Nearly twenty five years since its enormously popular predecessor was first unleashed, the new Volkswagen Golf GTI will be differentiated from its brethren by everything but the Pirelli name. Volkswagen and Pirelli have teamed up once again for the high performance hatchback, and will be showcasing the new Volkswagen Golf GTI Pirelli shortly after the Frankfurt Motor Show in September. Distinguished by its unique aesthetic appeal and precise mechanical specifications, The Golf GTI Pirelli was revealed to media and aficionados at its world premiere on May 16th. The advanced showing took place at the international GTI meeting in Wörthersee, Austria.

The Golf GTI Pirelli will be shod with rubber from the P Zero range, in 225/40 size. The Pirelli tyres will be fitted to 18-inch 5P Pirelli light alloy wheels, with the P Zero theme extended into the interior of the car with styling inspired by the Pirelli tyre’s tread pattern. The aesthetically appealing P Zero Pirelli’s have not only been specifically chosen to enhance the appearance of the high performance hatchback, but to aid the 230hp direct injection turbocharged engine tucked away under the VW Golf’s bonnet. The turbocharged engine is capable of speeds above the 200 km/h mark, and boasts an impressive acceleration of 0 to 100 km/h in just 6.8 seconds.

The Volkswagen Golf GTI Pirelli will be available in four colours and comes in both three and five door versions. If the new VW Golf GTI is going to be as successful as its predecessor, it is going to have to sell over 10,000 in its first six months. The original VW Golf GTI Pirelli, available in 1983, is considered by many to have been a milestone in the development of high performance compact cars and Pirelli, no doubt, is pleased to lend its name to Volkswagen for the second instalment.

http://www.reifenpresse.de/CDML007/en/gast/fs_archiv.html

Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire (BFNT) has announced price increases on the company’s Bridgestone, Firestone, Fuzion and associate brand tyre ranges. The company announced that increases of up to 5 per cent will affect passenger and light truck, truck and bus, and agricultural and Off The Road (OTR) tyres. However, Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire also emphasised that specific lines will be affected by an inflated percentage figure, above the proposed 5 per cent. The increases will affect replacement, OE and export tyres and will become effective as of May 1, 2007.

Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire is based in Nashville and is a subsidiary of Bridgestone Americas Holding, Inc., whose parent company is Bridgestone Corporation. Bridgestone Corp. is the world’s largest tyre and rubber company. As a branch of the Bridgestone Corporation, BFNT is responsible for developing, manufacturing and marketing Bridgestone, Firestone, Dayton and associate brand tyres. The company supplies a range of tyres to its customers in North America, including: passenger, light truck, commercial vehicle, motorcycle, off road and agricultural tyres. BFNT is focused on original and wholesale equipment markets.

BFNT believe that circumstances have left them with no other option than to implement these increases. Asahiko “Duke” Nishiyama, Vice Chairman and President of BFNT stated that, “The continuing upward spiral of raw material costs makes this action necessary.” Mr Nishiyama referred to the circumstances surrounding the company’s decision as an “unprecedented situation”. He added that despite the “enhanced efficiencies and increased productivity” that BFNT is “continually implementing at all levels”, the company has “no choice but to implement this price increase.” The increased price will affect American-brand Firestone consumers in the UK, from May 1, 2007.