Ford Fiesta Turns 30
The Ford Focus might be Britain’s most popular vehicle, but the smaller Fiesta is still one of Britain’s best-loved drives. And today is the small car’s not so small 30th birthday. More than 3.2 million Fiestas – enough to stretch bumper to bumper from London to New York and back – have been sold in the UK since the first one rolled off the assembly line in 1976. The £1,856 entry-level model featured then state-of-the-art extras such as a folding rear seat, rubber floor mats and two-speed windscreen wipers. It was all a world away from the 2006 model, which offers motorists high-tech technology like voice recognition, satellite navigation, MP3 capability and Bluetooth capability.
Continue ReadingGSF Selects New Canterbury Branch for Customer Winter Checks
GSF Car Parts has announced the official unveiling of its Canterbury branch, which has opened as part of their 2006 expansion drive. This new branch opening is the first of many during 2006 as GSF follows business objectives and targets to grow company operations significantly. The driving ethos behind this expansion is to return benefits from increased ROI and deliver this success directly back to the customer through competitive pricing, high quality products and enhanced customer service.
Continue ReadingToyo Ups NASA Race Support
(Akron/Tire Review) Toyo Tire USA Corp. has increased its support of National Auto Sport Association (NASA) road racing for 2006. The long-time NASA sponsor is involved is regional races and spec categories such as American Iron Racing, Honda Challenge and Spec Miata Challenge. For the 2006 season, Toyo will double the rewards to Toyo-spec class champions in each region, and the company is nearly doubling its “Toyo Bucks” rebate program for regional races with more than five starters in each class.”
Continue ReadingGet Fierce With Goodyear
In the USA, Goodyear has introduced Fierce - a new product line targeted at auto enthusiasts, tuners and sport-performance enthusiasts. The Fierce brand is available in three different tyre types - high-performance, ultra-high performance and sport truck. These three fast-growing tyre segments represent areas of extreme focus for enthusiasts who modify their vehicles. Research shows that tyres rank second in vehicle modifications in the sport compact segment, just behind exhaust components. For these enthusiasts, whether they own a tuner-car, sport truck or sleek sports sedan, a change in their tyre-and-wheel package is among the easiest of modifications to make, yet it probably carries the best bang-for-the-buck in terms of both appearance and vehicle performance, said Chris Magana, marketing manager for Fierce.
Continue ReadingTitan CEO Get Political
(Akron/Tire Review – Quincy Herald-Whig) Morry Taylor, who created a stir when he ran for president in 1996, is shaking things up again. This time, the president and CEO of Quincy-based Titan International took out a full-page ad 2 February in USA Today calling on Americans to demand common-sense solutions to some of the problems facing this country. The top of the ad reads in bold print: “Americans are you stupid? I dont think we are, but politicians, bureaucrats and the intelligent elite think so.” Taylor used the ad as a platform to express his views on a variety of issues he feels are being mishandled by the nations leadership.
Continue ReadingKelly Navigator Touring Gold
In response to continued growth in the H/V speed-rated auto tyre segment in the USA, Kelly Tyres is introducing the Navigator Touring Gold in 17 initial sizes. The Navigator Touring Gold is a premium-touring tyre that carries a 60,000-mile tread life limited warranty. The new tyre’s tread design provides a consistent footprint for a quiet ride and long, even wear. Three-dimensional tread elements near the centre rib in the five-rib tread design help to evacuate water on wet days. An optimised footprint shape distributes pressure to allow more of the tyre to maintain contact with the road at any given time.
Continue ReadingApollo Acquires Dunlop International – Update
Further details of Apollo Tyres’ acquisition of Dunlop International (also known as Dunlop South Africa) have emerged. Firstly Dunlop Nigeria (estimated turnover of $65 million, £40 million) is not included in the sale. Apollo representatives gave no reason for this. Furthermore, the Indian company confirmed it would keep the troubled Dunlop Zimbabwe business. “Dunlop is the only tyre manufacturer in Zimbabwe and it is a profitable operation,” Apollo spokesperson Kankana Das told Tyres & Accessories. However in light of inflation rates as high as 800 per cent any profitability must be difficult to maintain. “Any operation can be profitable as long it is able to pass on price increases to cover the cost push. The Zimbabwe operations have been able to do this,” Das added.
Continue ReadingNew Goodyear Tyre Has Carbon Fibre
Carbon fibre is part of the construction of the new Goodyear Eagle(R) featuring ResponsEdge Technology™, which will be available to consumers in May. With threadlike strands of carbon that are strong and flexible, carbon fibre is a substance that weighs much less than steel of similar strength. As a woven composite fabric, it is increasingly used in high-tech racecars and jet planes. In the new Eagle featuring ResponsEdge Technology, the outboard sidewall of the tyre is reinforced with a high-tech carbon fibre insert that provides stiffness for responsive handling and steering precision. Combined with conventional tyre construction on the inboard sidewall, the ResponsEdge tyre delivers a smooth, comfortable ride.
Continue ReadingThe New Sava Perfecta
Sava is introducing a new range of summer tyres for cars and Multi Purpose Vehicles (MPVs). The Sava Perfecta range will be available in new popular sizes and is said to offer longevity, reliability and a competitive price tag. The main benefit of Sava Perfecta is greater mileage. Other benefits are shorter wet stopping distances, reduced risk of aquaplaning, better driver control and less noise. Koos Nooi, Sava brand director Europe, Middle East and Africa, said: “The Sava Perfecta fulfils the requirements of possibly the largest consumer segment of the European tyre market because it is designed to meet the needs of the rational and safety conscious driver who drives a compact car or MPV. We have tested this tyre against competition, which it has outperformed. Sava Perfecta has met all parameters we set for it.”
Continue ReadingIndian Tread Rubber Producers Raise Prices
The All Kerala Small Scale Tread Rubber Manufacturers Association has decided to increase the price of tread rubber by 8 rupees (10 pence) per kilogram, India’s Business Standard reported. The association general secretary, George Varghese, said the increases were necessary to counter high raw material costs and protect tread rubber producers’ livelihoods.
Continue ReadingPirellifilm Set to Make an Impact
Pirellifilm is a unique new communication tool that intends to launch high quality short films through several media channels. The films will centre on stage and screen stars’ interpretations of the famous Pirelli claim - “Power is nothing without control” - in a different way each year. This extraordinary project, which has been in the planning for several years, is intended to support the Pirelli image and positioning and to maintain brand leadership. Pirelli has chosen the Web as the main channel for these films. The Internet, with its endless possibilities, has evolved to become an entertainment channel and, in this case, also a movie theatre. As the long-term experience of the Calendar has shown, Pirelli has always been able to attract up-and-coming talents, to communicate in a more effective and original way, and to go beyond traditional advertising channels.
Continue ReadingYHI Looks to Eastern Bloc and South Africa for Expansion
Automobile tyre-maker YHI International started its aggressive overseas expansion only in the 1990s and yet it already has presence in nearly every continent. Not content with its achievements, it is now focusing on faraway reaches like South Africa. Up until the 80s, YHI could claim only Singapore and Malaysia as the markets for its tyre distribution business. But the company realised that it had to expand beyond these two markets for further growth. That’s why, in the early 1990s, YHI started to make inroads into China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Australasia.
Continue ReadingUK Fulda Challenge Team ‘Best Ever’
The 2006 Fulda Challenge UK team is heading back to Britain after its best Arctic performance yet. Kate Balchin (26) and Martin Yardley (38) travelled to the breathtaking Yukon Territory at the end of January to take part in the annual extreme sports adventure. The UK team finished in fourth place, 30 points behind the winning team. Kate finished third overall in a field of world-class female athletes and was presented with a cheque for $1,000 (Canadian). Belgiums Liesbeth Buytart and Germany’s Martin Hollerbach were the top performing woman and man respectively and they received a cheque for $3,000 (Canadian) each. The final results meant that the German Lowa team won the 2006 Fulda Challenge after leading the event from start to finish. They were awarded a Klondike gold nugget each.
Continue ReadingTyre Firms to Hike Prices Afresh
Indian tyre manufacturers are set to increase prices following further increase in rubber prices. The recent most recent hike is said to be 1.5-2 per cent, according to India’s Business Line newspaper. Over the last 13 months, tyre prices have gone up by 15 per cent for the OE segment, and 7 to 8 per cent for the replacement market, which mostly comprises truck tyres.
Continue ReadingBFGoodrich Cars Win Swedish Rally
Finland’s Marcus Gronholm dominated the 2006 Swedish rally by winning the first five of the day’s seven special stages. His nearest rival, four-times World champion Sebastien Loeb, won the remaining two to reduce Gronholm’s lead to 25.1sec. Gronholm, who drives for Ford, said after Loeb won stage six: “That was about as fast as I could go – the tyres were finished at the end – but I am enjoying this fight.”
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