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YHI Focusing on Advanti Racing and Neuton Private Brands

A company that is becoming one of the largest alloy wheel manufacturers amongst the countries lining the Pacific Rim is YHI International, headquartered in Singapore. Currently the company operates production capacities of 2.4 million wheels annually (in 2006 this figure was just 1.2 million) and has generated an annual turnover of more than 180 million euros through its wheel business. And if the company’s mid-term development plan becomes reality, by 2010 YHI will operate up to 24 production lines in its four alloy wheel factories in China, Taiwan and Malaysia. These lines will be able to produce about 4.3 million alloy wheels per year. “We will continue to develop YHI into a global brand”, said managing director Richard Tay in a recent company publication.

30th October 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

New Run-Flat From Yokohama

(Akron/Tire Review) Yokohama Tire Corporation will unveil its new Advan ZPS run-flat at this week’s SEMA Show. The first run-flat in the Advan line-up, the Advan ZPS can be driven up to 50 miles at 55 miles per hour after the loss of air, the company said. ZPS stands for Zero Pressure System, and the Advan ZPS will be available in 2008 in 13 sizes.

30th October 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Yokohama Revises Earning Projections

The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd., has upwardly revised its projections for consolidated earnings in the interim fiscal period from April 1 to September 30, 2007. These new projections, announced on October 26, call for the interim operating income to increase 3.5-fold over the same period of the previous year, to 11.5 billion yen (£49.1 million), and for interim net income to increase 3.7-fold, to 12.5 billion yen (£53.4 million). Yokohama’s revised projection for operating income is 27.8 per cent higher than the projection announced on August 9, and the revised projection for net income is 66.7 per cent higher. The company’s projection of a 13.3 per cent increase in net sales, to 252.0 billion yen (£1.08 billion), is unchanged from the earlier projection.

29th October 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Three New MAK Wheels to Hit UK Roads

The UK distributor for the Italian MAK range of replacement alloy wheels, Yokohama HPT Ltd, has announced three new models for the UK market. According to Yokohama HPT, the three new designs “capture the manufacturer’s flair for design” whilst epitomising MAK’s reputation for quality and longevity.

The first of the three wheels is the Volare, a design featuring 20 narrow spokes that spread from the mounting face right out to the edge of the wheel rim. A slight step at the rim is intended to increase the perception of size, and the combination of these two elements is said to lend the wheel a very contemporary, motorsport feel. The Volare comes in a range of sizes, beginning at 15-inch and running up to 9.5×19-inch, and is available in both four and five-stud patterns. Prices begin at £93.95 including VAT and the Volare features a mirror polished face with gunmetal body.

25th October 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Yokohama Announces New OE Contracts with Audi, Chrysler

Yokohama Rubber has announced that the latest addition to its high performance Advan Winter tyre range, the V902, has been approved by Audi as OE winter tyre for the S6 and Audi S8. Tyre sizes to be fitted are 265/35R19 98V XL for the S6 and 265/35R20 99V XL for the S8. Both sizes are for front and rear. The S6 and S8 are the first Audis to come equipped with Yokohama winter tyres, and will be factory-fitted options for the German market and available to order through Audi dealerships in other countries.

Yokohama states it is proud to have met the high technical standards required in the development process it has undergone with Audi AG, and comments that the Advan Winter range perfectly balances high-speed stability, comfort, handling and braking in wet and dry conditions, as well as showing good traction and braking on snowy and icy surfaces. Since 2004, “Advan Sport” summer tyres have been homologated by some of the world’s leading car manufacturers, including the Audi S8, the Bentley Continental series, Mercedes-AMG models and the Porsche 911 and Cayenne.

24th October 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Bidvest Believed to Behind TiAuto Buyout Announcement

Bidvest, 20 per cent shareholders in Tiger Automotive Ltd (TiAuto), who in turn own a 51 per cent share in Yokohama High Performance Tyres in the UK, is believed to have shown interest in acquiring all of the company’s retail and wholesale aftermarket wheel and tyre business. In mid-October TiAuto’s board announced: “Shareholders of Tiger Automotive are advised that the board has received a proposal which may result in an offer to acquire the entire issued share capital of the company.”

22nd October 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Yokohama Opens Second Onomichi OTR Plant

Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd., held an opening ceremony for the second plant at its Onomichi site in Japan on 22 October. The plant is located in Onomichi City, Hiroshima Prefecture, and specialises in the manufacture of off-the-road (OTR) tyres. Tooru Kobayashi, director and corporate officer of Yokohama Rubber, announced that the company would further increase production capacity at the Onomichi plant by another 2.2 times above its 2007 production to 2,500 tons a month by the end of 2012.

22nd October 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Hankook Ranked 5th in J.D. Power Survey

Hankook Tire recently announced that it has ranked fifth in the mass market/non-luxury segment of J.D. Power’s ‘2007 OE Tire Customer Satisfaction Study’. The manufacturer attributes this respectable placing to the company’s increasing focus on quality service and production, and its consistent investment of approximately five per cent of annual revenue into R&D.

Hankook Tire scored 810 out of 1,000 points, outperforming Bridgestone, Dunlop, Yokohama and Continental. The study measures overall customer satisfaction with their original equipment tyres, examining five key factors: wearability, appearance, traction/grip, ride and handling. Rankings are based on owner experiences with their tyres during the first year of ownership. Hankook Tire jumped its rank for third consecutive year; escalating from tenth in 2004 to eighth in 2005, sixth in 2006 and fifth in this year.

12th October 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Yokohama Points to New Winter Tyre Engineering Breakthrough

Did you know that it is actually more hazardous to drive on ice when the temperature is between -6 and 0 degrees Celcius than when temperatures are colder? Yokohama engineers at the company’s headquarters in Japan have proposed the concept that a “danger zone” exists when ice can be more slippery. According to the company, understanding what makes ice slippery was the first step in creating a new generation of winter tyres better able to deal with this dangerous condition.

Tyre engineers have long understood that the very act of driving a car on ice makes the ice more slippery. The weight of the car and the friction of the tyre rolling over the surface of the ice acts to melt the ice under the tyre. The layer of water between the ice and tyre acts like a lubricant, reducing the traction the tyre can achieve. The engineers at Yokohama Rubber Company Ltd. studied the phenomenon and discovered that the thin film of water created by the tyre actually grew when the temperature was between minus six and zero degrees.

10th October 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Falken Promotes Marriott to CFO

(Akron/Tire Review) US tyre industry veteran Gil Marriott has been promoted to CFO of Falken Tire Corp. Marriott joined Falken in April 2001 as vice president of administration and treasurer. Previously, Marriott held executive posts with Bridgestone/Firestone and Yokohama Tire.

9th October 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

WTCC Champion Priaulx Celebrates 100th BMW Race

British driver and reigning WTCC champion Andy Priaulx celebrated his 100th touring car race with BMW during the championship rounds held at Monza on the weekend of October 6-7. And although Priaulx’s race experience at the Italian circuit did not measure up with that recently enjoyed at Brands Hatch – he was forced to retire after being the innocent party in a collision – the champion still sits at the top of the Drivers’ Championship, sharing 81 points apiece with Seat driver Yvan Muller.

“I’ve had a great career with BMW,” said Priaulx in a press release. “I’m very proud of my 100th race and I hope we will be together for another 100. This weekend’s races are to be forgotten and I’m going to Macau leading the championship with every chance of winning. BMW don’t like losing so I’m sure there will be five weeks of hard work in preparation for the final round.”

Priaulx worked his Yokohama Advan control tyres hard at Brands Hatch on September 23 to achieve his first ever WTCC victory on home soil, a win that made him a definite contender in the Drivers’ Championship and ensured BMW remains favourite for this year’s Manufacturers’ Championship.

9th October 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Yokohama Tire Changes Executives

(Akron/Tire Review) Yokohama Tire Corp. has seen a number of its executives reassigned. Takao Oishi was named YTC executive vice president of operations, and is relocating from Yokohama Rubber Corp. in Japan. Kenichi Shirai was named chief advisor for strategic marketing, and is also coming from YRC headquarters in Japan. Also relocating to the US will be Iwao Shimomura, who was named YTC senior director of corporate quality assurance. At YTC, Satoshi Miyata was promoted to CFO and treasurer. He had been serving as YTC’s treasurer for the last four years.

As a result, three YTC executives returned to Yokohama’s Japan headquarters: Takaharu Fushimi was named YRC general manager of tyre overseas sales and marketing department No. 1; Tadayoshi Hiraga was named general manager of tyre overseas technical service department; and Takeshi Masatomo assumed the new title of manager of passenger car and light truck tyres product planning department.

2nd October 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

New TIA Board Set

(Akron/Tire Review) Members have spoken, and TIA has 13 newly elected board of directors members. The new board members will officially take office Oct. 29 at TIA’s annual membership meeting in Las Vegas, just prior to the SEMA Sow.

Thirteen seats were open including 10 seats with three-year terms, one seat with a two-year term and two seats with a one-year term. Elected to serve three-year terms were:

20th September 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Yokohama’s New WTCC Rain Tyres Make a Splash

The new rain tyres selected for the use in the next two seasons of the FIA World Touring Car Championship were recently given the opportunity to kick up some spray at the Snetterton Circuit in Norfolk. Chevrolet and BMW took part in the tests on the artificially watered track, with each company fielding a car fitted with Yokohama Advan tyres.

“We have compared our current rain tyres with the one we have developed for the next two years,” commented Yokohama Europe Motorsport manager Matthijs Mathlener. “The drivers have completed a number of tests, including short and long runs, with both the 2007 and the new tyres and on both a completely wet and a drying track.”

Following an invitation to tender, Yokohama was in early July appointed by FIA World Motor Sport Council to supply the control tyre for the 2008 and 2009 FIA WTCC.

20th September 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Yokohama Launches Eco Treadsetters Social Network Site

(Akron/Tire Review) Yokohama Tire Corp. has launched Eco Treadsetters, a consumer online social network focused on environmental issues. The site – www.ecotreadsetters.com – provides daily “green: news and forums, “how to” guides, and exclusive interviews with environmentally active musicians.

“This is a content-rich site that doubles as a ‘MySpace-like’ social network,” said Fred Koplin, Yokohama’s director of marketing. “Our goal is to create an entertaining, newsy, socially relevant site. A perfect example is that we’re going to be receiving regular online reports from four recent college grads making a 40,000-mile road trip from Southern California to the tip of South America, all created to promote green living and a sustainable lifestyle.”

18th September 2007/by Tyrepress Editors