By Oliver Hall

Hankook have seen a surge in tyres sales during the second quarter of 2010 and are looking forward to strong continued growth.

The Korean tyres manufacturer achieved a 63% original equipment tyre sales increase during the second quarter and a 26% increase “in overall sales, year-to-year”.

According to company officials: “Increases in new vehicle sales and replacement products industry-wide contributed to these jumps but do not alone explain the achievement. Hankook continues to buck the trend and gain market share.

“In replacement tyre sales, Hankook has seen increased sales in all premium product categories, including the ultra-high performance (category).”

Soo Il Lee, Hankook Tyre America’s president, said: “We are incredibly pleased with these results.”

Seung Hwa Suh, vice chairman & CEO of Hankook Tyre, added: “Hankook Tyre continued to have robust growth in the second quarter.

“With a positive outlook, we look forward to building stronger momentum during the second half through our ongoing focus on enhancing Hankook’s brand value, increasing customer satisfaction, and expanding its OE tyre supply to premium automakers.

“These sales increases are due in part to an increased awareness for our brand in the U.S. from consumers and OE manufacturers alike. We fully expect this momentum to continue during the second half of the year.”

By Denna Bowman

Apollo has shipped its first passenger tyres to an original equipment customer from its new plant in Chennai, India.

India’s leading tyres manufacturer produced the shipment of 500 Acelere tyres for Hyundai Motor India Ltd just five months after the facility became operational.

Apollo’s greenfield plant in Chennai is the company’s ninth manufacturing unit globally and its fourth in India. It was built in 14 months and received OE supply certification and clearances four months after going online.

The factory is still under construction, according to Satish Sharma, the chief of Apollo Tyres India operations.

When the first phase is completed, the facility will be able to produce about 16,000 automobile and 6,000 truck and bus radial tyres a day and it will be the largest unit in the Apollo empire.

The Indian national flag and Apollo flag were hoisted in at the entrance to the plant to mark the occasion.

By Alex Kapadia

Slick tyres will return to Hockenheim for the first time in 13 years as the German Grand Prix weekend gets under way.

Hirohide Hamashima, director of motorsport tyre development for Bridgestone tyres, said: “This will be the first time that we have raced at Hockenheim with slicks since 1997, and the circuit configuration then was very different.

“The circuit layout features a long left hander before the hairpin where it is important to have good stability. After the hairpin, there are strong traction demands on the rear tyres. Elsewhere, a good overall balance is required.

“We have a unique opportunity with the nature of the Hockenheim circuit allowing us to bring the softest and the hardest tyres from our range. This should provide a challenge for everyone and should be interesting.

“The weather will play a factor too. If it is hot then the super soft will be a challenge to manage for stability and durability. If it is cold then ensuring the hard is in its temperature operating window will be a tough task.”

Hiroshi Yasukawa, director of motorsport for Bridgestone, added: “Germany is one of the biggest and most important automotive markets in Europe, so it is imperative that Bridgestone has a strong presence here.”

He went on: “We have recently seen a significant increase in the television audience figures as there are several German drivers this year, and of course the return of Michael Schumacher has had a positive impact.

“I am also interested to see the effects of bringing the hard and super soft compounds to this race.”

By Denna Bowman

A sale of Michelin memorabilia - from restaurant guides to rare tyres - has sold for a staggering £175,000.

More than 3,000 items, which were amassed by a collector over 16 years, went under the hammer at the French tyres manufacturers headquarters in Clermont Ferrand.

The biggest earner was a full collection of all 300 Michelin Red Guides produced until 2000. They were snapped up for the staggering sum of £68,000 by French restauranteur Jean Yves Schillinger. The collection included the 1900 edition which started the tyre manufacturer on the road to gourmet guide dominance.

Schillinger says he plans to display the guides in his new, soon-to-open Michelin-themed restaurant.

The guides were the star attraction at the auction of Alain Morel’s private collection of Michelin memorabilia – the world’s largest assortment of Michelin-related items.

The sale also included an impressive array of Michelin collectables and rarities, including tyre repair kits from the beginning of the last century; a very rare studded tyre from 1910; Michelin-branded compressors from the 1920s and 1930s; road maps, signs, technical information leaflets, tools, patch boxes, a doll’s pram and stoves made by Michelin during the Second World War and model cars and trucks, beach games, postcards and Michelin Man figurines.

Peter Snelling, head of communications for Michelin UK, said: “This auction has been exceptional and unique in its hosting of this huge and rare collection of Michelin memorabilia.”

He added: “It has been quite an enthralling event and the reaction we have had from people on the auction house floor and the prices the items have attracted is a validation of the unique quality of this event. How many other brands could generate such interest?”

By Oliver Hall

Yokohama has announced that its tyres plant in the Philippines has achieved what it describes as ‘comprehensive zero emissions’ in June 2010.

The company’s site for production and the sale of passenger car tyres was subjected to on-site
investigations of all contractors commissioned to dispose of waste from the plant (based on the disposal flowchart of each contractor), confirming achievement of “complete zero emissions.”

By Yokohama’s reckoning, “complete zero emissions” means no waste is subject to direct landfill disposal.

The company began efforts towards “zero emissions” – which translates as landfill disposal of less than 1 per cent of total waste - in 2006. The campaign began with the recycling of paper waste from offices, and the company carried out Recycle Collection Events of recyclable resources that grew to include PET bottles, plastic containers and used cans, separated and collected by each department or manufacturing process.

In November 2009, a team of Zero Emission Responsible Officers (ZERO) representing each department and manufacturing process was formed to promote zero emissions activities, including monthly patrols. In this way, the entire company, with the participation of each of its employees, worked to achieve the goal via thorough, affirmative separation of recyclable resources.

The next target is to achieve “100 per cent waste recycling”, which means no waste generated in the course of business activities is subject to landfill disposal or incineration “without effective utilisation.”

By Denna Bowman

More cars are failing their annual MOT test because cash-strapped car owners are cutting back on new tyres and repair costs in a bid to save money.

MOT failure rates rose to a record 37 per cent for cars and small vans last year, with most vehicles failing on simple elements such as tyres, lights, brakes and suspension, according to the Retail Motor Industry Federation.

The faults relate to parts which all need replacing periodically regardless of the reliability of the vehicle.

The Retail Motor Industry Federation pointed out how the recession has impacted on the road worthiness of our nation’s cars, and also said it shows just how important the annual MOT test is.

John Ball, chairman of RMI MOT, said: “People are running to a strict budget and getting pressures everywhere with the price of fuel rising as it has, you are having to absorb that extra cost.

“It adds to the cost of running the car, you think where can you make economies, so drivers may ignore rattles when they shouldn’t.

“Given it is a small cost, relative to the expense of running an average car, the MOT remains a real bargain, saving countless lives and injuries,” he said.

By Denna Bowman

Motorists are being driven potty by the state of Britain’s roads, according to a survey carried out for Continental tyres.

The study, which was commissioned by the German tyres manufacturer, claims that over 10 million motorists have suffered car damage because of potholes, with an average cost of £121 per driver – this adds up to a staggering cost to the nation of over £1.2 BILLION to fix the damage to their vehicles.

And the report highlights that one in five drivers have reported a pothole to their local authority, but over half of these said their council had not done anything to fix them.

The research also revealed not only the cost to motorists because of potholes, but also the danger - with over 2 million drivers reporting a near miss with another vehicle or pedestrian due to either hitting a pothole or swerving to avoid one.

One in six report tyre damage caused by potholes – itself a greater risk to road safety.

Roger Sanders, safety expert at Continental Tyres, which questioned 1,500 drivers, said: “Potholes are an increasing danger on our roads, which has escalated even further following this year’s severe winter. The amount of damage caused is a big worry for motorists, especially when it’s something that could be avoided.

“Another cause for concern is the fact that over half the respondents neglected to check their tyres after an encounter with a pothole. This is essential as there can be hidden problems such as bulges caused by hitting a pothole, which can later cause the tyre to suffer a catastrophic failure.”

On average, motorists reported an astounding four potholes within 100 metres of their house with more than one in five stating there is a pothole close to their home that is dangerous.

More than 80 per cent think the roads have got worse since the beginning of 2009 due to the bad weather.

And the local authorities are doing little to help, with three quarters of motorists unhappy with how the council maintain the roads and 80 per cent feeling they receive poor value for money considering the taxes they pay for road maintenance.

By Oliver Hall

Michelin car tyres have been shown to lead the way in environmental performance, according to two independent testing organisations.

The French manufacturers tyres were judged to offer longer life and reduced fuel consumption compared to their main European competitors, whilst maintaining the highest levels of safety on wet roads.

These were the findings of DEKRA and TÜV SÜD after they carried out tests on Michelin’s 175/65 R 14T Energy Saver and 225/40 R 18Y Pilot Sport 3 car tyres and in each of these categories the Michelin tyres were up against their main European competitors from Bridgestone, Continental, Dunlop, Goodyear and Pirelli.

The results show that in each tyre category, Michelin came out on top by offering the best performance in terms of tyre life, rolling resistance and wet braking. As an example, compared to the average of the competitors’ results, the Michelin Energy Saver tyres offered around 19% longer tyre life, 17% better rolling resistance and a 7% improvement in wet braking performance. The Pilot Sport 3 was around 22%, 11% and 11% better than the average of the competitors, respectively (see separate sheets for results).

The tyre life tests were done by DEKRA and the rolling resistance and wet braking tests were done by TÜV SÜD. All tyres were bought from European tyre dealers to ensure they were exactly the same specification as those available to consumers on the replacement market.

The tyre life tests were carried out over 7,000 to 10,000 kms using two fleets of identical cars: Peugeot 206 plus for the 175/65 R 14s and VW Golf V for the 225/40 R 18s. Driving in four-car convoys, the tyres were switched between the cars and the cars’ position in the convoys was rotated to ensure the usage of all tyres was the same. Drivers were also switched between cars to ensure outside influences were reduced to the absolute minimum.

The rolling resistance tests were done using a rolling drum machine, which is approved by the European Commission, and in accordance with the latest ISO28580 specifications.

Taking into account longevity, fuel economy and safety, motorists can be sure that Michelin is still in pole position and leading its premium competitors in today’s highly competitive car tyre market.

By Alex Kapadia

Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone has called on Pirelli to introduce tyres that wear out quickly in a bid to inject more excitement into the sport.

The Italian manufacturer is set to take over from Bridgestone as F1′s sole tyres supplier at the end of the season.

And the hope is that Pirelli will introduce various compounds which will be subject to excessive wear and thus create more excitement.

Ecclestone supports the idea and has even put forward his own proposals for next year’s tyre.

“People want more overtaking,” he told the Gazzetta dello Sport newspaper.

“I have a proposal: tyre sets that can be used for a maximum of 100 kilometres, with the one used in qualifying to be used in the first part of the race.

“This way we’d have more tyre changes at different times and there would be more confusion. The best races are the messy ones.”

By Denna Bowman

Continental tyres continued their award winning performance taking the top spot in the 2010 evo tyre test, this time with their ultra high performance ContiSportContact 3.

One month after being awarded Auto Express’s product honours, evo’s expert drivers put nine brands of tyres through eight stringent tests and Continental scooped first place.

evo said: “An emphatic win for the new Continental. It delivered several table-topping results, the stand-out being in wet handling where it literally left the opposition in its wake. Showing its all-round ability, it backs this up with a best performance in both wet and dry braking and a superb result in rolling resistance.”

The magazine tested the 205/45R17 on a Mazda MX-5 at Contidrom, a leading European test facility used by many vehicles marques for tyre development.

They chose a range of competitors from premium to budget brands representing the tyres available in the UK market today.

evo tested tyres to the limit across a range of measured disciplines including wet braking, dry braking, straight and curved aquaplaning and rolling resistance.

As well as wet and dry handling tests at the track, they also took the tyres out on the road to get a subjective feel for how the tyres perform in normal driving conditions.

Scott Benbow, product manager for Continental, said: “We are so pleased with this result.

“ContiSportContact 3 has displayed its prowess in a number of disciplines including wet braking and rolling resistance. The fact that these two properties conflict in tyre design, where one is improved to the detriment of the other, shows that we have produced a well-rounded tyre suited to meet the needs of today’s driver.”

The 2010 evo tyre test features in August’s edition of the magazine.