Road-Legal Kenda Trakmaster now available in the UK
Already a popular option with dirt bike riders across the pond, the road-legal Kenda Trakmaster motocross tyre range is now available in the UK through exclusive distributor Cambrian Tyres.
Already a popular option with dirt bike riders across the pond, the road-legal Kenda Trakmaster motocross tyre range is now available in the UK through exclusive distributor Cambrian Tyres.
Another tyre maker contributing to coronavirus relief efforts is Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd. The Japanese tyre maker shared yesterday that it has donated RMB 2 million (£220,000) to non-governmental organisation the China Charity Federation. The donation supports the charitable organisation’s ongoing efforts to provide relief to those who are suffering from pneumonia and other ailments caused by the strain of coronavirus that continues to spread in China’s Hubei Province and beyond.
In order to support China’s anti-coronavirus epidemic actions, the Sailun Group has donated 10 million yuan to the Qingdao Red Cross for emergency assistance and to help mitigate the spread of the virus. Of the 10 million yuan donation, 4 million yuan came from the group’s management team and employees.
The coronavirus clearly presents a human tragedy, but it is also affecting international economies and manufacturing in particular. Following our coverage of the impact on the tyre business, various market analysts have been assessing the impact on the automotive industry.
The short story is that internal OE demand is likely to be much harder hit than external exports. According to NBC, China could suffer the loss of 1 million vehicles worth of production due to the suspension of production for at least an extra week in the so-called “motor city” of Wuhan, which is located at the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak and has a population of 11 million people.
In order to assure the “health, safety and well-being” of all in attendance, the organiser of Tire Technology Expo has announced special attendance requirements for year’s show.
Production at the Michelin tyre plant in Dundee is expected to end by the middle of this year, with around 850 jobs affected. To offset this loss, the company is relaunching its Michelin Development scheme with the aim of helping to create hundreds of jobs in Dundee and the Angus area.
The Kawasaki Z series has been around since 1972, but Pirelli reckons the new Z H2 is the “most radical” model to join the range in the last 48 years. The most powerful too, thanks to a supercharged 998 cc engine that delivers 147.1 kW (197 hp). This power reaches the road via Pirelli Diablo Rosso III tyres, Kawasaki’s original equipment tyre of choice for its latest naked bike.
Goodyear Tire & Rubber has responded to the coronavirus outbreak in China by temporarily closing its headquarters in Shanghai and the Goodyear Dalian Tire co. Ltd. manufacturing facility in Pulandian (Liaoning Province). Both facilities are expected to remain closed until at least Sunday.
India’s car market leader Maruti Suzuki has unveiled a new concept vehicle ahead of the Auto Expo 2020 show, which begins tomorrow. Called the Concept Futuro-e, the SUV coupe gives a taste of what can be expected from the car maker’s ‘Mission Green Million’ plan to sell a million low emission vehicles in the next few years. Yokohama has developed a BluEarth tyre for the concept.
B.A Bush & Son (Bush Tyres) has congratulated Ken Nicholson on surpassing 55 years of continued service to the company. Nicholson registered the achievement in January 2020, having worked for four generations of the Bush family, starting with company founder Benjamin Arthur Bush, then his son Ivor Bush, and up to present day directors, Nigel Bush (Ivor’s son) and Nigel’s two sons, Ben and Tom.
CAM has appointed experienced senior manager Rob Harber as chief technology officer. He will oversee the technical direction of the company and manage the reengineering of aspects of its software solutions to anticipate and meet customers’ requirements, spearheaded by Azure Cloud migration, CAM states.
In the USA, The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company has introduced the Goodyear Assurance ComfortDrive – an all-season tyre, which is said to offer Goodyear’s most comfortable ride to date.
As of 5 February 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) reports that there have been 24,554 confirmed cases of coronavirus across 25 countries since the outbreak began on 23 January 2020. Governments all round the world are taking steps to contain the spread of the virus as well as to develop treatment, but China is bearing the brunt of it with 24,363 cases within its borders alone. As a result, the transport systems of at least 10 cities in the People’s Republic have been shut down and public gatherings are being discouraged. As a result, home-working rates have shot through the roof and there has been an inevitable impact on the manufacturing industry. Considering China is the world’s largest manufacturer of tyres by unit volume, what impact is the coronavirus having on the tyre industry?
Protyre shares that it has secured Platinum status within the Feefo Trusted Service Awards for 2020, a category that the review and customer insights technology company added to its annual awards structure last month.
In spite of what it calls a “soft” market for car tyres in Europe last year, Nokian Tyres maintained its level of net sales throughout the period. Operating profit was lower year-on-year, and profit considerably increased. Operating profit is expected to take another tumble in 2020.
If you would like the latest news from the Chinese tyre industry in Chinese, visit our partner site TyrepressChina.com. Or click below to continue on Tyrepress.