The Kia range recently grew with the arrival of the Seltos. The compact SUV officially debuted in India on 20 June, and in addition to spearheading Kia’s planned growth in that market, Seltos models will be exported around the world. The Seltos is heading our away soon and will reach Europe from September. It will be wearing Kumho tyres when it arrives in showrooms.
Kumho has enjoyed a long-standing relationship with BMW, having for many years supplied tyres for the 1, 2 and 3 Series ranges. Recently, it also supplied original tyres for the latest X3 and MINI Countryman. Now the new 5 Series BMW has joined the supply list, with Kumho’s Ecsta PS91 Super Sports tyre in 245/45R18 XL 100Y size delivered to the German marque’s Dingolfing plant in Bavaria.
Kumho has introduced its latest eco tyre, the Ecowing ES31, to the UK market, joining its high performance Ecsta range. The new tyre will gradually replace the established KH27, and is available initially in a total of 38 14 to 17 inch sizes, almost 70 percent of which carry a B label grade for rolling resistance. The sizes including all the key fitments for such best-selling small and medium-sized hatchbacks and saloons as the VW Polo and Golf, Fiat 500, Audi A1, A2, A3 and A4, BMW 1 and 2 Series, Peugeot 208 and Renault Clio.
Dutch student race team InMotion has set itself the goal of competing in one of the world’s most prestigious sport events: The 24 Hours of Le Mans. On its way to achieving this ultimate goal, it also intends to break the all-time record on the famous Nürburgring Nordschleife. InMotion is currently operating a test platform, the IM/e, which is testing systems for the hybrid race car that will one day take on these challenges, the 400+ km/h IM01. Kumho Tire has been appointed tyre supplier to the IM/e.
Supported by the manufacturer’s increased original equipment business and its motorsport activities, Kumho’s car tyre range has been reviewed well in the latest round of magazine testing, Its latest high performance product, the Ecsta HS51, was awarded the ‘Recommended’ rating by the highly-regarded German consumer magazine, ACE Lenkrad, for example.
The new Dodge Viper ACR (American Club Racer) street-legal race car is available in USA from September, and will be fitted with specially designed Kumho Ecsta V720 tyres in sizes 295/25ZR19 (front) and 355/30ZR19 (rear). Dodge claims the tyres provide the largest combined contact patch of any production car, having been designed and developed specially for the Viper ACR. The tyres, which feature unique tread patterns and compounds, have achieved lap times up to 1.5 seconds faster than benchmark race tyres used for back-to-back testing. They allow sustained cornering loads of up to 1.5g, Dodge adds.
Further to the Heads of Agreement signed last October, Kumho Tyre (UK) and Micheldever Tyre Services have announced their agreement to a new three-year contract with immediate effect. The contract confirms that MTS will continue to support and grow the existing Kumho Ecsta Performance Centre (EPC) network of independent retailers. In turn, Kumho will build and serve a complementary network of EPCs via its new warehouse facility in Lutterworth, Leicestershire. Both networks will operate on a common platform based on the long-standing approach.
