UK winter tyre growth for Kumho
Kumho believes that UK drivers are now far better educated in the values of winter and all-weather tyres than before the big freeze of 2011, and demand for its seasonal products has continued to rise.
Winter Tyres
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Firenza offering studdable and studless Nu Ice patterns
Displayed at Reifen 2014, Stamford Tyres’ Nu Ice range offers the option of two individual patterns – the studless Nu Ice NTS-01 as well as the studdable Nu Ice XT-01.
Enjoy Tyre supplying extensive Rotalla brand winter range
Enjoy Tyre is providing an extensive range of winter patterns for its flagship Rotalla brand. The Rotalla S100 M+S, S110 and S210 winter tyres have all been produced with a particular emphasis on being skid proof, the manufacturer says. All three distinctive patterns offer a thin multi-curve tread that includes significantly deeper grooves, which improve performance in winter road conditions.
Apollo Alnac 4G Winter tyre launched
Apollo introduced new winter and all-season products in its Alnac range at Reifen 2014, with a full launch reported in Tyres & Accessories’ July issue. The Alnac 4G All Season and Alnac 4G Winter tyres were developed in its Global R&D Centre in the Netherlands, optimised for the European road network.
Aeolus introducing CV steer winter tyre
Aeolus announced a steer position addition to its winter tyre series at Reifen 2014. The new tyre lines up alongside the existing ADW80 for drive axles, which has itself been expanded to include new sizes.
Stapleton’s carrying ‘full’ Maxxis winter stock
Stapleton’s and Maxxis have confirmed that the wholesaler will carry a full stock of the brand’s Presa Snow MAPW and MAW2 winter tyres in a wide range of sizes for passenger cars from 13” to 18”. Both tyres will be available from October.
Winter tyre growth in cyclical decline, but UK a market for all seasons
In Tyres & Accessories’ August 2013 Winter Tyre feature, we discussed the UK tyre industry’s continued deliberate steps towards the development of a winter tyre market, and the possibility offered by all-season tyres (which we’ll come to later). While the figures showed that sales of specialised products represent a much greater share of the market than you might have thought in the winter months, the correlative spikes in this figure remain confined to the months in which the weather is coldest. Market analyst GfK’s latest infographic on winter tyres, displayed on this page, goes further towards showing that this trend is prevalent even within the October-January period where winter tyre sales are most popular.
Yokohama introduces new generation winter tyres
Yokohama has announced the upcoming launch of its newest generation of winter tyres in the UK. The W.drive V905 is being introduced this year in a range of 15-17” sizes, and the UK distributor, Yokohama HPT, is expecting to take delivery of the first available sizes ready for the start of the 2014/15 winter season.
Goodyear follows up a winter hit with the UltraGrip 9
It’s never easy to follow up a smash hit – just ask Gotye – but with more than seven million UltraGrip 8s shipped in Europe since 2011, Goodyear’s ninth generation winter tyre is following an all-time great. Travelling to Goodyear’s Innovation Centre Luxembourg earlier this year with dealers from across Europe, Tyres & Accessories got an exclusive preview of the new tyre, in addition to some insights from Xavier Fraipont, director technology consumer tyres EMEA, about the development process that has led to the UG 9.
British Gas adopts Michelin tyre policy under ATS-E service agreement
ATS Euromaster has won a significant new contract with British Gas to fit and service tyres across the energy provider’s fleet of 13,000 vans. The Michelin-owned service provider says its nationwide network coverage, detailed fleet reporting and expertise in managing B2B accounts were crucial factors in securing this new account. As part of the agreement, ATS Euromaster will roll out a full Michelin tyre policy across the fleet; winter tyres, specifically the Agilis Alpin, will be the fitment of choice.
Stamford Tyres, Sport Wheels display new product lines
Singapore’s Stamford Tyres introduced a new range of 4×4/SUV tyres, while its associated Stamford Sport Wheels company emphasised the availability of new colours in its wheel range. Stamford also announced the arrival of new truck tyre sizes in its 17.5” and 19.5” ranges towards the end of this year. Another key product for Stamford Tyres was the introduction of its Nu Ice winter range. Larry Lee, Stamford’s vice president – international distribution said plans are in progress to add new sizes for the 2015 winter season.
Aeolus premieres 4Seasonace at Reifen 2014
The Aeolus stand at Reifen 2014 highlighted the brand’s significant development in various European markets over the last year, with a well-proportioned stand in Hall 3 for the first time. Director of EU and CIS, Chen Lei told Tyrepress that the brand has been promoting its European business with an emphasis on shows in 2014.
Apollo launches Alnac 4G all season and winter tyres
With its sights set on gaining a bigger part of the European tyre market, on 27 May Apollo Tyres introduced two new tyres in Essen. The two new tyres, Apollo Alnac 4G All Season and Apollo Alnac 4G Winter tyres, joined to the existing range of Apollo Alnac 4G tyres being sold in Europe. Both tyres were developed in Apollo Tyres’ Global R&D Centre in the Netherlands and have been optimised to suit the requirements of European drivers and the European road network. While this was going on in the foreground, in the background the company has been involved in complex discussions relating to its much publicised plans to build an Eastern European factory. To this end Tyres & Accessories spoke with chief marketing officer Marco Paracciani. But first the new products…
Nokian introduces 2 new Hakkapeliitta Truck D sizes
2014 marks the 80th anniversary of the Nokian Kelirengas winter truck tyre, and the manufacturer has introduced two new sizes of its latest winter TBR model, the Hakkapeliitta Truck D. In addition to the existing size of 315/80R22.5, the sizes 295/80R22.5 and 315/70R22.5 will be available at the end of the summer of 2014.
Vredestein Quatrac 5 launch designed to make a marque
On 23 June Apollo Vredestein introduced a new generation of all-season tyres – the Vredestein Quatrac 5. In parallel the company also launched the new Snowtrac 5 winter tyre. However, as much as the launch was about these products and the technology associated with them, there was also a heavy emphasis on further communicating the upwardly mobile so-called “brand emotion” the company has work hard to associated with its name during the last two decades. The launch could also be read as suggesting a broadening in the company’s pioneering approach to the development of the winter tyre market in the UK to include a greater role for all-season tyres.
