The auto wholesales for February 2025 are out, and the industry has posted numbers in the red. The latest automotive wholesales data from the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) for February showed that a total of 1.82 million units were sold last month, which was 7 percent lower as compared to 1.94 million units sold for the same period last year and 8 percent lower than that of January 2025 sales.

The de-growth was primarily driven by a slowdown in sales of two-wheelers, especially motorcycles, which dropped by 13 percent YoY.

In the passenger vehicle space, SUVs continued to drive demand, registering a healthy growth of 9 percent with sales coming at 208,795 units, compared to 191,435 units a year ago. Passenger cars, on the other hand, reported sales of 110,966 units, which was 4 percent lower compared to the same period last year.

Three-wheeler sales came to 57,788 units, which was 5 percent higher compared to 55,175 units sold last year. The sales were driven by passenger carriers and goods carriers in the Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) segment, as compared to a negative growth witnessed by the E-rickshaw and E-cart segment.

Going forward, all eyes are on the Holi and the Ugadi festivals, which is expected to provide a positive fillip to the monthly sales.

Rajesh Menon, Director General, SIAM, stated that the “Upcoming festivities of Holi and Ugadi in March is likely to continue to drive demand, thereby closing FY 2024-25 on a reasonably positive note."

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Dr William Mars, Founder and President of Endurica, has been named the 2026 recipient of the Rubber Division, American Chemical Society (ACS) Melvin Mooney Distinguished Technology Award. The honour recognises exceptional technical competency demonstrated through significant and repeated contributions to rubber science and technology.

Dr Mars is widely regarded as a pioneer in elastomer durability, having developed critical plane analysis methods and fatigue life simulation techniques that are now employed throughout the global tire and rubber industry.

The award will be presented during a special event at the Global Polymer Summit (GPS), scheduled for 28–30 September in Louisville, Kentucky. As part of a science and technology awards symposium at the summit, the Endurica leader will deliver a special lecture.

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Linglong Tire, the Chinese manufacturer, is to invest an estimated USD 270 million in a new tyre factory in Egypt, as part of a strategy to expand its footprint across Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

The company has established Linglong Tire Egypt Co, Ltd to run the Shandong Linglong Tyre Co Overseas (Egypt) Investment and Construction Project. The registered name remains subject to confirmation by local authorities, which are reviewing a missing company registration certificate.

The factory will be built in Borg El Arab, 45 km south of Alexandria, on a site covering approximately 251,460 square metres. Construction is expected to take two years and will include the plant itself, along with civil buildings, infrastructure, landscaping and other support works.

Once operational, the site is expected to produce about 6m car tyres a year, generating annual sales of approximately USD 175  million and a net profit of around USD 35 million.

Linglong said the investment was designed to serve both the Egyptian market and its core markets in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, where the automotive sector has grown steadily in recent years. Egypt's location, at the intersection of Asia, Africa and Europe and close to the Suez Canal, was cited as a factor in the decision, alongside access to local ports and logistics networks that could help lower supply-chain costs.

The Egyptian plant would complement Linglong's existing production sites in China, Thailand and Europe, adding capacity to a global network that already includes five factories in China and one each in Thailand and Serbia. The company said the project supported a wider strategy involving automation, research and development, and more sustainable production methods.

The investment still requires approval from the relevant authorities in China and Egypt. Linglong said the project could be modified, delayed or discontinued if the necessary permits were not obtained.

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Liberty Tire Recycling facilities throughout North America took part in the Recycled Materials Association's (ReMA) annual Safety Stand Down Week, underscoring the company's sustained dedication to worker safety and well-being. Teams set aside regular duties to engage in training sessions, hazard awareness conversations and reviews of established best practices aimed at reinforcing a safety-first culture.

The week's programming spanned the company's entire network and featured toolbox talks, site-specific safety discussions, CEO-sponsored facility inspections with managers and employees and examinations of safe operating procedures. These activities gave workers room to spot potential hazards, offer observations, raise questions and strengthen the systems underpinning a safer workplace.

Beyond this annual event, Liberty maintains year-round safety measures that include regular stand downs, five-minute safety talks, near-miss reporting, safety work orders, Liberty Learning LMS training, engineering upgrades, standard operating procedures and employee development programmes. Joining industry peers in the ReMA initiative let the company reaffirm continuous improvement across every facility.

Safety is treated as a shared responsibility and an ongoing journey. Liberty Tire Recycling, a leader in tyre recycling and circular economy solutions, expressed appreciation to all participating team members for keeping safety central to daily operations while supporting ReMA's broader push for industry-wide safety excellence.

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DT Swiss has refreshed its mountain bike (MTB) wheel range with redesigned asymmetric alloy rims, following more than 10 years of leadership in the alloy MTB segment. The EX 511, XM 481 and XR 391 have each received updates featuring premium aluminium alloy, welded rim joints, wider horns to limit tyre damage and a humped tyre contact surface for better support, yielding stronger and more durable rims.

Across the range, every new rim now uses an asymmetrical profile that balances spoke tension more evenly and extends wheel life. Distinct construction traits are tailored to cross-country, all-mountain and enduro use, so riders can select a rim suited to their preferred discipline.

The EX 441 is built for unplanned lines, combining its asymmetric shape with wider horns and an optimised structure for stability and impact resistance. It comes in multiple sizes with either 28 or 32 spoke holes.

For mountain exploration, the XM 431 pairs a strong aluminium build with a refined profile and wider horns for greater impact resistance, plus a redesigned contact patch for improved lateral tyre support; it is offered in 27.5 or 29 inches. The XR 421, meanwhile, uses a lightweight asymmetric, flatter construction with a 28 mm inner width optimised for tyres up to 2.7 inches, giving cross-country riders confidence and speed lap after lap.

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