Hot Import Nights kicks off season
IRVINE, Calif.-The new format for the 2006 XM Satellite Radio Hot Import Nights (HIN) season kicked off Feb. 25 at the San Jose (Calif.) Convention Center.
Dubbed the ``ultimate custom car festival,'' the event is sponsored by Action Media. HIN promoters said the new format ``celebrates all elements of youth culture,'' with competitions in several youth lifestyle scenes including several types of dance competitions, a year-long ``Miss HIN'' pageant with winners in 13 cities, video game tournaments, DJ competitions and a custom car contest.
A number of tire makers have a presence at the year-long HIN tour, which visits 20 cities, ending Dec. 16 at the Miami Beach Convention Center in Miami.
Hankook to outfit Volkswagen Golf
WAYNE, N.J.-Volkswagen A.G. has selected South Korea's Hankook Tire Co. Ltd. to supply two ultra-high performance tires for the Volkswagen Golf in Europe, beginning this month.
Hankook will supply 440,000 tires annually for the Golf plus another 100,000 tires a year for the Bora, a notchback version of the Golf, the tire maker said.
The tires selected are the Ventus Prime K105, size 205/55R16, and Optimo K406, size 195/65R15.
This is Hankook's third OE contract with Volkswagen. It started in 2003 supplying tires for VW's Polo and now also supplies tires for the Audi A3 and Seat Ibiza and Altea.
This latest contract should boost the value of Hankook's overseas OE business to about $150 million, or 12 percent of export volume, the company said.
Business group honors Michelin
ATLANTA-French tire maker Group Michelin was recognized by the French-American Chamber of Commerce Feb. 9 in Atlanta for its promotion of commercial ties between France and southeastern U.S.
The Georgia Department of Economic Development reported that 127 French-owned companies are located in Georgia, representing 9,155 jobs, according to a press release from Invest in France Agency, the economic development arm of the French government.
Group Michelin is the parent of Michelin North America Inc., which has its headquarters in Greenville, S.C.
Invest in France Agency said it is responsible for promoting the annual flow of $50 billion in foreign direct investment into France.
Detroit show nets 760,000 visitors
DETROIT-The North American International Auto Show (NAIAS), also called the ``Detroit Auto Show,'' drew 759,310 visitors to the Motor City over its nine-day run.
Officials for the show, which ran Jan. 15-23, said the event attracted 6,647 credentialed media representatives. Industry preview days, Jan. 11 and 12, attracted 34,881 attendees from 2,200 companies representing 23 countries. The show's Jan. 13 charity preview hosted 17,000 guests and raised $6.8 million for 11 local Detroit children's charities.
Additionally, the MSN.com autos Web page devoted to the Detroit show received 75 million page views and served 4.3 million video downloads.
``The North American International Auto Show proved once again that Detroit is truly the automotive capital of the world,'' said Richard Genthe, senior co-chairman of the 2006 event.
The show saw the debut of 69 vehicle introductions, including the first Chinese-made car for North America, the Greely 7151 CK.
Organizers also announced that the 2007 auto show will take place Jan. 7-21 at COBO Center in Detroit.