More than two years after its acquisition of insolvent online retailer Yakarouler, French tyre and automotive parts firm Carter-Cash has merged the Yakarouler business with its own. As of 1 September 2023, visitors to the Yakarouler.com site are encouraged to make their purchases via Carter-cash.com.
YART Yamaha Official EWC Team won the 2023 FIM Endurance World Championship (EWC) title on Bridgestone Battlax tyres at Circuit Paul Ricard (16-17 September), Le Castellet, France. It is the fourth time and the third consecutive year that a team using Bridgestone’s flagship motorcycle tyres has won the EWC title. The brand has been supplying the tyres, which are designed to provide high grip, durability and comfort handling, to teams in the EWC series since 2017. YART Yamaha Official EWC Team, one of the three teams supported by Bridgestone, finished second in the opening race and first in the second race of the series, concluding the series with fourth place in the Bol d’Or 24-hour endurance race.
The sale of part of Michelin’s shareholding in the Symbio hydrogen mobility joint venture to Stellantis was completed on 27 July 2023, making Michelin, Forvia and Stellantis equal 33.33 per cent shareholders in the business. The transaction contributes 150 million euros to Michelin group’s cash.
Heuver Tyres is now a co-distributor of Nokian agricultural and industrial tyres in France. Nokian Heavy Tyres previously serviced the French market solely via wholesaler Sonamia, however Pierre Choubert, business manager at Nokian Tyres, explains that developments in the industrial tyre market and changes in the existing partner network mean Nokian could not remain with a single distribution model.
Earlier this month, European broadcaster Arte screened a documentary about a series of accidents involving heavy trucks. Titled ‘Sophie Rollet Takes On Goodyear’, the French documentary looks at the possible connection between these accidents and tyre failure. It is available to watch with English subtitles in the Arte archive.
Continental returns to the Tour de France this year as a main sponsor, and in addition to supplying six of the participating teams with bicycle tyres, the brand is also equipping support vehicles with PremiumContact 6 and EcoContact 6 tyres. All tyres fitted to support vehicles feature ContiRe.Tex technology.
There are many tyre technologies on the market to resist damage and punctures, such as reinforced sidewalls and self-healing inner linings for the rubber, but tyre manufacturers have continued to develop the airless tyre as an optimal way of ensuring tyre damage does not dent operators’ businesses. The Michelin Uptis is the first tyre of its kind to hit the road, with nearly 50 DHL Express vans in Singapore fitting the product in 2023. Now French postal service La Poste will help the tyre take its European bow in real-world conditions, with 40 vans due to fit the Uptis in the Hauts-de-France region of northern France by the end of 2024.
The Michelin Group is now 100% shareholder in rugby club ASM Clermont Auvergne, a development it hopes will secure the club’s financial stability following several difficult years both on and off the field. Both parties intend Michelin’s sole ownership to be a temporary situation, with other partners – especially those from the local area – welcome to invest capital in ASM Clermont Auvergne at a later date.
Following the news that France has opened its first electric vehicle battery factory in Billy-Berclau in the northern region of the country, Sumit Das, senior analyst, Automotive at GlobalData, says: “France’s first EV battery gigafactory will provide a base to step up the production of batteries and electric vehicles as the European Union has set a 2035 deadline to phase out the sale of new fossil fuel cars.”
Negotiations between Faurecia, Michelin, and Stellantis have resulted in the signing of a binding agreement covering Stellantis’s acquisition of a 33.3% stake in zero-emission hydrogen mobility firm Symbio. Both Faurecia and Michelin now hold a 33.3% share in Symbio as well. The transaction is subject to customary regulatory approvals and is expected to close in the third quarter of 2023.
Goodyear EMEA is opening two new distribution centres in Cheb, the Czech Republic, and Amiens, France. The announcement coincides with the news that Goodyear is closing its Philippsburg, Germany operation. Goodyear announced that it was closing its Philippsburg, Germany tyre factory in 2016 and production ceased in 2017. Since then, it has been run as a tyre distribution centre in conjunction with a third-party logistics firm. Tyres & Accessories understands that the Philipsburg tyre distribution operation is no longer as efficient and effective as Goodyear had hoped. The company is now consulting with employees regarding the future of 15 jobs in Philippsburg.
Following reports that Avon is set to become a two-wheel/motorcycle-only tyre brand in Germany in the future, Goodyear representatives have sought to clarify that the Avon brand will remain in the company’s product portfolio both for passenger and motorcycle tyres.
Firestone is once again giving up-and-coming artists the chance to compete in the Road to the Main Stage competition. In addition to playing on the Firestone stage at Rock en Seine, which takes place in Paris in August, the winning act amongst this year’s unsigned talent will win a recording session with Deezer.
In order to offer a “comprehensive response to evolving employee expectations” about their working environment and conditions, Michelin has entered into a new four-year agreement with the four labour unions representing its workforce in France. The tyre maker and the CFDT, CFE-CGC, CGT and SUD unions signed the ‘People and their Working Environment’ agreement on 5 January 2023.
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