Bridgestone secures 100 new OE fitments in 2019

Brussels – Bridgestone Corp. secured nearly 100 new original equipment fitments across the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region in the year 2019, the tire maker has announced.

Driven by the company’s “ground-breaking” CASE (connected, autonomous,  shared and electric) mobility projects, the new supply deals covered 50 different models from 14 manufacturers, Bridgestone said 8 Jan.

In addition, the company saw fitments for tires with a diameter of 18” or greater (HDR+) grow by over 10% from 2018.

One of the key technological developments of 2019 was the introduction of Enliten, a new lightweight tire technology, that is claimed to reduce rolling resistance by, on average, 20% from a standard premium summer touring OE fitment.

The technology also cuts the tire weight by 10%, lowering the consumption of materials and subsequently reducing the tire’s environmental footprint.

In 2019, Enliten was brought to the roads for the first time on Volkswagen’s new, all-electric ID.3 and the Audi RS Q3. 

In 2020, Bridgestone said it would work to introduce Enliten to more models and manufacturers.

In addition, Bridgestone custom-engineered its Potenza tires for Volkswagen’s electric supercar, the ID.R last year, helping VW break the Nürburgring-Nordschleife’s EV track record by 40.56 seconds.

Besides Enliten, other technologies such as B-Silent reducing in-vehicle noise, B-Seal, Run-Flat and ologic technologies also helped meet new mobility demands.

In 2019, Seat selected Bridgestone’s ologic technology, for lowering rolling resistance, to equip its Minimó electric concept car. 

Bridgestone Connect ‘smart’ tires, which relay information on tire load, pressures, grip level and tire health to the interior screens, was also custom-developed for Nissan’s IMQ EV concept vehicle last year.

The company also partnered with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and Toyota to commit to an international space exploration mission in 2019. 

Bridgestone will help explore the mobility challenges and performance needs of tires for use on manned, pressurised rovers to help them make better contact with the surface of the moon.

“Sustainability, CASE mobility and partnerships were three huge focuses for us in 2019,” said Mark Tejedor, VP original equipment, Bridgestone EMIA.