Tag: car tyres
Conti pioneers driverless tyre tests
Continental commissioned the first driverless tyre test vehicle for a wide range of road surface types at its Ulvade, Texas test track on 19 December 2018. The aim is to make the test results for Continental's passenger and light truck tyres more conclusive and minimize the impact of the test procedure on the results. The new test vehicle is based on Continental's automated Cruising Chauffeur, which was developed for freeways.
Pirelli opens fourth branch of P Zero World tyre boutique concept in Dubai
Pirelli has opened a fourth branch of its tyre boutique retail concept P Zero World on a third continent. The store follows previous openings in Los Angeles, Munich and Monte-Carlo. More than 60 supercars belonging to local collectors formed a parade through the city to mark the Dubai opening. The following day more than 200 cars took to the track at Yas Marina in Abu Dhabi for the P Zero Experience: Pirelli’s track day event.
Prinx Chengshan invests £19 million in purchasing land for new Thailand tyre factory
Having rejected earlier plans for a new tyre factory in Malaysia, Prinx Chengshan has invested 170.6 million yuan (£19.464 million) in buying at least 433,600 square metres of land in at Tambon Nong Suea Chang, Amphur Nong Yai, and Tambon Klong-Kew, Amphur Ban-Bung, Chonburi province in Thailand. According to stock exchange filings dated 25 December 2018, the deal comprises “several plots of land” and will be funded by the company’s recent global share offering.
Pirelli, Porsche Club of America renew agreement for 3 more years
Pirelli will continue and enhance its support of Porsche Club of America over the next three years, having renewed its agreement with the world’s largest organisation for the brand’s enthusiasts. The club, which has more than 130,000 members in 145 North American regions, cited Pirelli’s status as an original equipment supplier to Porsche as a major component of its decision to continue the agreement.
Sensorisation: About more than just tyre pressure
This section is entitled “TPMS and sensor technology” for a reason. No longer are in-tyre sensors about measuring temperature alone. Now TPMS basically means pressure and temperature, often with the addition of algorithmically generated road feedback, load information and even wear calculations. These “big data” contributions are routinely relayed to the cloud for analysis. At the same time external tread readers are measuring similarly important data and sending that to the cloud. Put all this together and we have what Pirelli calls this the “sensorisation” of the tyre business. Whatever we call it, this part of the business now about far more than just sensing tyre pressures. As far as uptake is concerned, legislation and technical innovation are the key driving forces.
Traxx Tyres hosts dealer conference
At the end of November Traxx Tyres held its inaugural Independent Dealer Conference will the aim of creating a “dynamic forum for presentations by suppliers and experts on new tyre products, technology and digital marketing innovations in the tyre industry, as well as creating a valuable networking opportunity for attendees”.
Michelin rejuvenates retail programme
In May Tyres & Accessories reported that Andy Aylward had been appointed as Michelin’s retail programme manager for the UK and Ireland. In this role, the 30-year Michelin veteran is responsible for overseeing the company’s network of over 80 accredited car and motorcycle Michelin Certified Centres, which is now known as the Michelin Automotive Programme. Since then, there has positive feedback from the car tyre retail sign and a number of initiatives have been kick started in the two-wheel as well as car tyre side of things. At the end of November Tyres & Accessories met up with Aylward in order to find out more.
The increasingly high-value UK tyre replacement market
4x4/SUV and UHP markets continued to grow in 2018 As part of our review of 2018, Tyres & Accessories asked market research specialists to give an overview of some of the key trends that have taken place in the UK car, 4x4 and light truck replacement tyre market trends during the course of the year. In doing so, we have a good foundation for looking forward into 2019 and beyond. What we found was that UK tyre replacement market is increasingly high-performance and increasingly high-value. GfK’s Panelmarket data compares the period between November 2016 and October 2017 with November 2017 to October 2018. Reading left to right, the infographic below shows the percentage share of the panelmarket broken down by vehicle type (passenger car, 4x4 including SUV and light commercial vehicle); key changes in the panelmarket during the last 12 months broken down by rim diameter; brand tier split; and the two five tyre sizes.
Goodyear launching Eagle F1 Asymmetric 5
Following the success of the Eagle F1 Asymmetric 3 range, Goodyear has announced that its latest Ultra High Performance (UHP) road tyre, the Eagle F1 Asymmetric 5, will hit the market during the course of 2019. According to Goodyear, the new tyre will be available in 61 stock keeping units (SKUs) arriving between February and December 2019 with fitments from Volkswagen Golf to Porsche 911.
‘Modest’ overall decline in November new car sales
The UK new car market declined by a modest -3.0 per cent in November with some 158,639 units registered, according to figures released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). Stalling consumer confidence, supply delays due to implementation of the new WLTP emissions test and model replacement all combined to affect overall sales.
Toyo investing US$138 million in US plant expansion
Toyo Tire North America Manufacturing Inc. is set to create more than 150 jobs when it invests over US$138 million in its manufacturing operation in Cartersville, Georgia. According to an official announcement, new jobs will include positions in production, support and administration.
Doublestar car tyres on-sale in Carrefour Spain
Doublestar Tyres, the new majority shareholder of Kumho, recently announced that its tyres are on-sale alongside premium brands at Carrefour supermarkets in Spain. According to Doublestar, which compared Carrefour founded in 1959 to Walmart in the USA, the supermarket chain is Europe's favourite. Having pioneered the so-called hypermarket approach in Europe Carrefour has developed into the largest retailer in Europe and the second largest international retail chain group in the world, with business scope covering more than 40 countries and regions. Carrefour owns 17 large chain stores in Spain, which covers the Iberian area and radiates to the whole pan-European region. With an annual population of 400 million, Carrefour is a perfect channel for product sales and a perfect platform for brand exposure.
Suretrac embedding RFID in truck tyres
The Suretrac brand, which is manufactured in China by Beijing-based Staridge Inc, reports that it is now embedding radio frequency identification (RFID) chips inside commercial truck tyres and retreads, enabling fleets to better manage their tyre assets throughout the full life cycle.
General Tire partners with ‘The Wild Swimming Brothers’
General Tire have teamed up with the Hudson brothers on Swim Wild - a follow-up video campaign to the award winning Wavemaker that launched earlier this year. Swim Wild documents three brothers escaping the pressures of modern life with the aim to show UK motorists that ‘Anywhere is Possible’.
Doublestar names Antonio Smith as general director for Spain and Portugal
Qingdao Doublestar Group, recently named Antonio Smith Montero as general director for the company in Spain and Portugal. With this announcement the company, which recently acquired Korean manufacturer Kumho Tire and is well-known for its Doublestar, Crossleader and Aosen brands has underlined its commitment to the Iberian tyre market.