Yokohama Rubber Co. (YRC), one of the leading tyre manufacturers in the world, is shutting down its Hadera factory in Israel, effective 31 December, 2024.

The company says over the past several years, tyre makers have been setting up their manufacturing facilities in South Asia, which provided local raw materials sourcing as well as competitive labour costs. This has led to Israel loosing its competitive advantage, along with the high transport costs on busy routes for exporting tyres from Israel.

Then there is also the environmental and structural shift in the tyre manufacturing industry, wherein YRC is focussing on attaining “sustainable profitability to secure its future.”

The Hadera plant is one of the over 30 facilities in YRC's global network. It has been operations for more than 70 years. As of August 2024, the Hadera facility had around 474 employees.

The closure of the facility is part of YRC's consolidation plans to align its production footprint with market conditions. The tyre maker said that the closure of the Israel plant is a difficult but necessary step to ensure the long-term sustainability of YRC.

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The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd. is set to appear at the IRC2026 AICHI Rubber & Elastomer Technical Exhibition, a four-day gathering running 3–6 November at the Aichi Sky Expo in Tokoname City, Aichi Prefecture. Held in tandem with the International Rubber Conference 2026, which convenes rubber and elastomer scientists and engineers from across the globe, the event carries the theme ‘Future Rubber Technology toward Sustainability’.

Yokohama Rubber's own display, billed as ‘Yokohama's Technology Supporting a Sustainable Society’, will spotlight innovations embedded in tyres and industrial goods that tackle societal challenges through diminished environmental footprints, stronger safety and cost efficiency and lighter labour burdens.

On the tyre front, visitors will encounter the iceGUARD 8 for passenger cars and the newly launched iceGUARD 8 SUV, introduced in September. Explanations will cover the tread patterns and the AQUA BUSTER naturally derived, highly absorbent compound responsible for grip on frozen roads. Racing fans will note ADVAN tyres built from renewable and recycled feedstocks and supplied to Japan's SUPER FORMULA Championship, alongside a BluEarth-GT AE51 prototype incorporating biomass-derived butadiene rubber. The company will also outline R&D balancing performance retention with greater sustainable material uptake and reduced petroleum dependence in synthetic rubber.

Industrial offerings include the Smart Belt, a conveyor belt carrying embedded RFID tags, together with maintenance support services that harvest wear and temperature readings to recommend upkeep approaches and belt specs matched to operating conditions – enhancing safety while trimming inspection and maintenance effort. Cutaway samples will reveal automotive air-conditioning hose construction using lightweight resin liquid piping and marine hose architecture underpinning safe seaborne crude and petroleum product transport.

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Pirelli has confirmed its tyre compound choices for the United States Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas, selecting the C2 as Hard, the C3 as Medium and the C4 as Soft. This marks a return to a familiar combination after the 2025 experiment that introduced an additional step between the Hard and Medium compounds. Last year the C1 served as the hardest available tyre but was unused in the race, with teams preferring one-stop strategies built around the softer C3 and C4 options. The Austin round opens a triple-header on the American continent that also includes Mexico City and São Paulo, and it stands as the second of three United States-based events this season ahead of Las Vegas.

The weekend reverts to the traditional format without a Sprint, giving teams three free practice sessions to refine car balance and set-ups on a circuit that does not demand extreme compromises. The 5.513-kilometre COTA layout blends high-speed corners, rapid direction changes and slower sections requiring strong traction, so competitiveness depends on pairing straight-line speed with efficient aerodynamic load through technical passages. From a tyre perspective, the track loads both axles: the fast corners of the first sector stress the front tyres, while the acceleration zones out of slow corners in the third sector generate thermal degradation primarily at the rear.

The asphalt is not especially abrasive, and a section between Turns 9 and 11 was resurfaced earlier this year, though ageing across the remainder of the circuit contributes to significant wear. Tyre wear rather than graining could therefore prove decisive, as several tyres reached very high wear values at last year's event. Strategically, the C2 Hard could favour long stints in what is likely a one-stop race, though typically high Texan temperatures may increase degradation and open alternative approaches. Medium-Soft was last year's most popular strategy, used by 13 drivers, with Charles Leclerc the lone podium finisher to start on Softs.

Austin has hosted the United States Grand Prix 13 times, though the event's total history spans 46 editions across six circuits; Lewis Hamilton leads with six victories, one shy of Michael Schumacher's record, and Ferrari holds the constructors' mark with 11 wins. The Porsche Carrera Cup North America season, supplied by Pirelli for the first time, concludes at COTA during the Grand Prix weekend, with Tyler Maxson leading the Mobil Pro standings by 27 points after Road Atlanta, though Aaron Jeansonne remains in contention with two races and bonus points available. Pirelli Design has also created a special podium cap by designer Denis Dekovic, featuring a star pattern inspired by the American flag alongside cacti and rattlesnakes as Texan desert symbols.

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TyreSafe, UK’s leading tyre safety charity, has forged a new alliance with Donna Jones, the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, as part of its ongoing drive to strengthen road safety and curb tyre-related incidents nationwide. The partnership reflects the organisation's wider commitment to working with policing and other stakeholders to reduce preventable harm on UK roads.

Jones has placed road safety at the heart of her agenda, prioritising action against dangerous driving, tougher enforcement and a reduction in deaths and serious injuries on local roads. The scale of the challenge is clear from figures covering October 2024 to September 2025, during which 1,286 people were killed or seriously injured across the two areas. A dedicated Roads Policing Tasking Team, unveiled by Jones in March 2026, now targets dangerous driving and high-risk collision hotspots, focusing on the Fatal Five: speeding, drink and drug driving, mobile phone use, seatbelt non-compliance and careless driving.

In TyreSafe's view, illegal and badly maintained tyres – alongside general vehicle upkeep – deserve greater prominence within a joined-up road safety strategy that builds on existing enforcement and education programmes. The partnership opens the door to joint work between TyreSafe and the Commissioner's office on raising public awareness, encouraging responsible driving and supporting efforts to prevent avoidable road incidents. It also highlights how enforcement, education and prevention can work together, helping motorists recognise their obligations and the serious risks posed by unsafe tyres.

Crime prevention and making Hampshire and the Isle of Wight among the safest places to live nationally have also been flagged as priorities by the Commissioner. TyreSafe intends to use the partnership to back broader road safety work in the region while deepening its collaboration with policing and other stakeholders across the country, all in support of its Vision Zero goal of eliminating harm to road users caused by illegal and poorly maintained tyres.

Jones said, “Tyre safety is an essential part of keeping our roads safe. Illegal and poorly maintained tyres can put drivers, passengers and other road users at serious risk, and it is important that we do more to raise awareness of these dangers. I welcome the opportunity to work with TyreSafe to help educate drivers, encourage regular tyre checks and support efforts to prevent avoidable collisions. By working together on education, prevention and enforcement, we can help make Hampshire and the Isle of Wight’s roads safer for everyone.”

Stuart Lovatt, Chairman, TyreSafe, said, “Working with police forces and Police and Crime Commissioners is an important part of our ambition to reduce tyre-related incidents and make our roads safer. Our four strategic goals set out the changes we believe are needed, from improving enforcement and driver education to strengthening the evidence available to policymakers. We welcome the opportunity to work with Donna Jones and her team to explore how we can support greater awareness of tyre safety and encourage practical action to address the risks posed by illegal and poorly maintained tyres.”

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Kumho Tire USA continues to strengthen its position as a major supplier to automakers worldwide, now providing original equipment tyres to over 40 vehicle platforms across nine brands in North America, including Nissan, Hyundai, Kia, Audi and Volkswagen. The expansion reflects growing confidence among manufacturers in the company's engineering and product quality.

The tyre maker was recently chosen as the exclusive OE supplier for Hyundai IONIQ 5 vehicles joining Waymo's next-generation robotaxi fleet in the United States. Such autonomous fleets require tyres that maintain consistent performance across thousands of miles of continuous use, with durability, efficiency and ride comfort proving essential. The Crugen EV HP71 was developed to meet both the demands of high-utilisation fleets and the specific requirements of electric vehicles.

Kumho also secured OE supply deals for select Nissan Rogue and Frontier models sold across North America, extending its longstanding relationship with the automaker. The Rogue will carry the Crugen HP71 all-season touring tyre, while the Frontier will be fitted with the new Road Venture HT all-season highway-terrain tyre, strengthening Kumho's foothold in the SUV and pickup segments.

The Crugen HP71 offers quiet, comfortable driving with year-round capability for CUV and SUV owners, using wide circumferential grooves and micro-serration technology for wet traction and hydroplaning resistance. Its EV variant accommodates heavier electric vehicles, reduces rolling resistance, handles instant torque and incorporates K-Silent sound-absorbing foam. The Road Venture HT, built for pickups and SUVs, delivers improved wet and snow traction and a 10 percent tread-life gain over its predecessor, along with Three-Peak Mountain Snowflake certification.

Shawn Denlein, President – Sales and Marketing, Kumho Tire USA, said, “We are excited to continue strengthening our OE partnerships through new fitments with both Nissan and Hyundai. The Crugen HP71 and its EV counterpart, along with the Road Venture HT, were engineered to deliver reliable, consistent performance for SUV and pick-up drivers. These selections reflect the confidence both Nissan and Hyundai place in KUMHO's engineering and manufacturing expertise.”

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