New app from General Tire
A new General Tire application giving its North American customers quick access to an arsenal of product information and a database of pictures and videos has been approved by Apple and released into its iTunes Store, where it is available for free download. Within the General Tire app are five key functions, including Tire Descriptions, which feature sizing and pictures to help customers find the right tyre for their passenger car, light truck, off-road or commercial vehicle; Dealer Locators with maps to assist customers in finding the most convenient location to purchase General Tires; Team GT Race Videos; a Photo Gallery and a News/Promotions section. Off-road enthusiasts can watch the latest and greatest from Team GT and consumers can research the right General Tire for their car or truck.
Continue ReadingBridgestone previews Qatar MotoGP
Bridgestone is taking its medium and extra hard front and its medium and hard rear compounds to Qatar for the first MotoGP of the 2011 season. The Losail International Circuit again heralds a return to action on 20 March for motorcycle racing’s top category and for Bridgestone, which returns as the official tyre supplier to the premier class for the third year. The manufacturer says that following the Tohoku earthquake, it has pledged support for the relief and recovery of its home nation and to those affected by the events of last Friday, while “doing its best in this difficult situation to ensure that MotoGP tyre supply will be uninterrupted”.
Continue ReadingBalkrishna Tyres to showcase latest products at Automechanika Middle East
Balkrishna Tyres will be exhibiting its latest range of All Steel Radial Tyres when it appears for the first time at this year’s Automechanika Middle East (7 – 9 June at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre). According to the show’s organisers, a full hall at Automechanika Middle East will be dedicated to. Along with the company’s recently launched all steel radials, which are sub-branded Earthmax, BKT will also display its range of branded industrial, construction, earthmoving, port and agricultural application tyres.
Continue ReadingNokian 2010 annual report released
Nokian Tyres has released its annual report for 2010, a year in which, said CEO Kim Gran, “demand, sales and profitability saw a clear positive turn.” Order intake in the company’s core Nordic and Russian markets experienced “rapid growth” in the second quarter, Gran added, while Nokian was “delighted by the strong growth seen in the sales and profitability of our Central and Eastern European operations.” In the annual report the Finnish tyre maker stated its key strategic objectives into the year 2015, including Nordic market leadership as a tyre manufacturer and distributor plus the leading manufacturer and distributor of premium car tyres in Russia and the CIS as well as one of the top suppliers of special heavy tyres in this region.
Continue ReadingDunlop SP WinterSport 4D launched
On 14 March Dunlop launched its latest high performance winter tyre – the SP Wintersport 4D – with the frozen lakes of Sweden providing a suitably cold and slippery environment for journalists from across Europe. Following on from the critically acclaimed SP Wintersport 3D, the new cold weather rubber boasts lower fuel consumption (due to 11 per cent better rolling resistance) and greater road handling and safety capabilities than its competitors and predecessor. The Dunlop SP Wintersport 4D is available in 37 variants covering over 84 per cent of the total European car parc. Sizes range between 195/65 R15 and 255/35 R19. While the tyre is being released across a range of H to V speed ratings, Tyres & Accessories understands that W-rated variants will be made available shortly, making Dunlop's latest cold weather product a true UHP winter tyre. Audi and BMW are among the OE marques already associated with the newly launched product.
Continue ReadingNext-generation Vredestein Hi-Trac announced
Vredestein has announced the upcoming release of the Hi-Trac 2. The second-generation tyre is an evolution of its predecessor, however the Dutch tyre maker claims “the number of improvements we have now made for the Hi-Trac is so significant that Vredestein has decided to add the number ‘2’ to its product name.” Named changes are an adapted construction and a new tread compound that is said to reduce rolling resistance and noise production. The sidewall has also been given a “more modern and streamlined design,” Vredestein adds.
Continue ReadingConti announces capacity-doubling Brazil investment
A US$210 million investment in Continental’s Camaçari, Brazil plant is expected to boost capacity to around nine million passenger car tyres and almost a million truck tyres per annum within the next five years. Announcing the growth plans, Continental Tire the Americas CEO Matthias Schönberg stated “this investment is part of Continental’s strategy to grow our tyre operations worldwide significantly, especially in the BRIC countries. It will allow us to almost double the production capacity of the Camaçari plant by the end of 2015.” The first signs of capacity growth will be witnessed this year as plant capacity is expected to creep up from its current approximate level of 4.5 million passenger tyres and 350,000 truck tyres to 5 million passenger tyres and 450,000 truck tyres.
Continue ReadingConti’s European CV tyre prices to rise in May
According to Continental, the cost of natural rubber rose fourfold between January 2009 and February 2011 to a record high of more than US$5.60 per kilogram and the current yearly average price has remained at $5.40. Due to this ongoing increase and the rise in other raw material costs, the tyre maker will increase its prices for commercial vehicle tyres in Europe on May 1.
Continue ReadingKumho denies Chinese broadcaster’s recycled rubber claims
Chinese website gasgoo.com and other sources report Kumho Tires’ denial that tyres manufactured in one of its factories in China are unsafe. The tyre maker’s comments on the quality of its tyres follows an article aired by Chinese state television broadcaster CCTV on March 15. The CCTV report alleged that Kumho Tires used excess recycled rubber in the tyres manufactured at its Tianjin factory, a practice described as one that could lead to tyre safety and performance issues.
Continue ReadingYokohama Tire gains fourth Vulcan ‘Gold Alliance Supplier’ award
For the fourth consecutive year, Yokohama Tire Corporation’s off-the-road division has been awarded a Gold Alliance Supplier award from Alabama, US-based Vulcan Materials Company. Vulcan is a major producer of construction aggregates, which includes crushed stone, sand and gravel used in nearly all forms of construction.
Continue ReadingBridgestone Americas donates to Japanese Red Cross
Bridgestone Americas has added to its parent company’s 300 million yen (approximately US$3.5 million) donation to relief efforts following the Japan earthquake and tsunami with a $250,000 donation of its own to the Japanese Red Cross. Announcing the donation, Bridgestone Americas president and CEO Gary Garfield reflected that “a tragedy of this magnitude is always devastating to see, but it’s especially heartbreaking when it affects our teammates, and their families and loved ones. On behalf of all Bridgestone Americas teammates, I’d like to express our sympathy to those who have lost loved ones, and we hope that the donation will aid the people of Japan in rebuilding and restoring their country.”
Continue ReadingLanxess net income up tenfold in 2010
Demand for synthetic rubbers from tyre industry customers proved a strong driver of growth for Lanxess last year. The German specialty chemicals company describes its 2010 results as “outstanding” and believes its performance was aided by the company’s strategic set-up and a general business recovery. Announcing the firm’s annual results at its annual press conference on March 17, Lanxess chief executive officer Axel C. Heitmann said the company’s “growth story is set to continue” following last year and an “excellent” start to 2011.
Continue ReadingMichelin Pilot Super Sport tyre in Ferrari 4WD OE deal
Ferrari has chosen the Michelin Pilot Super Sport tyre to be fitted as original equipment on the four-wheel drive Ferrari FF. Michelin told Tyres & Accessories at the launch of the tyre back in November 2010 that the company had worked with Ferrari – in addition to BMW and most prominently Porsche – in the development of the tyre, furthering the link between the French tyre-maker and Italian car manufacturer forged in past OE deals. The tyre has been on the market since the beginning of 2011, and is the fastest ever commercial tyre, according to testing at TÜV-SÜD Automotive.
Continue ReadingCommercial truck body designers order 100th set of xlite wheels
UK distributor of the xlite wheel brand Motor Wheel Service has reported a milestone with its customers Montracon and Wilcox, both commercial vehicle body designers. MWS has received an order for the companies’ hundredth set of xlite forged aluminium truck wheels for use on their tipper and walking floor trailers. The two companies work together on the production of the trailers, with Montracon providing chassis and Wilcox supplying aluminium tipper body requirements.
Continue ReadingBKT aiming for segment leadership
It’s now more than fifteen years since Balkrishna Industries Ltd., or BKT, wound up its two-wheeler, car and truck tyre business in favour of a focus on off-road tyres. This ‘place every egg in one basket’ decision was a major step for the then seven year old company, yet it is one the Indian manufacturer has never regretted. Since the changeover to off-road tyres in 1995, BKT has grown at an enviable rate and produced some 1,900 SKUs of OTR, industrial and agricultural tyres. Recently, Tyres & Accessories was given the opportunity to observe first-hand the result of a decade and a half’s specialisation within the off-road sector and gain a clearer picture of where the company aims to go.
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