Ford Buys Rover Name for £6 million
Ford has bought the Rover brand name from BMW for £6 million, raising hopes that the marque could yet rise from the ashes. Ford was granted an option of first refusal to buy the Rover brand when it acquired Land Rover from BMW for $2.7 billion in 2000. Although Ford did not comment on the future of the Rover brand, sources told The Times that the company wanted to build further upon its successful Land Rover brand in North America and has plans to design a so-called “crossover vehicle” using the Rover brand.
Continue ReadingCITExpo Becoming Increasingly International
The increasing product quality and the level of distribution of Chinese tyres in the UK and Europe clearly demonstrates how the Far Eastern manufacturers are closing the gap between themselves and the European/US markets. Another important indicator is the existence of a renowned tyre exhibition, a title which by all accounts has already been given to China International Tire Expo (CITExpo) in the eyes of visitors. This show has developed strongly in the four years since it was first held in Shanghai. Today CITExpo could be considered as one of the leading tyre exhibitions in China and even in Asia. This year the show again set new standards although CITExpo is still far away from an international reputation held by the Reifen show in Germany or the SEMA show in Las Vegas. However, the CITExpo clearly is on-track towards becoming a fixed entry on the international tyre agenda. The organisers have once again proved themselves capable of offering the right show to the ever-increasing number of exhibitors and visitors.
Continue ReadingQuestion of the Month: Retreading
Has the rise in Chinese and other low price imports affected your passenger car or CV retreading business? What are the lasting effects of these developments? Recent ATMA (Indian tyre association) statistics show dramatic year-on-year increases in the export of OTR tyres from the subcontinent, is this segment of the retreading business being affected too? To add your opinions to those of thousands of regular T&A and tyrepress.com readers click here. Please don’t forget to leave your contact details so we can follow up the most interesting comments.
Continue ReadingAnd the Winner Is…
In June, as part of Tyres & Accessories’ 60th anniversary celebrations, we ran a competition giving readers the chance to win one of two Blaupunkt TravelPilot Lucca satellite navigation units. Having counted all the entries, checked all the answers and contacted the winners, Tyres & Accessories is pleased to announce that Mike Garwood of National Tyres and Autocare and James E Gilmore of Cooper Tires have each won the star prize. T&A visited Mike Garwood at National’s Stockport office to present the prize. Garwood, who currently works as a project manager for the well known retail chain, is celebrated 30 years in the tyre business in September, so the prize could not have come at a better time.
Continue ReadingCooper Kenda JV Making Progress in China
Seven months after officially starting the project construction workers building Cooper/Kenda’s joint venture manufacturing plant have almost finished. The 800,000-square-foot manufacturing facility is situated in an industrial park in Kunshan, a suburb west of Shanghai. This first phase of the project is expected to be completed by December.
Continue ReadingTyrexpo Africa Success
After more than a quarter of a century since the last tyre show in the country, the recent Tyrexpo Africa 2006 held in South Africa was a great success. Based at the Sandton Convention Center in Johannesburg, more than a hundred national and international exhibitors took part, including Michelin, Bandag and Vipal as well as many international wholesalers. The show’s floorspace was sold out. The organisers, ECI, were optimistic about the response to the show and said that the next step is to follow this exhibition with an even bigger event in 2008. The first comments from exhibitors sounded positive. The exact visitor statistics will be published later this week.
Continue ReadingPirelli Believes in Young Managers
At just 34 years old Gianluca Lionetto was appointed as managing director of Pirelli Asia in July, gaining responsibility for Pirelli activities in 14 Asian countries excluding China and Japan. Before taking on this new role Lionetto spent one year as a managing director in South Africa, following two years as marketing director there. His successor as head of Pirelli South Africa is 35 year-old Alessandro Marchi.
Continue ReadingScania Rejects MAN Bid
Scania has rejected MAN’s takeover offer. The news follows speculation and then confirmation that German truck and bus maker MAN launched an unsolicited bid worth 9.6 billion (£6.5 billion) for its Swedish rival Scania. Volkswagen and Investor, a Wallenberg family firm, each own major blocks of Scania shares and the Financial Times suggested Investor may reject the offer. The FT also hinted at possible counter bids from other firms, including Paccar. Swedish truck maker Scania says its board met on Sunday 17 September and “unanimously decided not to support the proposals” from MAN AG.
Continue ReadingTelecom Italia: Tronchetti Provera Resigns
Following the public dispute initiated by Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi, Marco Tronchetti Provera has now resigned from his position as boss of Telecom Italia. Although Tronchetti Provera always claimed the acquisition of the Italian Mobile Telephone Company TIM and its integration into Telecom Italia was an excellent strategic move, last week he revealed that a split into two separate companies again would be even better.
Continue ReadingSmarter Than The Average Car
Ever wondered what a Smart with 26-inch rims would look like? The Smart fourfun2 is the answer. DaimlerChrylser were obviously trying to awaken their inner child when they produced their tallest Smart, which the company describes as a forfour with monster truck ambitions. The tyre fitment is just ludicrous –BFGoodrich rubber on 26 inch rims with a diameter of 140 cm. Not to mention ground clearance of 65 centimetres and an unbelievable total height of 3.7 metres! The car features an OM 352 six-cylinder diesel engine with a capacity of 5,675 ccs. It delivers an impressive 84 bhp - the diesel version of the production car has a 41 bhp engine.
Continue ReadingFourth CITExpo Deemed Success
(Akron/Tire Review) The fourth annual China International Tire Expo (CITExpo) drew to a close 8 September, and was deemed a “record breaking success.” Held at the Shanghai Everbright Convention and Exhibition Center, the three-day event saw some 200 exhibitors showcase their latest products and technology in a 10,000-square-meter exhibition area.
Continue ReadingLiberian MP Seeks UN Protection for Firestone Plantation
(Akron/Tire Review) A lawmaker in Liberias lower house of parliament has called on the UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) to deploy troops on a plantation owned by Firestone Natural Rubber Co. to prevent its takeover by a criminal gang. A gang styling itself the Bad Boys of Bomi County recently threatened in a leaflet to occupy the plantation at Harbel, Liberias largest employer.
Continue ReadingBandag Expands Continuum Line for OTR Applications
(Akron/Tire Review) Bandag has “significantly expanded” its line of Continuum brand OTR retread materials. Launched in 2005, the Continuum line is expanded to include “innovative serpentine tread designs” intended for rigid dump trucks and industrial/container handling applications. Bandag said the Continuum serpentine tread designs offer greater flexibility than other retread application methods and products.
Continue ReadingMAN Confirms Interest in Scania
German truckmaker MAN has confirmed it is interested in taking over Swedish rival Scania. MAN said the rationale for a takeover - which would result in the creation of a European market leading company - was compelling. Analysts estimate that any potential deal might be worth as much as 12 billion euros, (£8.1 billion).
Continue ReadingChange of Management at Trelleborg Automotive
George Caplea, president of the Trelleborg Automotive business area, will leave the Trelleborg Group on 1 October and assume a position as head of North American operations for another, noncompeting company. Peter Nilsson, President and CEO of Trelleborg, will assume responsibility for the Trelleborg Automotive business area until further notice. At the same time, the business area will intensify its focus on improving all aspects of global processes. The change of management will take place on 1 October 2006.
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