Tyre manufacturer news -
Michelin Exclusive Tyre Partner for New Kia Cee’d
25 May 07
Emily Henry
Contributing Writer The new Kia cee’d range will be
exclusively supplied Michelin tyres. Kia has chosen two
Michelin tyres for fitment to the Kia cee’d…the
latest-generation Michelin Energy for 15 and 16 inch
wheels and the Michelin Primacy HP for 17 inch wheels.
The Michelin Primacy HP was released earlier this year
and has already won multiple awards for its performance
in independent tyre tests and evaluations.
At the international launch of the Kia cee’d on the
outskirts of Rome, Kia’s Vehicle Evaluation Manager,
Michael Lugert, explained how the research and
development process began: “Very early in the car’s
evolution, Kia decided to fit Michelin tyres exclusively
so we could fine-tune the new model’s ride and handling
characteristics very precisely”. Mr Lugert added that
“this collaboration included creating tyres that improve
fuel consumption and reduce CO2 emissions – without
reducing grip.”
The creators of the new Kia cee’d were dedicated to
forming a solid partnership with Michelin in order to
hone the car’s performance with a specified brand of
tyre. Once the partnership with Michelin was
established, Michelin utilised its Technology Centre in
Ladoux, France, while Kia focused on the expertise of
its research and development centres in South Korea and
Germany. Michelin has praised the Asian-European
technical network for its responsiveness and the
effective management of inter-cultural issues, which
Michelin believes to have been key factors in the
successful establishment of this Kia-Michelin project.
Having supplied the tyres for the imported Kia Sorento,
Magentis and Carens models in Europe, as well as
supplying tyres for executive and SUV models made in
South Korea for export to North America, Michelin is
proud of the established relationship it has with
Hyundai and Kia.
http://www.reifenpresse.de/CDML007/en/gast/fs_kurzmeldungen.html |
