Page 4 - CTB n4 - 2013/4

NEWS
Giti Unleash New Products at Le Mans
tyres, fell by five percent to 194 casualties.
The news has been cautiously welcomed by not for profit road safety group TyreSafe, who has been campaigning since 2006 for better tyre care and maintenance. Indeed, since its inception the group’s efforts in helping to educate drivers and remove the most dangerous tyres from the road has seen a reduction in tyre related KSI’s by 36 percent.
“We are pleased that the number of fatalities or serious casualties coming from a tyre related accident
has fallen, but this is no time for complacency,” commented Stuart Jackson, chairman, TyreSafe. “We are seeing an increased number of drivers who are willing to run their tyres right down to the legal limit in an attempt to save money, and this will reduce their safety on the road. While we’ve been successful in helping to remove the most dangerous tyres from the road, average tread depths on cars have reduced recently which has contributed to an actual increase in number of drivers suffering slight injuries.”
Giti Tire welcomed thousands of visitors to its GT Radial stand at this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans Truck Race, with two new flagship products making their show debut. Alongside both the GAU861 all- position urban city-bus tyre and mixed service GAM831 mixed service all-position tyre, the
weekend of October 12 and 13, attracted over 51,000 visitors who witnessed the latest races in the European Truck Racing Championship alongside several exhibitions and hundreds of stands.
Pouzet said: “The Le Mans event is one of the must-attend racing
Richard Lyons (front left), Managing Director – Europe and Amaury Pouzet (front right), Country Manager – France present a lucky racegoer with one of several prizes handed out by GT Radial over the course of the weekend.
MWSD Retains XLite European Distribution Rights
Motor Wheel Service Distribution (MWSD) has retained European rights for supply of xlite forged aluminium wheels having signed a three-year contract extension with manufacturing giant, Wheels India (WIL).
The move maintains a relationship that started in the 1940s with classic car wired wheels and which progressed into commercial vehicle wheels in the 1980s. WIL is part of the TVS Group, one of India’s largest auto-component businesses with a turnover of over USD 7 Billion.
Launched in 2010, xlite wheels, which are five times stronger and 40 percent lighter than the standard
unique safety features, reduced vibration and longer wear on surrounding parts, with the ultimate advantages of operating with forged aluminium wheels including extra payloads, reduced fuel usage and decreased CO2 emissions.
In 2011, xlite became a worldwide brand thanks to an exclusive 10- year trademark agreement between MWSD and WIL.
John Ellis, managing director at MWSD, said: “The relationship with Wheels India is excellent and they have nothing but praise for the initial three-year rollout of xlite and the work we are undertaking to educate the market, not only in terms of product benefits but the
steel equivalent, are forged from a single aluminium billet using a computerised numeric control machine to produce a higher degree of production accuracy.
They are available in 17.5,19.5 and 22.5 inch sizes and in three finishes - machined, polished and new generation Xbrite - the latter featuring a technically advanced single part, transparent coating that offers the highest levels of corrosion resistance and unrivalled shine. Benefits over steel wheels include
overall message of wheel safety. “While the product was created by Wheels India, the xlite brand was designed and developed by ourselves so this agreement will continue to have a positive impact on both companies, global brand recognition and sales.
“Over the next three years we will see several product launches and will continue our work in partnership with OEM truck and trailer manufacturers, the aftermarket and key clients.”
company presented an extensive range of European products and service solutions alongside French distribution partner, DPI.
In attendance from Giti Tire were Richard Lyons, Managing Director - Europe, Peter Foulkes, Marketing Director Europe - Commercial Tires, Lennart Lindström, European Technical Director - Commercial Tires and Amaury Pouzet, Country Manager - France.
This event, which took place on the famous Bugatti track over the
events for the truck and bus industry, with attendees ranging from fleet owners to managers to drivers to truly genuine enthusiasts, in other words everyone who cares passionately about the industry. “To be associated with such a high- profile event is essential in building the European profile of the GT Radial brand and reaching as many people as possible, we feel truly privileged to be part of a truck institution.”
No Time for Complacency Says Tyresafe
New figures released by the Department for Transport have revealed that in 2012, the number
of drivers killed or seriously injured on the UK’s roads as a result of a dangerous, illegal or under-inflated
4 Commercial Tyre Business