A rare and valuable Toyota Supra Mk4 TRD 3000GT featured in a hit YouTube video has been fitted with Yokohama’s high performance Advan A052 tyres. With a view count over 900,000 in a few weeks, motoring journalist Mat Watson gives the striking Advan-liveried car and its tyres a thorough workout in a series of tests which showcase the car’s capabilities.
Yokohama is supplying its Advan racing tyres to seven cars entered by four teams in the 49th Nürburgring 24-Hour Endurance Race (3-6 June). Supported teams include Walkenhorst Motorsport, a BMW customer racing team that entered into a partnership agreement with Yokohama Rubber last year. Four Walkenhorst machines will run on Advan tyres, including three BMW M6 GT3 cars competing in the top-level SP9 class. The cars will use the Advan A005 for dry conditions and the A006 for wet conditions.
The eleven leading tyre manufacturer members of WBCSD’s Tire Industry Project (TIP) have launched a Roadmap to accelerate tyre value-chain impact on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The SDGs were adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015 to address some of the world’s most pressing issues by 2030. The members of TIP, in alphabetical order, are: Bridgestone, Continental, Cooper Tire, Goodyear, Hankook, Kumho Tire, Michelin, Pirelli, Sumitomo Rubber, Toyo Tires, and Yokohama Rubber.
At the end of March, Yokohama Rubber sold its headquarters building in central Tokyo. The company is now preparing to shift its headquarters functions to its Hiratsuka factory, which is located some 40 miles south of Tokyo, in Kanagawa Prefecture. It will gain 20.8 billion yen (£134.9 million) from the sale of the headquarters building – and will use the funds to fuel growth in key areas.
On 6 May 2021 Yokohama Europe GmbH, signed an agreement to acquire 100 per cent of Poland’s ITR CEE Spółka z.o.o., a wholesale distributor engaged in the import and sale of Yokohama tyres in central and eastern Europe. The acquisition is scheduled to be concluded on 14 May 2021, after which the Polish company’s name will be changed to Yokohama CEE Spółka z.o.o.
Another original equipment approval for the Yokohama Advan Sport V107. Yokohama Rubber is delivering this particular tyre to BMW M GmbH for factory-fitment on the BMW M3 saloon and BMW M4 coupe in the front wheel size 275/40ZR18 (103Y) and rear wheel size 285/35ZR19 (103Y). Supply began last November and complements Yokohama’s original equipment presence on the BMW M5.
Yokohama has sold its Hamatite automotive and construction sealent business to Swiss company Sika Group AG in a transfer that is scheduled to be completed on 1 November 2021. Yokohama hasn’t released exactly how much Sika is paying for the Hamatite business, but management expects to post a gain on the sale of about ¥5 billion (£33 million; 38 million euros; US$46 million – after tax). However, the exact amount is said to be “subject to change”.
Yokohama Tire is returning as the title sponsor of the Yokohama NORRA Mexican 1000 for the fifth consecutive year. And this time the tyremaker is bringing along elite drivers such as Justin Lofton and new Team Yokohama member Tanner Foust for the 54th running of the iconic rally, which takes place on the famed Baja peninsula 25-29 April 2021.
The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd. has announced a global first, the development of a technology for efficiently producing butadiene from a biomass. It achieved this breakthrough via the ‘Bio-monomer Production Laboratory’, which the company established jointly with Riken and Zeon Corporation.
Yokohama’s Advan Sport V107 has been approved for fitment on the Mercedes-AMG GLB 35 4MATIC. The SUV went on sale in Europe in December 2019. The GLB 35 can be outfitted with 21-inch 255/35ZR21 98Y size Advan Sport V107 tyres. The deal expands Yokohama’s already thriving relationship with Mercedes-AMG.
Yokohama is supplying its Advan Sport V107 tyres to BMW for the manufacturer’s new iX3. The German marque’s first sports activity vehicle (SAV) with an all-electric-drive system uses three sizes of the Advan Sport V107 on the new electric SAV: 245/50R19 105W, 245/45R20 103W, and 275/40R20 106W. Yokohama began shipping the tyres to the BMW Group in September 2020.
Yokohama Tire Corporation will open a new 430,000sqft distribution centre in Wilmer, Texas in summer 2021. The company will first distribute Yokohama’s OE tyres from the facility, about 15 miles southeast of Dallas, followed by passenger car/light truck and commercial truck/bus products in 2022. Yokohama operates three other distribution centres in the US: Chino, California; Groveport, Ohio; and Auburn, Georgia.
Jeff Barna, president of Yokohama Tire Corporation (YTC), has been promoted to president and CEO of YTC. Shinichi Takimoto, a senior managing officer of The Yokohama Rubber Co. Ltd. (YRC), and current CEO of YTC, will retain his role as chairman of YTC, as well as president and CEO of Yokohama Corporation of North America (YCNA), chairman of Yokohama Tire Canada Inc. (YTV), and chairman of Yokohama Tire Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V. (YTMX).
The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd. has appointed Koji Watanabe to the position of Associate Officer, Deputy Head of Tire Development Div., Head of Tire Designing Dept. No.3. Previously he was Associate Officer, Deputy Head of Tire Development Div., Head of TBR Tire Design Dept.
Yokohama’s Geolandar CV G058, a grand touring tyre for crossover SUVs, was among the winners at the recent Chicago Athenaeum 2020 Good Design Awards. The award-winning tyre is part of Yokohama’s Geolandar range of tyres for 4x4s, SUVs and crossover vehicles.
Established in 1950, The Chicago Athenaeum Good Design Award, is the world’s oldest and most prestigious worldwide design award. Organised by the Chicago Athenaeum Museum of Architecture and Design, candidate products are judged by experts who evaluate them from diverse perspectives, including design, use of new technologies, materials and function.
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