Big Five Tyre Makers+Back in Front where they belong+Big tyremakers are regaining their grip
Big Five Tyre Makers
Big Five Tyre Makers
There is no doubt that in my long presence in the tyre industry. Then the top five tyre companies have always been in contention. Hence, for the top spot.
Whether it be on numbers sold or quality then the top five manufacturers have kept in front. Therefore the likes of Michelin, Goodyear, Continental, Bridgestone and Pirelli.
One of the main reasons is because premium car manufacturers tend to stick to premium car tyres. Hence, for the original equipment tyres they choose.
Consequently,there has begun to be a wider variety of OE tyres chosen in the mass market car sector. Previously, most car manufacturers have stuck to the top five tyre manufacturers.
Big Five Tyre Makers could it change
As this has already started to change. manufacturers that were previously labelled as “mid range” tyres are now appearing on new car models. Especially, if the country of origin is the same. Indeed this is how the big five started out. With Michelin supplying the mass car markets in France. Including Citroen and Renault. Pirelli had a good foothold with supplying Fiat and Alfa Romeo cars.
Of course in Germany then the huge car makes of Mercedes and BMW, not forgetting VW were supplied by the giant Continental conglomerate. Goodyear had a firm hold of the North American market, before going global. Japan cars were coming out as original equipment on famous car brands such as Toyota and Nissan.
In recent years the mid-range and budget tyre market has increased with world demand as the car industry has flourished. Including, the introduction of the new tyre labelling laws. This manifested itself with the shock that some of the budget brands had just as good a rating as the big 5. Causing some embarrassment to say the least. Going forward this could very well encourage mass market car manufacturers to look closer at the budget brand tyres. Especially, if they have similar good looking results on the new labels.
We at Pellon Tyres have noticed that consumers will take these labels into consideration when choosing tyres. In my opinion this could lead to the likelihood to see a change in the original equipment tyres. of course, that mass market car manufacturers may choose?
Car makers under pressure to bring down costs
Under constant pressure to bring costs down, car manufacturers may feel able to justify to consumers. That the economy brands will deliver the same performance as the more expensive mid-range. Not forgetting the premium brands. In my opinion though the top five companies also lead the way in tyre technology. As a result, they are always looking at innovative ways of improving their tyre products,
A great example of this is the tremendous effort that Pirelli have put in to the F1 racing scene. This involvement has given great confidence to the general public when buying Pirelli tyres.
Consequently, there is actually much more to a tyre’s performance than just wet braking. Including rolling resistance and external noise, but it is often first impressions that count. Especially when people are trying to save money. Of course, the fact that surveys have so far shown that many drivers don’t even know about the tyre label. Although this is improving in recent times.
To summarize, I think that the tyre buying public will support the better products that the big five can offer. Including the growing mass SUV market. Some of the tyre sizes are over 20 inch and require great skills to manufacture tyres that are quite whilst giving great performances on faster models such as the BMW’s and Jaguars.
