Winter Tyres
In its Annual Report for 2013, which was released today, Nokian Tyres estimates that approximately 111 million winter passenger car and van tyres were sold last year in its main regions of activity. This includes 69 million winter tyres sold in Europe (excluding the Nordic countries) out of a total of 230 million passenger car and van tyres sold in the region.
France’s Groupe Massa (MPSA) has been appointed the sole national importer for the Aeolus consumer tyre range, which was first introduced into Europe last year. The company began supplying Aeolus products to the French market at the start of February and has accompanied its new distribution with an advertising campaign.
Michelin launched its latest winter tyre, the Alpin 5, at an event held in and around Innsbruck, Austria, a city within sliding distance of some of Europe’s finest winter sports holiday resorts. The tyre has been developed out of research that undertook the task of better understanding the winter tyre’s usage and in a sense the unseasonably warm weather in early February during the launch helped to illustrate Michelin’s “one season, one tyre” point.
The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd. has used its presence at the Geneva Motor Show as the launchpad for three new production tyres (one summer and two winter) as well as the showcasing of its Aero Y electric vehicle and associated BluEarth EV concept tyre. At the centre of the launch was a new edition to its fuel-efficient “BluEarth” tyre brand for passenger cars in Europe and Asia, which will be introduced from this spring. Most “BluEarth-A” sizes have been awarded the European C grade for rolling resistance and A for wet performance when it comes to labelling.
Bridgestone has launched its new Blizzack LM001 winter tyre for small to mid-sized cars in an event at its Swedish Proving Ground in Vidsel, less than 100km from the Arctic Circle. Following on from the introduction of its Blizzack LM-32 winter tyre for higher performance cars in August 2013, the tyre is designed to improve snow and wet performance, as well as in longevity.
Maintaining its position as a winter tyre innovation leader in its 80th year, Nokian has built a concept tyre that allows drivers to use studs at the touch of a button. The Finnish manufacturer says the “world’s first non-studded winter tyre with studs” would allow drivers to make the switch when conditions clearly change – […]
Last month Tyres & Accessories published an exclusive preview of the 2014 additions to Continental’s mid-European and Nordic winter tyre stables. The central story was that Conti has launched the new Continental WinterContact TS 850 P. In addition T&A also got the opportunity to experience the performance of the new product’s 4×4 variant, the WinterContact TS 830 P SUV. Key facts includes that the TS 850 P outperforms its predecessor both dry road snow handling and braking. The products also raise the label scores from EC to CC territory. Both tyres will be available from the Autumn.
Carving out winter tyre developments Continental launched its latest winter tyres in December at an event held at the winter proving ground at Arvidsjaur, Sweden. The manufacturer’s new WinterContact TS 850 P will come to the performance car and SUV market in the autumn of 2014, delivering improvements over its TS 830 P predecessor in […]
Apollo Vredestein UK managing director Stuart Jackson revealed several strategic details with which Apollo plans to grow its brand in the UK. Apollo is to introduce a truck and bus tyre range and expand its passenger car tyre lines into a fourth generation, with a sizeable investment in UK marketing “to support brand growth.” The tyre manufacturer will also develop its links with Manchester United, both as a partner in a sports facility initiative and as a significant branding opportunity, with video and print marketing materials featuring the purple of Apollo and the red of the Stretford team.
Contract tyre manufacturer Enjoy Tyre was formed a decade ago this year, and the company is viewing 2014 as an important milestone in developing its profile in the UK and Europe. Central to this is the Enjoy’s Rotalla passenger tyre brand, with a range of four summer and three winter tyres. Enjoy says it has […]
Nokian Tyres reports the use of ‘military-grade materials’ in its latest winter SUV tyre; by this it means aramid, which is present in the sidewall and provides the Hakkapeliitta 8 SUV additional protection against impact damage. The new tyre also utilises what the tyre maker says is the “most modern stud technology in the business”; Nokian says the end result is a tyre that offers “maximum peace of mind to drivers who can now completely enjoy the performance of their sports utility vehicles.” The Hakkapeliitta 8 SUV is designed for larger 4×4 and SUV vehicles.
Retail sales of tyre pressure monitoring system sensors and service kits are growing fastest in northern Europe. According to Ian Smith, managing director of British firm Tyre Sure which supplies Tech Europe’s TPMS needs across the continent, drawing a line from the Nordic region south to Spain and Portugal gives you an ever-decreasing continuum of market demand. As you might expect there is a direct correlation between having a distinct winter market and TPMS success. Those at the South of Europe have comparatively little demand by comparison.
Eight decades after Nokian Tyres introduced its first winter tyre, the Finnish company has announced the addition of five new products to its winter range. Three new tyres have entered the Hakkapeliitta line-up; all three, the studded Hakkapeliitta 8 SUV and the Nokian Hakkapeliitta C3 and Hakkapeliitta CR3 van tyres, are designed for use in […]
Starting 1 January, Farnese Pneumatici S.p.A. has taken over as Italian-market distributor for Sailun Tyres (Europe). The Vetralla-based wholesaler will distribute Sailun’s passenger car, 4×4, winter and light commercial vehicle ranges. Announcing the deal, the wholesaler’s sales and marketing director, Rinaldo Farnese, commented: “Our nationwide network of depots, dealers and sales agents makes us an excellent national fit with Sailun.”
While Britain has been batter by storms this winter, and while the environment minister announced today (6 January) that some 1700 homes have been flooded this season, it has been relatively warm with much of Britain being buffeted by storms and at the same time experiencing high single-digit temperatures. Tragic for some. Inclement for most. But not the kind of weather that traditionally leads to increased winter tyre sales. Nevertheless, the latest data from market analysts GfK suggests that November sales are significantly up on both the previous month and when compared with the same time last year.
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