Automotive industry charity Ben says the number of people seeking its support for mental health and money concerns has increased. It adds that demand will continue to grow as the full impact of the COVID-19 pandemic unfolds. The charity has created a ‘Coronavirus hub’ on its website, with specially developed online tips, advice, and tools for managing money, coping with stress, and facilitating home working now available.
Analysts have warned that the dire effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on car production are not fully reflected in the March figures, released today by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders. Andrew Burn, partner and head of automotive at KPMG UK said that while the March data shows that conditions were difficult, April’s numbers will show the full extent of the effects of the UK lockdown on the sector.
Christina Zamarro has been appointed Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company’s vice president of Finance and treasurer. She succeeds Peter R. Rapin, who steps down from the role tomorrow ahead of his retirement on 1 October 2020. In her new role, Zamarro reports to Darren R. Wells, the tyre maker’s executive vice president and chief financial officer.
As well as providing its retreading partners with the necessary materials to contribute to securing people’s basic needs across Europe and keeping truck rolling, Kraiburg reports that it is also committed to those who fight on the medical “front lines”.
UK car manufacturing fell -37.6 per cent in March, according to figures released today by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). 78,767 vehicles left factory gates in the month, some 47,428 fewer than the previous year, as the coronavirus crisis caused UK car plants to close. 140 days-worth of lost production have been lost as a result.
The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd., announced today that it has been supplying its Advan Sport V107 to the BMW Group for use as original equipment on BMW X3 and X4 models since July 2019. The cars are being equipped with 225/60R18 104W size tyres on markets outside Japan. The Advan Sport V107 replaces the Advan Sport V105 tyres that had been an OE fitment on the two globally marketed BMW models since 2018.
Things are changing so quickly at the moment that most analyses end up little more than speculation two weeks later. That’s why Tyrepress contains both the latest news and seeks to set such developments into their medium- and long-term contexts. Take our Tyre Retail coverage for example (see “2020 UK tyre retail ranking” and “Which garages are open during lockdown“) where we list both the current proportions of open tyre retailers and analyse the overall UK tyre retail landscape in its seven-year context.
The Independent Garage Association (IGA) has requested an enhancement to the furlough scheme. It wrote to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak, to request an alteration to the current scheme enabling employees to return to work partially as the country prepares for the next phase of lockdown restrictions.
Yokohama Europe reports it has been able to maintain its OTR business at a similar level to previously even under the tough conditions resulting from COVID-19. Truck and bus tyre sales were 27 per cent down during the same period, with Italy particularly affected.
The Carlstar Group has strengthened its team with the appointment of a European product manager. The company reported today that Balazs Sztranyai began in this role last September. Sztranyai is based in Carlstar’s European head office and supports the Group and its partners on site as well for field testing or surveys for all segments and brands, including Carlisle, ITP, BlackRock, Marastar, Unique and Cragar.
Nankang Tyre has launched two tyre games for Android and iOS mobile devices: Tyre Maker and Tyre Run. Both are available free to download worldwide on Android and iOS. The Taiwan tyre manufacturer says part of the purpose of the apps is “to relieve the boredom of being stuck at home due to COVID-19.” The games were developed in collaboration with digital design company King One Design. Users can download Tyre Maker here on iOS devices, or here on Android devices, while Tyre Run is available here (iOS) or here (Android).
SMMT
The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
Mitas
Brembo
SMMT
energepic.com; Pexels
Chris McAndrew
Yokohama Europe
Carlstar Group
Nankang