Pirelli will become the Australian Open’s Official Tyre Partner starting this year, marking the Italian tyre maker’s first major tennis sponsorship as it seeks to expand its global sports marketing presence.

The partnership with the Grand Slam tournament, which begins January 12 in Melbourne, adds to Pirelli’s existing sports portfolio, including Formula 1 racing and football. The Milan-based company sees the tournament as a platform to boost brand visibility in the Asia-Pacific region, where tennis has seen growing viewership.

Andrea Casaluci, CEO of Pirelli: “For Pirelli, the Australian Open represents a very important opportunity for visibility because of the great interest in tennis at the global level. In particular, the sponsorship will help increase awareness of our brand in Australia, a market with a high concentration of prestige cars. Precisely in Melbourne, home of the tournament, in 2019, we opened a Pirelli P Zero World, our flagship store model currently present in only four other cities in the world”.

Cedric Cornelis, Tennis Australia Chief Commercial Officer: “We are very pleased to announce Pirelli as the Official Tyre Partner of the Australian Open. Pirelli is synonymous with innovation and performance, making it a great fit for one of the world’s premier tennis events. We are delighted that Pirelli has chosen the Australian Open to mark its first investment in a Grand Slam.”

The move represents Pirelli’s return to tennis after a five-decade absence. Before focusing on its core tyre business, the company manufactured tennis balls from 1930 to the 1970s.

Pirelli supplies tyres to over 350 motorsport competitions, with Formula 1 as its flagship partnership since 2011. The company also maintains sponsorship deals with football club Inter Milan and various skiing competitions.

The Australian Open drew more than 900,000 spectators in 2024 and reached millions of viewers globally through broadcast and streaming platforms, offering Pirelli significant brand exposure in key markets.

The financial terms of the sponsorship weren’t disclosed.

Pirelli has announced the development of specific P Zero tyres for the new hybrid Porsche 911 GTS. This marks the latest collaboration between the tyre manufacturer and the German automaker, extending the availability of P Zero tyres across the entire 911 range.

The tyre maker states that it has engineered a unique version of the P Zero R as the primary fitment for the sports car. This tyre aims to balance performance with daily usability. A new compound provides grip across varied surfaces and weather, with an emphasis on wet conditions. The tread pattern reduces noise and low rolling resistance supports efficiency.

A dedicated P Zero Winter 2 tyre was also created for Porsche 911 owners seeking winter performance. This tyre features a directional tread pattern to improve wet and snow grip, while enhancing braking and handling on dry surfaces.

The tyre development process utilised Pirelli’s Virtual Development Center (VDC) in Breuberg, Germany. This facility employs virtual design and testing, leading to increased precision, a 30 percent reduction in development time and a 30 percent decrease in physical prototypes. The VDC facilitated the optimisation of tyre characteristics for the Porsche 911.

This joint effort represents the latest in a long-standing partnership between Pirelli and Porsche. Pirelli has achieved 338 homologations for all Porsche models, including SUVs, sedans and sports cars with internal combustion, hybrid and electric powertrains. Previous collaborations include the P Zero Trofeo RS for the 911 GT3 RS and the Pirelli Scorpion All Terrain Plus for the 911 Dakar. The P Zero R will be the main tyre for the Porsche 911 GTS.

Continental and Danish transport company DFDS are strongly committed to the development of sustainable logistics. With Europe's biggest fleet of heavy-duty electric trucks, the company uses Conti Eco Gen 5 tyres with optimised rolling resistance and high mileage, as well as the ContiConnect digital tyre management system for continuous monitoring. Both the companies have been collaborating effectively since the beginning of 2023.

With its well-balanced mix of high mileage and improved rolling resistance, the Conti Eco Gen 5 tyre series, which is a specialist for long-distance and regional transportation, powers DFDS' fleet of electric trucks. A quarter of the DFDS fleet is expected to be electrified by 2030. The ContiConnect digital tyre management system guarantees that DFDS monitors all of the fleet's tyres. Additionally, the fleet's range is extended by the digital tyre management system.

One of Denmark's oldest organisations, Det Forenede Dampskibs-Selskab (The United Steamship Company, DFDS) is made up of the business segments DFDS Ferry for maritime transportation, DFDS Logistics for road and rail transportation and DFDS Container Transport. The firm has a large fleet consisting of 70 maritime boats, 3,200 vehicles, and 15,200 trailers. The company has its own shore power infrastructure and charging stations in addition to a sizeable fleet of electric trucks.

Niklas Andersson, Executive Vice President and Head of Logistics, DFDS, said, “We are currently replacing our diesel trucks with electric trucks. We want to drive the transition to more sustainable road transportation and show that zero-emission transport is already a viable solution today. The expansion of our e-truck fleet helps to support more companies in decarbonising their supply chains and underlines our commitment to lead this development.”

Hinnerk Kaiser, Head of Product Development EMEA, Continental, said, “Sustainability and cost efficiency are attracting increasing interest on the market. The optimised rolling resistance and high mileage of Conti Eco tyres ensure that the energy efficiency of the truck increases and CO2 emissions are reduced.”

Carl-Johan Ejserholm, Fleet Manager, DFDS, said, “Thanks to the tyre sensors and the software, we have tyre inflation pressure, temperature and mileage permanently under control, avoid punctures and can carry out tyre changes according to plan. Efficient maintenance helps us to reduce operating costs. This is a benefit for us and a benefit for our customers, a benefit for everyone. By optimally managing journeys, we can minimise downtime for charging on route. More and more of our customers want us to drive battery-electric vehicles for them to further improve their environmental footprint. Digital tyre monitoring contributes to the efficient and more sustainable operation of our vehicles, which has a positive impact on our emission values.”

The German rubber industry has urged for an immediate implementation of the economic turnaround.

Addressing around 250 representatives of member companies of the employers' association of the German rubber industry (ADK) and the wdk at the ‘Day of the Rubber Industry’ event in Berlin, Michael Klein, President, wdk, said, “The economic turnaround manoeuvre must begin immediately. It is incomprehensible that the small key industries, which are so important for the German location, are not mentioned at all in the coalition agreement. The medium-sized companies are unsettled and urgently need planning security. This means an ambitious reduction of documentation and reporting obligations and the fastest possible relief in energy costs.”

According to the association, the regulatory procedures are particularly difficult for small and family-run businesses to comprehend. The German rubber industry is strong and resilient in decision-making, and it brings together major tyre manufacturers and producers of other rubber goods to form a formidable industry. However, it can only fully utilise its potential if the framework conditions are improved, which is the responsibility of the incoming federal government, stressed the wdk President.

Apollo Tyres has strengthened its renewable energy portfolio by acquiring an additional 3.43 percent stake in Green Infra Wind Power Projects Limited (GIWPPL), a wind power producer operating in Tamil Nadu.

In regulatory filings with the Bombay Stock Exchange and National Stock Exchange, the tyre manufacturer disclosed that its shareholding in GIWPPL will increase to 21.27 percent following the purchase of 60,000 equity shares at INR 10 per share, totalling INR 600,000.

The acquisition represents Apollo's growing commitment to green energy as part of its sustainability initiatives. Before this transaction, Apollo held a 17.84 percent stake in GIWPPL, comprising 312,000 equity shares.

GIWPPL, incorporated in July 2011, operates a 24-megawatt wind power project in Tamil Nadu and is a Sembcorp Green Infra Private Limited subsidiary. The company reported a turnover of INR 235.25 million for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2024, up from INR 208.81 million in the previous year.

This investment aligns with Apollo Tyres’ broader strategy to increase its renewable energy sourcing while potentially reducing its carbon footprint and energy costs across its manufacturing operations. Apollo Tyres stated the objective of the acquisition is for “procurement of wind power.”