FULLERTON, Calif. (April 1, 2003) — Yokohama Tire Corp. plans to drop the prices of its most fuel-efficient commercial tires by at least 10 percent for national accounts until diesel fuel prices drop below $1.50 a gallon on a national average, the Fullerton-based tire maker said.
The “Fuel Price Buster” program, which Yokohama believes is the first of its kind, is aimed at giving the tire maker's national accounts a tool to be profitable and successful, the company said.
“This is a true discount—no coupons, no rebates or credits—just an immediate, across-the-board discount to every single Yokohama national account,” said John Cooney, director of commercial sales for Yokohama.
The program will run from April 1 to June 30, at which point it will be reevaluated. It revolves primarily around Yokohama's Maintenance Saving Concept line of commercial tires, which Yokohama claims are among the most fuel efficient in the market. The RY637 is designed to lengthen original tread life, the RY587 aims to reduce the average cost per mile, and the TY527 also is designed to maximize original tread life, according to the firm.
The tire maker said it is using statistics for the national average of diesel fuel prices from the Energy Information Administration's Retail On-Highway Diesel Prices report.