Tag: featured
Goodyear returns to UK motorsport with sole BTCC tyre supply
From next year, Goodyear will replace its sister brand Dunlop as sole tyre supplier to the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC). Goodyear says the decision comes with a view to enhancing the Goodyear brand within the motorsport and ultra-ultra-high-performance (UUHP) segments. Goodyear first returned to motorsport outside North America at the end of August with the opening round of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) at Silverstone.
Michelin to close truck tyre factory in France
The Michelin Group informed the 619 employees at its tyre production facility in La Roche-sur-Yon, France this morning that it will close the site by the end of next year. In addition, 74 people at Michelin’s Cholet plant, employees working in roles related to the supply of rubber mixed to the La Roche-sur-Yon site, are also affected by the closure.
Year-round all-rounders: Auto Bild tests its all-season tyre finalists
If you are like most UK motorists and want to drive year-round on the same set of tyres, then all-season tyres may well be the right choice for you. But is there such thing as a tyre that offers safe driving in every type of weather? After testing 31 all-season tyre models, Auto Bild believes there is.
Over 600 attend 90th NTDA annual dinner and Tyre Industry Awards
After a day conference focusing on investing in the tyre industry’s personnel, technology and the trends associated with the next generation, last night saw 600 members of the tyre industry gather at the ICC in Birmingham for the 90th annual NTDA dinner and Tyre Industry Awards.
Kings Road Tyres in administration
Beleaguered wholesale and tyre services company Kings Road Tyres is now in administration, with KPMG appointed joint administrators. The administration comes at the end of nearly a decade of turbulence for the company, which is one of the UK’s oldest tyre wholesale operations, having been incorporated in 1959.
etyres.co.uk acquired by Colewood Group
The Colewood Group has acquired the online domain name www.etyres.co.uk following the business ceasing trading recently. Etyres.co.uk has since been re-launched with a brand new website on the 30 September 2019.
New UK independent tyre dealer group established
For the last 11 years Tyres & Accessories’ annual UK retail ranking has consistently shown that the top 20 tyre retailers account for around 2000 branches between then. When you consider that there are something like 10,000 tyre points of sale in the UK, this means that these top firms occupy something like 20 per cent of the business between them. The remaining 80 per cent, however, is spread out amongst thousands of businesses with single-shop or small chain operations. It is not uncommon for individual smaller dealers from this overwhelming majority to feel underappreciated by their manufacturer and wholesaler suppliers who – they think – favour the larger chains. Tyres & Accessories recently met up with Stone Tyres founder John Stone and found out how he and around 100 other shops are working to redress the balance.
Camfin gains right to buy up to 15% of Pirelli shares
Pirelli shareholder Camfin now has the right to buy up to 15 per cent of Pirelli shares. The news came when Camfin announced on 26 September that it had underwritten “an additional financial instrument, maturing in September 2022, denominated ‘Call Spread’ with 8.9 million Pirelli shares underlying”. Call Spread’s shareholding equates to 0.89% of Pirelli’s share capital.
The top 8 tyre comparison sites compared
We are all familiar with the likes of MoneySuperMarket, CompareTheMarket and Confused.com. Beginning with financial and insurance products, these sites set out to give consumers more choice and the ability to compare the prices. Owing to the fact that tyres are arguably more complex, the tyre industry has moved a bit slower when it comes to comparison. During the last year or so, however, tyre comparison has come of age. So, who are the main players, what are the differences and where did tyre comparison all begin?
Giti extends Micheldever exclusive distribution of GT Radial, Runway tyres
Giti Tire has extended its exclusive distribution agreement with Micheldever Tyre Services (MTS) for its GT Radial and Runway brands for a further four years. The new deal, which runs until 2022, will continue to cover the passenger car, 4x4 and light truck tyre segments. Tyrepress understands that certain car and SUV sizes of Giti Tire's eponymous Giti brand will continue to be available via Micheldever, where no equivalent GT Radial-branded tyre is currently available. The brand was first added to Micheldever's inventory in 10 such sizes in 2018.
Pirelli regains global social media crown
Pirelli has returned to the top of our global social media ranking after four years away from pole position. The last time the @Pirelli-linked account led the way in Tyrepress’ worldwide meta-metric was in 2015 when the Italian tyre manufacturer well-known for its luxury and supercar marketing won with 84.50 points. Last year, the same score of 84.50 only secured second place for Pirelli. But this time round Pirelli achieved 90.30 with scores over 90 awarded by both Klear and Kred. This marks the first time that any brand has achieved two 90-plus scores in any of our social media rankings since they began eight years ago in 2011.
Job cuts, changes: Continental responds to evolving automotive market
More than eight per cent of Continental’s current global workforce may be affected by measures introduced over the coming decade to reduce its gross costs by 500 million euros a year from 2023. Continental says up to 20,000 jobs worldwide are expected to be affected by this restructuring programme over the coming ten years; around 15,000 of these by the end of 20
2.5m sales for GT Radial Champiro FE1 tyres in Europe
Giti Tire’s all-round passenger car tyres, the GT Radial Champiro FE1 and FE1 City have reached a major milestone. The tyres have sold two-and-a-half million units in Europe. The range has been on the market for four and a half years, with the original tyre joined by a model tuned to micro and supermini city cars in 2017.
Automotive industry associations: Brexit not just a British problem
With just over one month to go before the UK is due to leave the EU, the European automotive industry today made a united call for the UK and the EU to avoid a ‘no deal’ Brexit scenario. The lead organisations representing vehicle and parts manufacturers across the EU, the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA) and European Association of Automotive Suppliers (CLEPA), have joined forces with 21 national associations, including the UK’s Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), to stress the impact a ‘no deal’ Brexit would have on what they call “one of Europe’s most valuable economic assets.”
Michelin tops Tyrepress UK social media ranking 2019
Not only did the @MichelinTyre-based chart see Bibendum plant its flag at the top of the tree, it also shows that the French tyre manufacturer is extending its lead. According to the 2019 data, Michelin’s overall score of 86.5 is now 7.5 points clear of second place as opposed to 6.5 points last year. It is also worth mentioning that Michelin demonstrates the best parity between the Klear and RightRelevance social metrics as well as the smallest gap between its primary and secondary RightRelevance sub-topics. In addition, with 84 points, Michelin achieved the highest score on the “Tire Industry” RightRelevance sub-topic (see below for details on how we calculated our score and what these terms mean).