Healthy European market growth in December
The latest market figures from Michelin were released on 23 January, and these show across the board year-on-year growth taking place within the European tyre market in December 2013. These results for Europe include the Russian and Turkish markets. Original equipment passenger car and light truck tyre sales were eight per cent up on December 2012, while replacement market tyre sales expanded by one per cent. Michelin noted that growing markets experienced a slight decline in Western Europe due to winter tyre sales. Heavy truck tyre market growth was even more pronounced and experienced what Michelin called a ‘technical rebound’. In December, the original equipment market was 26 per cent above where it was a year earlier and the replacement tyre market was 12 per cent higher.