Mixed picture for tyre markets in September

ERJ staff report (DS)

Milan, Italy -- Pirelli has confirmed the sharp drop reported earlier this week by Michelin in European replacement truck tyre sales in the month of September.

The company reports only percentage changes, not absolute numbers.

Pirelli said European truck tyre replacement sales increased by 5 percent in the first nine months, but the September figure was a decrease of 16 percent compared with a year ago, showing an accelerating decline from the 2 percent fall seen last month. OE figures continued to show solid growth albeit at a slowing rate, recording an increase of 45 percent in the year to date and 16 percent in September.

OE truck tyre sales in the NAFTA region also maintained their recovery, increasing by a huge 57 percent in the year to date, and by 62 percent in the most recent month, a growth rate consistent with the earlier part of the year. On the replacement side, however the slowdown in sales continued, with an increase of 6 percent in the first nine months but just 3.0 percent in the month of September. However, this reversed the dip seen over the Summer. Sales data for the Mercosur region showed OE sales up by 8 percent in the first nine months, and 9 percent growth in the month of September. On the replacement side, growth in the year to date was just 2 percent, but September returned to the positive with an increase of just 1 percent year on year.

No data for Asia was available.

In the car and light truck segment, the trend was more mixed. European OE sales showed a 3.9 increase in the year-to-date figures, but the Month of September saw a decline of 4.5 percent compared to a year ago. Replacement sales were up by 4.9 percent in the year to date but just 0.8 percent ahead of last September's figure.

North American (NAFTA) sales of car and light truck tyres were generally positive. On the replacement side, sales in the nine months were down by 0.2 percent, but September sales were positive, albeit just 0.4 percent ahead of last September's figures. OE figures were positive, with sales in the year to date up by 8.4 percent and in September up by 7.9 percent. In the Mercosur region, OE sales were up by 5.8 percent in the first nine months but the month of September showed a decline of 5.0 percent. Replacement sales were slightly healthier, with the year so far down by 0.3 percent on the same period in 2010, and up by 4.3 percent in the month of September.

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Tyre market data from Pirelli