Winter Tyres
The traditionally upbeat tone of Delticom’s financial reporting was slightly muted upon release of the company’s 2012 preliminary full-year figures on 23 January. The German-based online tyre retailer described 2012 as a “challenging year” and the market environment as “difficult.” Full-year revenues amounted to 456.4 million euros, a 4.9 per cent decrease on 2011.
It has been quite a month for the forecasters. Not the weather forecasters mind you – although the winter weather that has sprinkled the UK and parts of Europe with a fresh dusting of snow will no doubt have kept them busy too – but rather the market forecasters. With ETRMA reporting that tyre unit sales fell off a cliff last year, Conti saying the market is likely to bottom out in 2013 and with other analysts predicting 2013 will be a good year for tyre retailers, what is on the horizon for the next 12 months?
Three new products have been added to Nokian Tyres’ Hakkapeliitta winter tyre range for the Nordic market and two new winter tyres have also been introduced for the Central European and North American markets. Announcing the five new products, company president and CEO Kim Gran stated “this is the biggest launch in the history of our company as we renew most of our winter tyre range. The new generation of Hakkapeliitta tyres is a significant upgrade to our long line of test winning products. We are looking forward to introducing the finely tuned safety and handling properties to the consumers.”
With temperatures sinking well below freezing and roads around the country dusted with snow, Michelin has found that many UK motorists are still resistant to fitting cold weather tyres to their vehicles. In a survey of motorists, the manufacturer found that 13 per cent of drivers claim not to know of winter tyres’ existence, while even those who may consider fitting cold weather tyres to their vehicle are put off by the cost and inconvenience of having to change their tyres.
As the manufacturer of more than 20 test-topping winter tyres in 2012 tests conducted by German car magazines “Auto Bild”, “Auto Motor Sport” and “AUTOStraßenverkehr”, Nokian knows a thing or two about winter driving. And to help its customers supplement their knowledge and skills the Nokian Tyres Hakkapeliitta Winter Driving School is now online, available in English, Russian, Swedish, Norwegian, and Finnish.
With parts of the UK having experienced their first significant snowfalls, and forecasts predicting up to three weeks of winter weather, Vauxhall offers a solution to keep vehicles moving safely through the snow.
After two consecutive years of modest growth in total tyre unit sales, European tyre makers are reporting double digits drops across the board in 2012. While previous market growth can be qualified by the fact that the increases came despite a decrease of ETRMA member market share, it is clear that the economic crisis is far from being over.
TyreSafe has announced that GiTi Tire has become its first new member in 2013. The company’s managing director – Europe Richard Lyons said that GiTi was demonstrating its commitment to customers’ safety and its products’ quality by joining the organisation. TyreSafe chairman Stuart Jackson pronounced himself “delighted to welcome GiTi Tire on board as a key member”. TyreSafe will continue to run a number of campaigns targeting wider awareness of tyre safety, including October’s Tyre Safety Month. The organisation’s major focus this year is on promoting tyre safety to young drivers, following its high-profile demonstrations of the hidden dangers of part-worn tyres.
Today the ‘coldest extreme sport event in the world’ got underway in Canada’s Yukon Territory. Seven German, Austrian, Swiss and French teams and a total of 14 athletes are taking part in this year’s Fulda Challenge, the 13th edition of the tyre maker-sponsored Arctic decathlon. Over the course of the coming five days the athletes will participate in ten sporting events in temperatures up to minus 40º Celsius, and will cover almost 1,000 miles in doing so.
The vehicles ordered include – coaches for touring, buses for operation across Luxembourg and buses for local operations. Having been delivered at the end of December 2012, they have now entered service. Both Goodyear Marathon Coach and Ultra Grip Coach tyres will be fitted on the new vehicles, with the Ultra Grip Coach winter drive tyres mounted on the drive axles. During the winter months the front axles will be fitted with Goodyear Ultra Grip WTS winter steer tyres and during the summer season Marathon Coach tyres will be used. The vehicles will have 295/80R22.5 or 315/80R22.5 sized tyres.
Continental has commented on the selection of the ContiWinterContact TS850 as one of Auto Express magazine’s Editor’s Choice 2012 products. Peter Robb, brand manager at Continental said: “We are delighted to have been commended by Auto Express. The ContiWinterContact TS850 has taken the winter market by storm. In a string of tyre tests in Europe, the tyre has consistently beaten the best to take top spot. This award from Auto Express is another testament to its outstanding performance.”
Continental has opened the first fully-automated tyre testing facility in the world at Contidrom, near Hanover. In addition to the ability to perform braking tests without drivers, helping to test consistently for longer hours, Conti has built a 300x30m air conditioned hall to house the Automated Indoor Braking Analyzer (AIBA), reducing the influence of atmospheric conditions on test results. The manufacturer will also be able to control the friction coefficient, as the hall enables the company to switch the 75m surfaces used as a braking area, in addition to using a low temperature hall for testing on ice. The main hall is also fitted with a sprinkler system for wet testing. Conti estimates that the AIBA will perform around 100,000 braking procedures, on passenger car, van, and 4×4 summer and winter tyres, when fully operational.
Goodyear launched its line of specialist coach tyres at an event hosted by Mira in the Autumn of 2012, and designed to present the brand’s commercial vehicle tyre activities over the course of the year. In addition to providing a look at the Marathon Coach and the Ultra Grip Coach winter tyre, Adam Stanton, commercial marketing manager, Goodyear Dunlop Tyres UK, showed the benefits of specialist winter products on other commercial vehicles, advising fleet managers to “look beyond the label” when selecting seasonal products. The company also announced its distribution partnership with Zafety Lug Locks, a Canadian innovation developed to prevent wheel loss accidents. Zafety Lug Locks secure adjacent wheel nuts to each other, creating resistance between two wheel nuts to minimise their ability to rotate and reduce the risk of wheel loss. The product is offered as part of a bespoke fleet proposal to customers of TruckForce.
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In the run-up to Nokian’s publication of fourth quarter financial results, some financial analysts are asking if the Finnish company’s earnings are losing traction. The reason is said to be that “decelerating Russian sales and an unexciting European winter tyre season are a recipe for disappointment”.
While it should come as no surprise to readers that slippery roads contribute to more accidents in colder weather in the UK, the latest drop in temperatures has prompted Cooper Tire to remind drivers of the last two years of accident data, suggesting that specialist winter tyres could help reduce the chances of a prang. During November and December 2011 the UK’s average temperature fell from 8.7°C to 4.8°C and Department for Transport figures showed a significant rise in accidents involving slippery roads in the winter months. A similar trend was recorded in 2010.
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