Pirelli Signs Sustainability Agreement During International Conference
Pirelli 
recently hosted an international conference on safety and the environment, during which the company’s chairman, Marco Tronchetti Provera signed a voluntary agreement with the Ministry for the Environment and Land and Sea Protection to reduce the climate impact deriving from activities related to the production and use of its tyres.
The conference, was entitled “Driving Sustainability: a safe road to the future” and marked Pirelli’s own Sustainability Day.
Pirelli says the agreement underscores its commitment to develop production systems and products that reduce environmental impact, while increasing quality and consumer safety.
It also states these ideas will help to increase its efficiency, with significant economic benefits and “an additional competitive lever on international markets, above all in those where these features are called for by law and appreciated by the consumer”.
“To speak of sustainability today,” said Provera, “means first of all to speak of technologies which permit the constant improvement of our quality of life. The ‘old’ Europe cannot compete with emerging countries from the point of view of production costs and internal demand, but something which can ensure our future, without doubt, is being more advanced in our search for sustainable models of industrial growth. In this sense, Italy and Europe have developed points of excellence which they export to the rest of the world.”
The conference addressed the theme of sustainability; understood, according to Pirelli, as “an indispensable condition for a company’s future, which thanks to avant garde technologies is able to develop more sustainable and efficient models of growth”.
The company said the debate also encompassed the theme of the consumer’s role within an economic system, which in recent decades has seen profound changes in the models of development and market dynamics.
For Economist Jeremy Rifkin, the “prosumer”, the new producer-consumer, is the figure who will become ever more prevalent thanks to “distributed” capitalism, a complex figure who incarnates different and apparently conflicting interests with which companies must more frequently engage. Reconciling these interests will be a stimulus for companies to identify new models of more sustainable growth.
For Pirelli, growth also means responsibility towards the consumer, both through the protection of the environment and the development of ever safer products. Safety was, in fact, one of the conference’s central themes, with contributions from senior institutional, association, academic and corporate officials.
Continental Wins evo Magazine Tyre Test
Continental has been awarded top spot in evo’s annual tyre test, with its ContiSportContact 3 tyre.
The UK sports car magazine, measured performance indicators including wet and dry handling, aquaplaning and braking using 225/40R18 sized tyres on a range of high-end cars.
Evo described Conti’s tyre as giving “an impressively complete performance”.
The magazine praised the ContiSportContact3’s abilities in wet handling and braking, with it taking top spot in both categories. Evo wrote the tyre’s wet handling was “masterful”, even amongst “some great performances on the wet circuit” by competitors.
The tyre set “the fastest lap time, [recorded] the highest lateral G, and [scored] the highest subjective mark, too – it wasn’t bettered.”
Evo summed up the tyre’s all-round ability: “Especially impressive was its stability – it barely acknowledged puddles that were registered by its closest rivals, and its traction was superb. “Amazingly surefooted and grippy; the limit is your nerve.”
Jonathon Hayter, product manager at Continental, said: “This additional win for the ContiSportContact 3 is an excellent endorsement for our product range. The ultra-high performance tyre has proven its worth yet again next to competitor products and has displayed its prowess in a number of disciplines including wet handling and braking.”
Travelling with Ease Using Caravan Hire Australia
Australia is a land of adventures and what better way to do this than get yourself your own personal transportation which means you’d need to look up which caravan hire Australia offer you that chance! From the moment you touch the airport to the second you arrive in your hotel, you can expect to fill your minds with memories of beautiful places that will last forever. Going to Australia is a luxury in itself but actually seeing the sides of the country that make it the talk of the world is a whole different thing altogether. The best way you can achieve this as conveniently as possible is by thinking of your transportation options.
Not a few think that renting a car would be a waste of time and more importantly a great waste of money. But the fact of the matter is that you’d actually be saving yourself a lot more money and time in doing so, for reasons such as:
•You won’t have to worry about taking public means of transportations that are often time consuming and in the long run waste more money in the process.
•You can navigate yourself to destinations faster without having to follow a specified route – that travels to various stops for passengers. These routes can often be evaded to find a shorter means to your destination.
•Most caravan hire Australia comes in different offers that give you great discounts on the vehicles of your choosing. This means that you’re saving money and saving time as well.
•When it comes to traveling around the country at your own schedule, hiring a vehicle can help you do this since you no longer need to follow anyone’s time schedule but your own.
Well, there are countless reasons that you can decide on your own as to why hiring a vehicle is more effective for your holidays than waiting around for a bus or cab all day. And if you’re interested, you can go online now and look up which caravan hire Australia offer something that you can benefit from – strategically and financially.
Registrations Open for 2013 Michelin Challenge Design
Michelin North America has opened registrations for the 2013 Michelin Challenge Design competition – titled ‘Half! Lightweight with a Passion!’
Participants in the 2013 Michelin Challenge Design have been set the task of designing a family vehicle, whilst addressing the subject of weight reduction through design – a subject the tyre market says is “becoming a new battleground in the struggle for increasing fuel efficiency.”
In the 2013 Challenge, Michelin says it is looking to “bring forward passionate designs that employ innovative vehicle architecture for weight reduction, without compromising safety or comfort.”
Submitted vehicle designs must meet consumer demands for safety and comfort, be usable on the current road infrastructure and be feasibly produced using materials, powertrain solution or manufacturing solutions that are in use today or in development for use in the foreseeable future.
Successful designs will be those that drive desire for vehicle ownership or usage while contributing to lightweight vehicle development through choices of materials and using the most effective manufacturing techniques.
Michelin notes that more than ever before, successful design requires closer cooperation with engineering, manufacturing and planning.
“As an industry, we’ve come to an interesting crossroad,” commented John Moloney, Michelin’s vice-president of original equipment marketing for North and South America.
“Consumers and governments are pushing for dramatic gains in fuel efficiency as the automotive industry is designing and development lightweight next-generation vehicles. We look forward to seeing how participants in the 2013 Michelin Challenge Design will respond to these concerns.”
Further information on the 2013 Michelin Challenge Design is available on www.michelinchallengedesign.com
A tenth consecutive Dakar win for BFGoodrich!
The American tyre brand BFGoodrich secured its 12th Dakar triumph – its 10th in a row – in Lima, Peru, today. Victory on the world’s most gruelling cross-country rally went to Frenchman Stéphane Peterhansel (ALL 4 Racing MINI) who took his personal score on the event to 10 wins.
BFGoodrich’s maiden Dakar success dates back to 1999,and the American tyre brand, which belongs to the Michelin group, hasn’t been beaten on the world’s most exacting off-road rally since 2002.
The 2012 event proved particularly challenging thanks to a menu of more than 4,000 kilometres of against-the-clock action between the New Year’s Day start in Mar del Plata, Argentina, and the finish in Lima, Peru. The route featured a punishing cocktail of rough and rocky trails, plus Chile’s sandy Atacama desert and the awesome dunes of southern Peru which competitors discovered for the first time this year.
The Dakar regulations dictate the use of a single type of tyre for the entire route. BFGoodrich’s principal partners in the T1class (MINI, Toyota, Mitsubishi, etc.) chose the All-Terrain+ tyre which is reputed for its durability, versatility and performance.
The American brand faced stiff competition this year, notably in the form of the Hummers driven by last year’s winner Al-Attiyah and the USA’s Gordon. These powerful machines were entered in the so-called ‘Open’ class which permits the use of wider and bigger-diameter tyres (+13cm), as well as a system that permits tyres to be inflated and deflated from the cockpit. This solution is especially useful when crossing terrain which alternates between stones and sand dunes.
That, however, didn’t prevent the ALL4 Racing MINIs and their BFGoodrich All-Terrain+ tyres from claiming a one-two finish thanks to Stéphane Peterhansel and Spaniard Nani Roma, while South Africa’s Giniel de Villiers and his new Toyota Hilux made it an all-BFGoodrich podium.
Today’s result sees Stéphane Peterhansel establish a new record for the highest number of Dakar wins, and the Frenchman only suffered from loss in tyre pressure four times during the entire two-week competition which was run at an extremely quick pace from start to finish. “Most of these punctures were due to bad luck, including one where a sharp branch pierced a hole in the sidewall, while another was caused when the rear tyre was hit by a big rock that was dug up by a front wheel. I was very happy with my BFGoodrich tyres. The team’s engineers worked hard on the chassis, suspensions and tyres this year to make sure that the three functioned in perfect harmony. I would like to thank my co-driver Jean-Paul Cottret, everyone in the X-raid team and all my partners. They all deserved this win!”
Gold Medal for Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 2
Goodyear takes top spot in MOTOR Magazine Tyre Test for third consecutive year
Goodyear’s Eagle F1 Asymmetric 2 has been awarded the Gold Medal in the latest MOTOR Magazine Tyre Test, cementing its position as Australia’s ultimate performance road tyre. The accolade also gives Goodyear a hat-trick of wins in the authoritative test with the original Eagle F1 Asymmetric earning the award the two previous years.
With testing undertaken at Sydney’s Eastern Creek Raceway, V8 Supercar driver, stunt driver and driving instructor Warren Luff was behind the wheel of a MY12 Mitsubishi Evolution X MR, putting nine 245/40R18 size high performance road tyres through their paces.
The tyres were tested in four separate challenges – Figure Eight Road Circuit, Wet Skidpan, Dry Slalom and Emergency Braking – with scores averaged across three attempts for each.
With Australian weather conditions providing a constant and varied challenge for drivers and tyres alike, performance in the Wet Skidpan is always a key performance indicator. Here the Eagle F1 Asymmetric 2 was the clear leader in what was the only wet test, with its new silica tread compound and race inspired resin creating better adhesion on the wet surfaces.
The Goodyear tyre again clocked the outright fastest average time on the Figure Eight Road Circuit, highlighting the credentials of its new improved tread pattern which allows for a more stable outer tread to aid cornering. The Eagle F1 Asymmetric 2 was also equal first place in the Dry Slalom.
Overall, after taking out three of the four categories, MOTOR awarded the Eagle F1 Asymmetric 2 the Gold Medal, commenting that, “its solid performance across all categories shows its broad capabilities to cope with a diverse range of situations”.
James Peate, Goodyear’s Communications Manager, said that the result was an accurate representation of the tyre’s ability to perform at the highest standards when faced with a range of tough conditions, taking performance tyres to the next level.
“Having launched the Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 2 in Australia in July 2011, we’re very proud to see this tyre well and truly making its mark in the MOTOR test. As an extraordinary, best in class all-rounder, it goes to show the performance and benefits a premium tyre can offer the consumer,” Mr. Peate said.
“The Eagle F1 Asymmetric 2’s Active Braking Technology and improved tread design allows for superior control and comfort, particularly in the wet*. Additionally, the tyre also provides lower noise emission levels, better mileage and features Goodyear’s FuelSaving technology which aids in reducing fuel consumption via a lower rolling resistance+.
“Being crowned winner by MOTOR now three years running certainly creates a compelling argument to consider Goodyear ahead of any others.”
The Eagle F1 Asymmetric 2 has been designed for a broad range of vehicles, including sporty models of city cars and compacts as well as large, powerful sedans.
Available in 17” to 19” rim diameters and 22 different sizes, the Eagle F1 Asymmetric 2 offers wide market coverage.
* Compared to the average performance of three leading competitors. Braking distance on wet road from 80 km/h (49.6 mph) to 20km/h (12.4 mph), braking distance on dry road from 100 km/h (62 mph) to 0 km/h, measured by TÜV SÜD Automotive in December 2010; Tyre Size: 255/40R19; Test Car: Audi A7; Location: Mireval (FR) & Garching (GE); Report nr: 76244706-1. Your performance may vary based on driving and road conditions, and vehicle and proper tyre maintenance.
+ Goodyear tyre internal tests. Average performance of 3 sizes (225/45R17 – 245/40R18 – 255/40R19) tested in 2010Mireval (FR) and Colmar-Berg (LU) Test period: April to Dec 2010; Test Car pending size: VW GOLF, Audi A3, Audi A4, Audi TT, Audi A5 & Audi A7. Results may vary based on driving and road conditions, and vehicle and proper tyre maintenance.
New Vehicles Sales Top the Million Mark in 2011
The Australian new motor vehicle market has staged a remarkable comeback in the second half of 2011 to finish above the one million calendar-year sales for only the fourth time in history.
Official VFACTS data released by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries shows that a total of 1,008,437 new passenger cars, SUVs and commercial vehicles were delivered to customers during 2011.
These figures represent a decrease in volume of 2.6 per cent (or 27,137 fewer sales) compared with 2010 – which can be attributed to challenging market conditions and significant supply shortages during the year, according to FCAI chief executive Ian Chalmers.
“2011 full year sales are an exceptional result given the effects of natural disasters both at home and abroad throughout the year,” Mr Chalmers said.
“The uptake of new vehicles was impacted early in the year by economic uncertainty, closely followed by natural disasters in the key markets of Western Australia, Victoria and Queensland.
“Sales were further subdued by Japan’s devastating earthquake and tsunami, with a resulting shortage of export vehicles from that country a secondary outcome of the extreme loss of life experienced by the Japanese people.
“The resilience of the Australian marketplace, combined with strong industry resolve, saw sales recover strongly in the fourth quarter, with total sales finishing just 3.9 per cent behind the FCAI’s forecast of 1,050,000 for the year.”
Sales results
Toyota was the best-selling vehicle brand in 2011, with 181,624 sales for a market share of 18 per cent. Holden and Ford finish second and third with 126,095 sales (12.5 per cent market share) and 91,243 (nine per cent) respectively.
Mazda3 was the best-selling model for the full year, edging out Holden Commodore by 812 vehicles to finish with 41,429 sales. Toyota HiLux was third overall with 36,124 sales, followed by Toyota Corolla (36,087) and Holden Cruze (33,784).
The small car, Luxury SUV and 4×4 light commercial segments led the sales charge throughout 2011, growing by 2.1, 22.4 and 6.36 per cent respectively.
Looking forward
Mr Chalmers said the FCAI’s outlook for 2012 was cautiously optimistic.
“Once again in 2012 we are predicting the market to top one million sales – a realistic assessment given the recent nature of competitive strategy in the retail sector and strong consumer demand for new models,” he said.
“2012 will require a concerted and collaborative effort by the industry and government to drive the automotive sector in this country forward.
“Top of agenda is the need to finalise a C02 emission standard in this country, with this industry having led the charge by delivering significant gains in fuel efficiency over the past decade.
“We’ll also be closely assessing the impact of carbon pricing to be introduced from July.
“Significantly, 2012 will be a year where the industry reinforces the pivotal importance of co-investment programs between government and industry in competing for, and winning, important new manufacturing assignments for Australia.”
Sales Results
Top 10 manufacturers (market share and volume):
| Rank | Brand | 2011 | 2010 | % diff |
| 1. | Toyota | 181,624 | 214,718 | -15.4 |
| 2. | Holden | 126,095 | 132,923 | -5.1 |
| 3. | Ford | 91,243 | 95,284 | -4.2 |
| 4. | Mazda | 88,333 | 84,777 | 4.2 |
| 5. | Hyundai | 87,008 | 80,038 | 8.7 |
| 6. | Nissan | 67,926 | 62,676 | 8.4 |
| 7. | Mitsubishi | 67,108 | 62,496 | -2.2 |
| 8. | Volkswagen | 44,740 | 38,016 | 17.7 |
| 9. | Subaru | 34,011 | 40,025 | -15.0 |
| 10. | Honda | 30,107 | 40,375 | -25. |
Source: VFACTS
Top 10 individual models (by sales volume):
| Rank | Vehicle | 2011 | 2010 | % diff |
| 1. | Mazda3 | 42,429 | 39,003 | 6.2 |
| 2. | Holden Commodore | 40,617 | 45,956 | -11.6 |
| 3. | Toyota HiLux | 36,124 | 39,896 | -9.5 |
| 4. | Toyota Corolla | 36,087 | 41,632 | -13.3 |
| 5. | Holden Cruze | 33,784 | 28,334 | 19.2 |
| 6. | Hyundai i30 | 28,869 | 29,772 | -3.0 |
| 7. | Nissan Navara | 21,675 | 21,171 | 2.4 |
| 8. | Toyota Camry | 19,169 | 25,014 | -23.4 |
| 9. | Ford Falcon | 18,741 | 29,516 | -36.5 |
| 10. | Mitsubishi Lancer | 18,717 | 23,076 | -18.9 |
Source: VFACTS
The Michelin Man Celebrates his 113th Birthday and joins Madison Avenue Advertising Walk of Fame
The Michelin Man turned 113 years old in October and celebrated by being inducted into Advertising Week’s Walk of Fame as “Icon of the Year” in ceremonies at Time Square in New York. As part of an online voting contest, The Michelin Man won the hearts of many who voted online to elevate him to his rightful place in advertising history.
For more than a century, The Michelin Man has served as an ambassador for the Michelin brand. In 1894, the two founding brothers, Andre and Edouard Michelin, saw a stack of tyres and noted that with arms “it would make a man.” Four years later, in 1898, The Michelin Man’s character was born, appearing in Michelin posters and representing the company. Today, The Michelin Man – sometimes called “Bibendum” – is regarded as one of the most iconic symbols in the world.
The Michelin Man has stood the test of time while representing improvements in transportation of people and goods, respect for the environment and promotion of road safety. As one of the world’s most recognized brand icons, The Michelin Man represents mobility to millions of consumers in more than 150 countries. As the ultimate stamp of approval, he gives consumers confidence wherever they are going by providing fuel-efficient, safe, long-lasting tyres.
The Madison Avenue Advertising Walk of Fame recognizes America’s most beloved advertising icons and slogans. The Michelin Man will join such other iconic symbols as Columbian coffee icon Juan Valdez and Geico’s gecko.
Goodyear’s Air Maintenance Technology Named a Most Promising Future Technology
Goodyear’s Air
Maintenance Technology (AMT) has been selected by Car & Driver magazine (US) as one of “ten most promising future technologies” in its 2012 10 Best edition.
AMT will enable tyres to remain inflated at the optimum pressure without the need for any external pumps or electronics. All components of the AMT system, including the miniaturised pump, will be fully contained within the tyre.
Car & Driver editors called AMT an “elegantly simple idea” in their article in the December 2011 edition.
“While the technology is complex, the idea behind the AMT system is relatively simply and powered by the tyre itself as it rolls down the road,” said Jean-Claude Kihn, Goodyear’s chief technical officer.
“A tyre that can maintain its own inflation is something drivers have wanted for many years. Goodyear has taken on this challenge and the progress we have made is very encouraging,” said Kihn.
“This will become the kind of technological breakthrough that people will wonder how they ever lived without.”
AMT is currently under development at Goodyear’s Innovation Centres in Akron, Ohio and Colmar-Berg, Luxembourg.
Race to Road with Dunlop’s N-TEC Technology
N-TEC TECHNOLOGY was first created to meet the demands of Superbike racing, and is now available in selected Dunlop road tyres. Dunlop developed a race tyre that has dominated almost every form of international open tyre rule road racing since its release.
N-Tec features are :
- Continuously wound carcass virtually elimates tyre growth at speed for excellent high speed stability
- Cooler running temperatures maintain carcass integrity, prolong tread life and permits the use of higher-grip lateral traction compounds
- Softer feel in corner entry and improved cornering traction
- Larger contact patch provides a substantial increase in corner exit grip
- Remarkable consistency in lap times over the life of the tyre: fastest laps are commonly achieved in the last few laps of the race