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New Ford Focus RS Runs on Conti SportContact 3

The new Ford Focus RS – the auto manufacturer’s fastest volume model ever – has debuted in its final form at the 2009 Geneva Motor Show, stepping out on Continental’s ContiSportContact 3 tyre, sized 235/35ZR19. The appearance follows previews at the London and Paris Motor Shows in 2008.

Lars Frick, an automotive engineer for Ford tyres with Continental, stated that the manufacturer was able to offer the company a tyre appropriate to the needs of the new car: “The Ford Focus RS should be equipped with tyres, which support the sporty driving dynamics and which allows the high torque level of the car to be translated to the road. The emphasis lay on safe handling characteristics and short braking distances, even on wet asphalt. At the same time Ford expected very sporty tyres, which made the driving dynamics tests on the legendary Nürburgring Nordschleife a very useful process.”

The Focus RS will also be kitted out with the ContiMobilityKit, allowing drivers to repair flats on the fly, as standard.

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  2. Continued Evolution
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A Third of Pirelli’s 1500 Tyre Job Cuts Already Actioned

Approximately 500 of the 1500 job losses Pirelli Tyre chief executive Dr Francesco Gori announced last week have already taken place in various parts of Europe. According to a Pirelli Tyre spokesperson, this means the remaining 1000 will be spread across the company’s Western European operations. Pirelli has not released any further details of which particular sites or positions are to be affected.

Presenting the company’s financial results to an investor’s day last week, Dr Gori was clear that Pirelli (like the market as a whole) is facing a challenging environment this year. “How do we see the 2009 market? Difficult,” he said at one point. As a result Pirelli Tyre is reshaping its industrial footprint to the tune of “the equivalent” of one production plant. This means each of the remaining factories will focus on high value items – namely SUV tyres in the UK and UHP, Winter, run-flats in Germany.

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American Pacific to Market Pegasus PCR Tyre Brand in Europe

American Pacific Industries (API) is preparing to introduce its Pegasus passenger car tyre brand into the European market in the second quarter of 2009. The range, which will be available in a range of 14 to 24-inch sizes will be distributed exclusive in the EC countries by InterSprint. API told Tyres & Accessories that Pegasus is the European version of it Spector tyre programme, which has been re-engineered for the European market.

According to company literature, API has built its name on developing “first class American engineered, Chinese manufactured products with a reputation for consistent quality and good value.” API says it is actively seeking partners “in most regions of the world.”

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AutoRussia09 to Explore Russian Auto Outlook

The details of the AutoRussia09 conference for automotive industry executives have been announced. The event will take place on 16 and 17 June at the Astoria Hotel in St Petersburg, and is set to explore the latest developments and the effect of global economic downturn on the automotive industry in Russia.

The events organisers say that, “Despite the difficulties in the automotive industry globally, most OEM projects are continuing to build and grow their production in Russia. GM, Suzuki, Nissan, Toyota, Hyundai, Volkswagen and Ford as well as hundreds of T1 and T2 suppliers are moving to the city to set up production facilities and supply this growing market.” With many of the aforementioned OEMs in attendance, the conference promises to present networking opportunities, practical solutions and cutting edge strategies for surviving the economic downturn through a series of interactive seminars; roundtable discussions with key OEMs; a gala dinner; strategic presentations; and chamber of commerce, automotive market and OEM updates.

Interested parties are directed to the www.wbr.co.uk website, where booking details and early registration discounts are available.

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Oliver Rubber Introduces Envelope Spreader For 16-58” Retreads

Michelin North American subsidiary Oliver Rubber recently introduced a new envelope spreader for use in the retreading process, which helps mechanically facilitate enveloping prior to curing. With a push of the foot pedal, Oliver’s 1137 Envelope Expander uses preset adjustments to mechanically stretch the envelope to the optimum diameter, thus minimising envelope stretch and in turn increasing envelope life. The new Oliver spreader was developed and manufactured by the company’s Salisbury Machinery Division in Salisbury, North Carolina.

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Bridgestone Lays off 67 as US Off Road Tyre Demand Drops

The ripple effect from the downturn in North America’s construction industry is being felt by Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations (BATO). In response to a decline in demand for construction equipment, BATO is decreasing production of its small and medium off road tyres, and as of March 1 will lay off 67 hourly workers at its Bloomington, Illinois facility.

According to Bridgestone, production must be reduced in order to better align this inventory with demand. “The dramatic downturn in the economy continues to plague every industry, including ours,” said Shawn Rasey, president, Off the Road Tire, U.S. & Canada, Commercial Tire Sales division, BATO.

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I’ll Have Four ViaductRock Tyres Please….

According to the much used childhood retort, sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me. This, however, doesn’t apply to companies whose vocabulary includes words suspiciously similar to well-known trademarks….

On February 17 Bridgestone Corporation gave notice that its complaint of trademark infringement against two Chinese tyre manufacturers has been upheld. Bridgestone claimed that the companies in question, Shandong Santai Rubber Co., Ltd and Hangzhou Bridgesteel Rubber Co., Ltd, attempted to infringe on the goodwill established by certain Bridgestone intellectual property through the use of their respective brand names, Rockstone and Bridgesteel.

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Loeb Claims 49th Career Win on Pirelli’s New Sottozero

He’s one away from the ‘big five-oh’…Rally Norway, the sole all-snow round of the World Rally Championship, was the scene of five-time WRC champion Sebastien Loeb’s 49th career win – it also marked the first competition victory for Pirelli’s brand new generation of Sottozero studded winter tyre. Loeb’s Citroën kept the Pirelli-equipped Ford Focus RS WRC of Mikko Hirvonen at bay throughout the event, finishing the three-day rally after what Pirelli has called a ‘close battle’ with the Finnish driver.

In past years, spiked winter tyres for world championship winter rallies used to be of a special narrow size, designed to bite through soft snow to the harder surfaces underneath. This year, as part of the Pirelli supported FIA cost-cutting drive, Pirelli’s tungsten-tipped Sottozero winter tyres – each of which contains 384 studs – have been designed to fit on standard 15-inch gravel wheel rims.

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Sinton Tyres Stocking the Latest Cooper 4×4 Range

In spite of the economic downturn, Sinton Tyres reports that its customers are happy to continue investing in their SUVs and off road vehicles – and the Cooper All Terrain (Discoverer ATR) and mud pattern (Discoverer STT) thus remain as popular as ever, with the Discoverer ST remaining a firm favourite with those enthusiasts who want a 40 per cent on-road/60 per cent off road tyre.

The latest products to find a stall in the Cooper stable are the Zeon XSTA, which replaces the Sports HP in the Discoverer range, and the Zeon LTZ, which comes in American truck sizes but is also suitable for some UK conversions. Both are suitable for the aftermarket.

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CJ Bird Reports ‘Going the Extra Mile’ with Michelin

Welsh haulage firm CJ Bird Transport regularly clocks up 500,000 km on its Michelin drive axle tyres and 600,000 km on its Michelin trailer tyres thanks to an active programme of tyre husbandry carried out by independent tyre dealer Celtic Tyres. The Llantrisant-based company specifies Michelin as original equipment wherever possible, and the tyres’ longevity means many of the trucks it purchases never need to be fitted with a new replacement tyre during their life on the fleet.

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Bridgestone Stock Up After Credit Suisse Upgrading

Bridgestone’s stock jumped 3.9 per cent to 1,332 yen (10.17 pounds sterling – 1 GBP: 131 JPY), when Credit Suisse reported that its new stock rating was “outperform”, from a previous ranking of “neutral.” The bank also raised its target price to 1,700 from 1,400, reasoning that the manufacturer has shown resistance to generally negative market trends.

The upgrading could be taken positively in the wider tyre business too. In his report, Credit Suisse analyst Toru Iwai wrote that, “We believe the tyre subsector is the only auto parts subsector capable of generating profits in FY09. We believe top-line growth, a major factor in assessing the company, will likely recover faster than auto production.”

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Kumho Reviewing Global Creative Account

Kumho Tire is conducting a review of its creative business in eight key global markets. The account under review is said to cover all markets outside of Korea and Japan, and is believed to be worth between US$5 million and $10 million. Submissions from interested agencies will be evaluated following the late February close date.

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Would-Be Recycler Fined for Breaking Storage Law

Borough Recycling Services, a company hoping to construct a new tyre shredding plant near Folkingham, Lincolnshire, has been fined £10,000 after it was found to be storing a quantity of baled tyres 100 times greater than is allowed by law at its existing Kirton Holme-based operation near Boston. The company admitted that it had failed to obtain the correct permits for storing the tyres, alongside other related charges brought after the Environmental Agency visited the site.

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Survey Shows Motorists Are Downsizing

A survey by LV= car insurance has revealed that almost one in five UK drivers (19 per cent) has downsized or sold one of their cars since the onset of the credit crunch in a bid to save money. The main reason given by motorists for downsizing their vehicle over the last eighteen months was to save money in fuel (61 per cent) while nearly a third (29 per cent) said they did it to cut the cost of road tax. Those who downsized their vehicle estimate they have already saved an average £309.

Despite the emphasis from the Government on ‘greener’ driving, only one in six (15 per cent) of those who had downsized cited environmental concerns as part of their decision.

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Michelin Energy Saver Sole OE on New Toyota Yaris 1.0 VVT-i

Michelin Energy Saver tyres will be exclusively fitted to future models of the Toyota Yaris 1.0 VVT-i. According to the manufacturer, the tyre contributes to the low environmental impact of the new Toyota, which is scheduled for launch in early 2009, by reducing fuel consumption by 0.2 litres per 100 km and consequently, CO2 emissions by 4 grams per km. According to Michelin, new forms of silica have been introduced into the tyre’s rubber compound and combine with structural improvements to generate the fuel saving results.

Michelin first demonstrated that integrating silica in rubber compounds would reduce the tyre’s energy requirement while optimising performance in other key areas such as grip and wear-resistance in 1992. Since the market launch of these first tyres, Michelin has helped to generate fuel savings of more than 10 billion litres, thereby reducing the amount of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere by more than 25 million tonnes.

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