Altimax passenger car tyre range key to General Tire expansion in South Africa
General Tire has entered the second phase of its relaunch campaign in South Africa with the introduction of the Altimax passenger car tyre range to complement its existing line-up in the light commercial vehicle and 4×4 segments.
The first phase commenced in July 2014 with a focus on the 4×4 category, which features the award-winning General Grabber AT all-terrain tyre, the heavy duty Grabber MT competing in the hard-core mud-terrain category, and the all-new Grabber GT, designed for high-performance sports utility vehicles.
“General Tire has a great reputation in South Africa, having started producing tyres locally in 1949, and consistently offering contemporary, extremely competitive and well-priced products over the past 66 years,” says Niel Langner, marketing manager for Continental Tyre SA.
More recently, the General Tire 4×4 range has become the cornerstone of the brand’s local market offering, and has been exceptionally well received. The Grabber AT, in particular, has raised the stakes by winning two consecutive local tyre tests and being regarded as the benchmark in the all-terrain 4×4 tyre segment.
“With the launch of the Altimax Comfort and Altimax Sport, we’re re-introducing the General Tire brand to the high-volume passenger car category. Both products offer segment-defining new technologies matched to outstanding performance, braking and low rolling resistance,” Langner says.
“The expansion of our local range is perfectly timed around General Tire’s global 100-year anniversary celebrations. We’re proud of the fact that SA has been a central part of that history for almost seven decades.”
The launch campaign also signals the official renaming of the brand to ‘General Tire’, aligning the manufacturing operations, product range, technologies and remarkable heritage to the US tyre company and its landmark centenary after it was founded in Akron, Ohio, in 1915 by William F. O’Neill and Winfred E. Fouse.
General Tire has been owned by Germany’s Continental AG since 1987. In SA the brand is manufactured, marketed and sold by Continental Tyre SA.
Continental is positioned as the company’s premium product range with a primary focus on the original equipment (OE) market, and is the only tyre brand supplied to all seven local vehicle manufacturers in SA.
Boasting a well-established reputation for reliability, performance and heritage, the General Tire range is aimed at the replacement tyre segment and provides customers with a strong value proposition.
Sophisticated range
General Tire now offers two exciting new tyre ranges for the passenger car segment . The Altimax range was developed based on stringent European demands and standards, and delivers superlative braking and handling performance, combined with low rolling resistance in the interests of improved fuel efficiency.
With its high-performance orientation, the all-new Altimax Sport has been designed to be a top contender in handling and performance, employing the most advanced technologies currently available in the passenger car segment.
Developed to suit a wide range of high-performance cars, the Altimax Sport incorporates a modern silica tread compound that bridges the gap between the dichotomy of grip and wet weather performance on the one hand, and the competing requirements of low rolling resistance and reduced fuel consumption on the other. It is available in nine sizes, ranging from 15 and 16-inch to the popular 17 and 18-inch versions.
The new Altimax Comfort is designed for compact and medium-sized cars, offering high levels of driving safety due to its superb capabilities in terms of wet braking, handling and aquaplaning. The latest tyre compounds and tread design also ensure outstanding low rolling resistance for improved fuel economy. Eighteen popular sizes are available, spanning the 13 to 15-inch range.
Advanced technologies
The Altimax Sport and Altimax Comfort boast some of the most advanced technologies currently available on the market, the most significant of which is General Tire’s innovative Monitor Technology that contributes towards improved safety and increased mileage.
The Visual Alignment Indicator (VAI) boasts sipes moulded on either side of the tread at defined points. Within the first 1 000 km of use, drivers are able to monitor the wear characteristics of these markings and easily determine if the vehicle’s wheel alignment needs adjustment.
If the VAI disappears unevenly during this initial period, it suggests that the alignment should be checked in order to avoid premature wear of the tyre. This brings commensurate benefits in terms of both increased mileage and lower running costs for the consumer during the entire life cycle of the tyre.
The Replacement Tire Monitor (RTM) represents the latest innovation as far as tread wear indicators are concerned. On new tyres, the inscription ‘Replacement Tire Monitor’ is visible in the centre rib of the tyre.
As the tyre wears and reaches a tread depth of 3 mm, the inscription changes to ‘Replace Tire’, thus indicating that it is nearing the recommended tread depth limit and replacement is necessary. This is a major innovation in the interests of improved driving safety and awareness.
Also view:
Tyre Safety and Safety on the Road
