TP www.tiresandparts.net DHS 20 /- I USD 5.99/- l SEPTEMBER 2015 2015 SEPTEMBER l The Middle East’s First Automotive, Tires & Parts News Source ISSUE 107 107 ISSUE BMW REINFORCES RACING HERITAGE WITH CONCEPT M4 GTS. Graava Action Camera PAGE 64 www.alexiatires.com Bespoke tires Specifically designed and produced for you. ART 1100 ART 1200 ART 1300 ART 1400 ART 1500 ART 1600 ART 1700 ART 1900 Guided by the main principles of value, trust, honesty and quality Alexia tires has been proudly manufacturing commercial and OTR tires from Asia with the intention to fill a gap in the replacement tire market. Alexia Tires believes in delivering the greatest value, quality and service without com- promising on innovation and style. With over 35 years of experience in the industry, Alexia Tires is passionate about its work. We bring to the market unique tire products and designs that specialize in the manufacturing of custom products that fit the market requirements of the day. Alexia’s strength lies in its flexibility and its ability to listen to the demands of the market and make subsequent swift changes as needed. Alexia Tires is a global company comprised of passionate designers and engineers who continue to use the latest technology to deliver the most innovative and original tires in the market. With worldwide distribution, Alexia Tires looks forward to further reaching out to the masses with truly one of a kind products and continuing to be trailblazers in the industry. For exclusive territory enquiries pls contact [email protected]. PUBLISHER’S NOTE The price of fuel has become a talking point in the UAE. Though petrol and diesel prices are relatively lower in the Middle East region as compared to other parts of the world, fuel prices are higher in the UAE when compared to other countries like Oman or Saudi Arabia. Based on the average price in April, May and June, one liter of petrol here costs AED 1.72 or USD 0.47. As compared to the Republic of Congo, where a liter costs USD 1.51, this is low. The price is higher here, though, when compared to Qatar where the average price per liter is USD 0.26 or Saudi Arabia where it is only USD 0.15 per liter. The move to deregulate fuel prices is one that is made with good intentions. With oil prices dropping sharply recently, revenue has been dropping for oil producing countries in the Middle East. The UAE spent over AED 46 billion on fuel subsidies this year, and it makes economic sense to remove subsidies to make the economy more stable. The UAE government is also hoping that it will motivate many more motorists to switch to smaller cars and use public transport more frequently. This is likely to occur in the long run and will definitely have a positive impact on the environment. With Dubai having 540 registered vehicles per 1000 people, the UAE has one of the highest rates of car ownership in the world, surpassing even cities like New York, Hong Kong and Singapore. Emissions from the transport sector in the UAE added up to 44.6 million tons of carbon dioxide in 2013. Possibly, this trend may reverse with a slight increase in fuel prices. Hand in hand with the move to remove subsidies, the government here is developing infrastructure to support the widespread use of electric cars. In line with the Smart City initiative, DEWA plans to install 100 stations with the facility for charging electric vehicles by the end of 2015. These stations will be located near major malls, restaurants, airports and other spots that are easily accessible to the public. Many automotive manufacturers like BMW which debuted the i-sub brand in the region are planning to launch their electric cars here. Prices will not be completely delinked as they will be determined by a fuel price committee which will announce the prices every month after analyzing average international levels. The prices announced for the month of August reflected increase in petrol price but decrease in diesel prices and hence logistics companies and freight operators effectively benefited from the price deregulation. Though petrol prices went up, the prices of essential goods was expected to go down and thus offset the impact of the increase in the price of petrol for the consumer. For the average consumer on the road, it translates into thinking twice before buying a flashy SUV and using the Metro more often. Though it may pinch the pocket a bit in the short term, in the long run with cleaner air to breathe and a more stable economy, we will wonder why it was not done sooner. Hamid Moaref Publisher Head to your next appointment in style on us by downloading and using the Uber app. Enter the “Tiresandparts.net” promo code to get AED 80 off your first Uber ride. Offer valid only in the UAE. SEPTEMBER 2015 / CONTENTS JAGUAR F-PACE Publisher Hamid Moaref PASSES EXTREME Editor Ali Reza TESTS WITH Sub Editors Sonja Baikogli FLYING COLORS PAGE 25 Sherry Chen Manju Mathew Merivict Pearl Murillo Sales & Marketing Ahmad Aji Design Shabeer Aziz Praful Vivin Circulation Assistants Thaha Sasi Pillai Dilfar Rasheed Contributors Peter Baikogli Arezou Marzara Farsh Shafikhani Kristen Koulic Distribution Dar al hikma Distribution L.L.C Publishers Note : All images, designs,lay out and advertise- ments are copyrighted. Any attempt to recreate, plagiarize or copy in part or in whole is violation of international copy- right laws. While compiling this issue of Tires & Parts, the utmost care and attention has been given to ensure that all information is ac- curate. Morjan Media is not responsible for the accuracy of content provided by third party sources. To submit news and content please email to : [email protected] Please note: by submitting news and con- BMW Exclusive Automobile Partner for Kumho Bags Exclusive OE Firment for 2016 Asimco Redefines Braking Performance tent to Morjan Media for publication in Latest Mission Impossible Film Dodge Viper with Double Bonanza Tires & Parts you automatically agree that PAGE 10 PAGE 28 PAGE 48 Morjan Media is not obliged to publish this content. Furthermore,Morjan Media Daimler AG Likely to Tie up with 12 Cooper Tire Demonstrates CSR with 30 Car Battery Sales in Qatar Surge This reserves the right to further edit and or 51 IDEM to Enter Iranian Market Global Sustainability Report Summer reduce the size of any content or news stories sent for publication. Ford Comes up with Tips to Make 17 Toyo Tire Signs Sponsorship Deal 32 Gulf Car Wash to Revolutionize Middle 53 Your Fuel Last Longer with FC Zenit East’s Car Wash Industry Maserati Returns to Indian BKT Adds More languages to Hot products 64 Market 20 Website in Drive to Go Global 33 TIA applauds Automotive Tires & Parts’ efforts to bring the latest tire and automotive news to the Middle East. For more information on TIA, visit www.tireindustry.org Morjan Media L.L.C P.O.Box 7830, Dubai, U.A.E For administrative inquiries or for a copy of our media kit please Contact : +971 4 2555548 / [email protected] / www. morjanmedia.com HISATAKA SATO MANAGING DIRECTOR, NGK SPARK PLUGS MIDDLE EAST FZE (NGK-ME) Could you give us a quick rundown of your Could you tell us something about your spark plug technology? products? NGK works closely with automobile manufacturers to research and develop We have TWO brands, NGK and NTK. spark plugs technology that provides improved driving performance and outstanding environmental efficiency, as well as meets the demands Our spark plugs, glow plugs and related and requirements of customers. We have been producing spark plugs products under “NGK” have been in long use since 1936, which is almost 80 years. Currently, we have around 40 since the establishment of the company, percent market share worldwide, supplying spark plugs to all the major becoming some of the top-quality products manufacturers as OEM, for cars, marines and motorcycles. throughout the world. As our leading products, they have made significant contributions What sets your spark plugs apart from those offered by other spark to the progress of the automobile industry. plug manufacturers? Under “NTK”, we produce IC packages, sensors for exhaust gas cleaning (Lambda sensors) As mentioned, NGK is the OEM for all major automobile manufacturers and cutting tools. worldwide. Due to technology advancement, new kinds of cars and engines require unique spark plugs. We produce more variety of spark Our company is expanding its business plugs fitting to different engines of different car manufacturers. We field to areas such as medical, environment also ensure to produce spark plugs for older car models unlike other and energy products as well as bio ceramic manufacturers, making us the main supplier of almost 5,000 different products for which demands are expected to items covering almost 100 percent of the engines worldwide. increase in the future. Here at NGK-ME, we only distribute products related to the automotive Today, NGK is the largest OEM spark plug manufacturer in the world. industry. What do you consider as the key factor that has contributed to your success? You offer spark plugs and glow plugs. What are the differences between the two? First is the close collaboration with car manufacturers when it comes to research and development. Second is our involvement in motorsports, The major difference lies on the function and especially F1 (Ferrari) racing. For the last 40 years, we have been supporting technology of the products. Spark plugs are Ferrari and won the F1 race more than 200 times.