Bridgestone OE on PT Coupe
Bridgestone Potenza S-03 Pole Position tyres are OE on the new Chrysler PT Coupe Concept, which was on show at the SEMA show. The vehicle is based on the PT Cruiser, with various additions such as custom large wheels. The tyre size for the new vehicle is 245/45 R19.
Continue ReadingUS privacy campaigners attack RFID
RFID chips proposed for use in tyre identification and TPMS are coming under attack in the USA as an invasion of privacy, as campaigners say that the information recorded can be collected and used to monitor the car drivers activities. As the price of RFID chips drops, tagging individual items will become the norm. According to Katherine Albrecht of the New Hampshire-based privacy rights group Consumers Against Supermarket Privacy Invasion and Numbering, tagging individual items only becomes helpful if you want to register individual items to individuals. She contends that the RFID chips Michelin is already embedding in its tires, to help in product recall cases, someday could be used to track people as they drive past chip readers on highways or in parking lots. In California, a state senate subcommittee in August held the first-ever public hearing on RFID and privacy, and more hearings are planned for later this fall. Legislation is expected to be introduced early next year that could influence policies in other states.
Continue ReadingSolberg is World Rally Champion
Norways Petter Solberg was crowned World Rally Champion after winning the Wales Rally in his Pirelli-shod Subaru Impreza. He finished ahead of Sebastien Loeb, who was under orders from Citroen to make sure that he finished safely, in order that Michelin-shod Citroen could capture the Manufacturers title in their first full year. In the end, Loeb came second, over 42 seconds behind Solberg, to take second place in the WRC. Carlos Sainz (Citroen) took third place in the overall drivers championship.
Continue ReadingFire at Ellerbrock
Early this morning fire broke out at Ellerbrock Tread in Henstedt-Ulzburg. The 6,500 square metre production hall has fallen victim to the flames. There are approximately 200 fire-fighters on site fighting the fire and it is expected that it will take the whole weekend to bring the fire under control. According to the local radio station in Schleswig-Holstein damage is estimated to run to approximately 15 million Euro. Marketing and sales director Dirk Rohmann stated at the factory gates in Hamburg that it was too early to state the extent of the damage. The fire had damaged the production facility but only after the fire is completely extinguished will the full extent of the damage be assessed. The cause of the fire is not known at present.
Continue ReadingJohn Lampe: “Family-Channel was our escape”
John Lampe, who is CEO of Bridgestone/Firestone Americas Holding and the first foreigner to become a member of the board of the Japanese parent company, certainly enjoys great respect among American tyre bosses. Even a forced tyre recall that cost the company more than 1 billion dollars couldn’t bring Bridgestone to its knees. After a billion dollar loss in 1999, last year Bridgestone/Firestone Americas could again report 90 million in profits. And this positive trend doesn’t seem to be coming to an end. “Obviously we are far away from what a business with an 8 billion dollar turnover has to achieve,” John Lampe tells TYRES & ACCESSORIES at the SEMA show in Las Vegas. Lampe doesn’t speak in terms of yesterday and today, but in categories “before and after the recall” and explains to T&A the measures taken for recovery and change. It is like this: all “core products” will be marketed exclusively through Bridgestone’s “Family-Channel”. As well as the Bridgestone sales chain, independent tyre dealers belong to the Family-Channel.
Continue ReadingStreet-legal drag tyre Dunlop SP Sport Inferno
At the SEMA show, Dunlop has unveiled a competition drag tyre that is also street-legal, aimed at the sport-compact drag segment, allowing enthusiasts to drive to the track and test their vehicles without changing tyres. The tyre, called the Inferno, looks the part as well, with an image of flames on the sidewall, and a tread pattern of directional, sweeping grooves to optimise straight-line performance. The Infernos compound is based on the Dunlop drag racing slick and the tread pattern, carcass and mould shape were computer-designed. It will be available early next year in size 205/50 R15.
Continue ReadingGoodyear OE on Ford F-150
Ford has great hopes for the 2004 version of its F-150 4x4 vehicle. The F-150 is already the USs most popular-selling vehicle and the 2004 version is marketed with the phrase built Ford tough. It includes larger-than-before tyres and wheels and the Goodyear Wrangler AT/S tyres supplied as OE are in the size LT 275/65 R18 - representing Goodyears first 18 OE selection in radial light truck tyres. The same size of Wrangler tyres have also been chosen as OE on the 2004 Ford Harley-Davidson Edition pickup and the Ford F-250 Super Duty.
Continue ReadingToyota results impress
Toyotas first half results were better than expected, with a strong 2nd quarter, in which turnover rose 10.6 per cent and operating profits were up 46 per cent, year on year. Strong sales growth globally, effective cost reductions and favourable currency exchange rates were cited as the main reasons.
Continue ReadingBMW meets expectations
BMWs 3Q results were in line with analysts expectations, with revenue down slightly (0.3 per cent) at 9.945 bn Euro and operating profit eight per cent higher than expected, at 762 million Euro. On the positive side, the product mix improved, with increased volume for the 5-series and X5, while on the negative side, R&D costs increased as a percentage of sales, reaching 5.4 per cent.
Continue ReadingDunlop’s Super Sport Race in North America
Dunlop North America announced the SP Super Sport Race; a Z-rated radial designed for super car owners and autocross enthusiasts who want a non-competition, street-legal tyre that nevertheless has race-like levels of grip. The Super Sport Race is available in eight Z-rated sizes, with aspect ratios from 40 series down to 30 series and for 17 and 18 wheels. Target cars include Audi TT, A4 and A6, Porsche 996 and 986, BMW 3 series, 5-series, M3 and Z3, Honda S2000, VW Golf GTi and the Mercedes SLK, CLK, C-class and E-class.
Continue ReadingGoodyear expands hydraulic hose business
Goodyear Engineered Products has added high-pressure braided, spiral and thermoplastic hoses to its product range, making the company a full-line provider of hydraulic hoses and providing a single-source supplier to the sector. The US fluid power hose market is worth in excess of $1 billion and growing at an annual rate of over three per cent.
Continue ReadingAutoExCel to go ahead
After a lengthy period of research and consultation, the AutoExCel exhibition and event for the UK automotive aftermarket, is to go ahead in 2005, say organisers London Eventco. It will cover all sectors and products in the aftermarket and will be held at Londons latest exhibition facility, the ExCel complex in Docklands, from April 24-26 2005.
Continue ReadingRobert Keegan explains his seven-point strategy
In Las Vegas, where the SEMA show is currently taking place, Goodyear’s chairman, CEO and president Robert J. Keegan found the time for an exclusive interview with TYRES & ACCESSORIES. It wasn’t his plan, says Keegan, to only bring in new executives from outside into the company, but to promote long-time colleagues as well, if they were capable of leading. But Keegan doubts that those who have led Goodyear into the current crisis are those who can bring the company out of this situation. The chairman of the tyre maker calls this “changes for victory.” Keegan is convinced that right now he has the appropriate personnel aboard in order to move ahead with the company. Keegan points out seven key elements of his strategy: leadership, cash is king, cost structures, tapping the full potential of all channels of distribution, product leadership, build-up and upgrading of Goodyear’s brands, and an optimal supply chain. In Northern America Goodyear expects a remarkable improvement now that Jonathan Rich, who is president of North American Tire, has been able to hire the right team. According to Keegan this is “the best team we have ever had in this area.”
Continue ReadingAnd the Winner is: Michelin
During the last three years the Michelin group has made better progress on the American market than experts had expected. This progress was supported by the Firestone disaster at the end of the last decade. Additionally Michelin profited by Goodyear’s persistent bad shape. Talking to TYRES & ACCESSORIES, Jean-Michel Guillon, COO for Michelin Americas Small Tires (MAST), states unequivocally that the tyre maker does not write off or underestimate any of its competitors. But as a matter of fact Michelin’s North American business is excellent. Michelin’s three flag brands Michelin, BFGoodrich and Uniroyal are well-positioned, and every single marketing measure is aligned with other corporate marketing measures. Michelin clearly is the market leader, has the highest prices and the Michelin brand receives the best ratings from J.D. Power. The prospects for the company are promising.
Continue ReadingPirelli is on schedule
For Pirelli the current year is on schedule in the face of good sales and earnings. Higher prices for raw materials won’t burden Pirelli’s results before the new year. Talking to TYRES & ACCESSORIES at the SEMA show in Las Vegas, Dr. Francesco Gori, Managing Director of the Pirelli Tyre Sector, again affirms the good business in the USA. For the second time in a row Pirelli will end a year making a profit on the biggest tyre market in the world. This is even more remarkable, because Pirelli has just opened its MIRS-plant in Rome, Georgia, for which the company has incurred launch costs. During the last years the Italian company was pleased with an annual sales growth of about 20 per cent. This was partly because of the OE business Pirelli undertakes with car makers Ford and Chrysler. But not only that, the tyre maker has gained ground also on the replacement market after the sell-out through mass merchandisers has been stopped. In Latin America Gori expects Pirelli to be clearly number one ahead of Goodyear, whose Mexican activities structurally belong to the North American business (Nafta). The prospects are rather good that Pirelli will generate sales of more than 3 billion euro during this year solely with tyres; during last year this economic indicator stood at 2.857 billion euro. Exact figures concerning third quarter performance will be published on November 11.
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