2015's most popular news for tyre and wheel professionals
4 January 2016
To start 2016, Tyrepress Top 10 looks back at the top tyre and wheel business stories of 2015. Our weekly round-up of our most popular articles will resume on Monday, 11 January.
Michelin has bought Blackcircles.com, the number one internet tyre sales company in the United Kingdom, for £50 million.
Based in Edinburgh, Blackcircles.com generated £28 million in revenue in 2013. Run by Mike Welch, its founder, Blackcircles.com has enjoyed growth of around 20 per cent per annum since 2008. The company reports that the first quarter of 2015 saw the company achieve revenues 34 per cent higher than Q1 2014.
Japanese tyre manufacturer Toyo Tires has announced the UK launch of its road-legal track tyre, the Proxes R888R. The tyre will be displayed at Autosport International, which begins tomorrow (8 January 2015). The tyre previously made its global debut at the Essen Motorshow in November.
Pirelli has launched a new all-season tyre aimed at increasing premium seasonal tyre sales amongst daily drivers living in markets with temperate European climates and especially in urban areas. The Cinturato All-Season not only marks the first time that Pirelli has really pushed an all-season tyre under the Pirelli name, but boasts performance characteristics so well-balanced that they are comparable with summer tyres in certain areas.
Nokian Tyres has provided details of a new range it says will "put an end to the tyre change roulette that bothers drivers each spring and autumn." Scheduled for an autumn 2015 launch and developed with motorists in Central Europe in mind, the Nokian Weatherproof family aims to "combine reliable winter safety with the precise driving stability and firm handling of the Nokian summer tyres" and will be available in passenger car, SUV and van fitments. Read the full article
The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd. is to launch the "BluEarth-A AE50 Chelsea FC Edition" featuring the Chelsea Football Club logo on the sidewall. Following the product's release in Japan on 29 October, the tyre will be launched gradually in Europe, Asia and South America, with approaches varying from country to country. According to Yokohama, the Chelsea tyre will be available in three sizes: 225/45R17 94W, 205/55R16 91V and 195/65R15 91H. Read the full article
Winter means different things to different people depending on where they live, and thankfully tyre makers are acknowledging this. Both Pirelli and Michelin recently added summer/winter tyres for temperate European climates to their portfolios, and winter tyre pioneer Nokian Tyres has now introduced a product it describes as a "versatile chameleon for winter roads" - a tyre that not only performs well in snow and slush (real winter weather, to use Nokian's own words), but also in the wet weather that many of us more commonly encounter in the colder months.
The sale of dangerous tyres to unsuspecting motorists has led to the conviction of six retailers of part worn tyres from the Brent and Harrow area of London within the space of a week.
Today we at Tyres & Accessories published our annual ranking of global tyre manufacturers on our tyrepress.com website. As always, this yearly survey takes the turnover of the industry's leading players into account and also provides information on operating profit/EBIT(DA) and annual net income. Read the full article
Dunlop will supply original equipment tyres to the new Mercedes AMG C63 and C63 T models. The Dunlop Sport Maxx RT ultra high performance tyre is the result of extensive joint development work with Mercedes-AMG, with the base tyre adapted to meet the new car's needs. The tyre was subjected to race track testing on the Nürburgring-Nordschleife, regarded as one of the most challenging tracks in the world. Read the full article
German motoring association ADAC and consumer organisation Stiftung Warentest have jointly tested 35 size 185/60 R14 H and size 205/55 R16 V tyres for their latest summer tyre test. The second-mentioned size is the country's most-sold tyre size for mid-class cars, and the ADAC notes that four pairs of these 205/55 R16 V tyres were evaluated as part of the test. Each pair was an eco/comfort product from the same manufacturer, and placing them back to back gave an additional insight into their respective strengths and weaknesses.
