Continental, the automotive, tyre and technology company, has announced the Middle East launch of ContiPressureCheck, a first-of-its-kind tyre pressure and temperature monitoring system for buses and trucks.
Century-old American tyre-maker Cooper Tire is currently keen to take a bigger share of the Middle East pie when it comes to tyres, especially in the last two years. With rivals such as Continental Tires setting up a regional office in Dubai a couple of years ago, following both Michelin and Bridgestone, it seems our region is finally being taken seriously. We recently had a chat with Luis Ceneviz, who is the Cooper Tire managing director for EMEA and Latin American markets, alongside regional sales director Christophe Huss, regional marketing director Michiel Kramer and the European Technical Center’s general manager Gavin Richards.
It’s hard to believe we’ve had the Honda S2000 for five years now. It’s harder to believe how little we’ve driven it due to lack of time. However, despite what some people believe, a sitting car also requires maintenance. And the tyres on the S2000 have expired by now, as per the RTA.
Let’s be honest, tyres aren’t sexy. They might be arguably the most vital component in your vehicle -– seeing as they provide the sole contact point between it and terra firma -– yet they’re probably not something you devote a whole lot of thought to.
You must’ve heard of Jebel Jais by now. Located in the outskirts of Ras Al Khaimah, it’s the tallest mountain in the United Arab Emirates, at about 1,910 metres. Saudi Arabia has an even taller mountain called the Jabal Sawda, at nearly 3,000 metres, but Jebel Jais has become a tourist spot for a reason — it has a perfectly-paved road leading up to the top. Wide, twisty and clear on a weekday morning, we decided to drive up and down that road in two identical cars. Well, identical in all but one aspect.
It was time to get some new tyres for our Jaguar XK, since the old ones had “expired” as per the RTA. Considering it’s always a hassle to go get tyres changed, we decided to try shopping for tyres online, on the only local tyre site we’d heard of in Dubai.
American tyre company Cooper Tire is looking to increase its presence in the Middle East. Their first move in their commitment to the region was to become the official tyre sponsor of the upcoming 2015 Dubai Motor Show this November, ahead of more product launches over the coming months.
Michelin is celebrating their 125th anniversary this year, and as part of that, they held a media event at Abu Dhabi’s Yas Marina Circuit. Aside from a massive amount of information about company history, tyre safety and manufacture, as well as a chaperoned stint with some supercars around the race-track, the highlight of the day was the thrashing of Toyota Camry sedans in a tyre-safety demo.
This week’s motoring news round-up includes one of Nissan’s UAE dealers winning an aftersales service award, Valvoline launching a GCC-spec engine oil, the Porsche GT3’s Dubai race conclusion, and Bridgestone’s new air-free tyre.
Bridgestone Middle East and Africa officially opened Bridgestone Park, their new 21,678 metre-square facility in Jebel Ali Free Zone, recently.