyre control products.
At present Apollo Tyres exports 50,000 Apollo branded tyres a month to Europe from its factory in Vadodara, India, yet company ‘sources’ claim this quantity will increase markedly in the coming months. According to Indian financial journal the Hindu Business Line, sources expect a 30 per cent increase in the monthly shipment of tyres to Europe, with 65,000 units a month arriving here by March- April 2011.
Indian manufacturer Apollo Tyres has announced it is to invest 6.6 million euros in its Enschede, Netherlands manufacturing unit to increase the plant's capacity from 5.1 million to 6 million tyres per annum. The company’s South African concerns in Durban and Ladysmith will also receive investments totalling a reported $30 million for expansion and equipment upgrades.
ATS Euromaster has placed advance orders for over £3 million worth of cold weather tyres, following strong interest from UK car and van fleets. The decision to raise its winter inventory with more of Michelin’s Pilot Alpin PCRs and Agilis Alpin van tyres comes amidst claims that the upcoming winter will yield greater demand for the seasonal product. The tyre specialist announced its plans to roll-out a cold weather tyre programme in April, and Steve Bury, Head of National Car at the fast-fit specialist, says the company has been quick to set-up the infrastructure and IT systems required to support the planned introduction this October.
The 2009-10 financial year was, for Apollo Tyres, a year in which the company “walked new geographies, met different people, mingled with various cultures, learnt new lessons, and have been amply rewarded for our keenness to explore newer pastures and challenges.” These words from company chairman Onkar S Kanwar describe a period of massive change for the tyre maker, a time of transition that has seen Apollo emerge as an entity operating on a global level.
Beaulieu based classic tyre specialist Vintage Tyre Supplies has recently expanded its Waymaster range of budget cross-ply tyres by adding 500/525-16, 575/600-16 and a 450-17 sizes. The new tyres are p riced at £62.50, £72.50 and £62.50 (+ vat) respectively. Their addition brings the range up to 28 tyres and covers cars and motorcycles from the early 1920’s to the later post war years.
It is not just Apollo Vredestein CEO Rob Oudshoorn that considers Apollo Tyres’ acquisition of the Dutch tyre maker to have been “good business”.
Sibur and a group of lenders represented by Alfa Group's investment division A1 have agreed to make Sibur the bankrupt Amtel's main debtor. “The group of lenders represented by A1 shall assign its rights of demand with regard to Amtel Group’s companies to Sibur,” an official statement released by Sibur reported. The deal is set to close before the end of June 2010.
It is just over a year since Dutch manufacturer Vredestein was acquired by Apollo Tyres and adopted a greater focus towards high performance tyres and products for top-end vehicles, and at the Reifen 2010 exhibition in Essen, Germany the company presented the first major addition its product portfolio since these significant events took place. Known as the Wintrac Nextreme, the high performance cold weather tyre is the second winter tyre ever to be developed in collaboration with Italian design house Giugiaro, whom Vredestein has worked together with for more than a decade.
At the same time Apollo Tyres introduced its moniker to the European markets at the Essen Reifen Show, the Indian company was also introducing the Vredestein name to its domestic customer base ahead of a launch taking place in the next 12 months. "We are working on launching the Vredestein brand in India. We will look at introducing it within a year… We have been studying the demands of the Indian market in the premium segment. The only thing is that in India, tyres are of low-level and heavier ones, and more in the mass segment," the Press Trust of India quoted Apollo Vredestein chief executive officer Rob Oudshoorn as saying.
On 1 June Apollo Tyres chairman Onkar S Kanwar will formally inaugurate the company’s Reifen 2010 show stand in the presence of dignitaries and the global management team from India, South Africa and Europe. The company’s stand opening ceremony follows a press event announcing details of the products Apollo will be introducing into Europe, and “the value of a multi-brand strategy with Apollo, Vredestein and Maloya.”
Volkswagen AG is reported to have opened its corporate wallet and intends to purchase Italy’s Italdesign Giugiaro SpA, the company responsible for designing much of the current Vredestein tyre range. The German vehicle manufacturer’s interest in Italdesign Giugiaro is said to be connected with its desire to become the world’s largest vehicle manufacturer by 2018, an accomplishment that would benefit very much indeed from the Italian designer’s staff and facilities.
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