Three Take Top Honors in 2004 AAPEX New Packaging Awards
With most everyone in the industry getting back to work after the successful and productive Automotive Aftermarket Industry Week, there is still some important news from the show shuffling in. Three aftermarket manufacturers took top honors in the 2004 Automotive Aftermarket Products Expo (AAPEX) New Packaging Awards, held Nov. 2 during the annual trade event sponsored by the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association (AAIA) and the Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Association (MEMA).
Executive Interview with Greg Gyllstrom, Vice President and General Manager for Visteon’s North American and Asian Aftermarket Operations
Our latest edition of “Executive Interview” features Greg Gyllstrom, Vice President and General Manager for Visteon’s North American and Asian aftermarket operations. In this role, Gyllstrom is responsible for expanding the organization’s North American and Asian aftermarket business by coordinating and directing the company’s sales, product development and marketing activities. Gyllstrom recently talked with aftermarketNews.com about his first two years at Visteon, the company’s motor sports initiatives and its presence in Asia.
AAPEX Show Success; New Attendance Record Set for Second Consecutive Year
Record attendance was reported for this year’s Automotive Aftermarket Industry Week (AAIW), which took place last week. AAIW, comprised of the Automotive Aftermarket Products Expo (AAPEX) and the SEMA Show, reported that approximately 120,000 people attended the shows this year. The total shatters last year’s record number of nearly 105,000 people. Buyer attendance was especially strong as more than 55,000 buyers attended – breaking last year’s total by nearly 5,000.
Goodyear’s Dunlop Brand Releases Three New High-End Tires
Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. is looking for big things from its storied Dunlop brand in the near future, and gave the nameplate a major boost with the launch of three new high end tires just before the opening of the 2004 SEMA Show. Revealed at a special launch program at the Las Vegas Speedway were the Dunlop Direzza DZ101 for the sport compact market segment, the Dunlop SP Sport Maxx for the luxury UHP segment, and the Dunlop Grandtrek AT20 for the high-end luxury SUV segment.
Visteon Rallies Amid Expected Restructuring
Shares of Visteon Corp. surged as much as 6 percent on relatively heavy volume Tuesday amid recent reports of restructuring expected at the loss-riddled auto parts maker.
Treadways Launches New Performance Tire
Treadways Corp. will introduce a new performance tire for the tuner performance and sport truck market at the SEMA Show taking place Nov. 2-5 at the Las Vegas Convention Center.
Turtle Wax Plans Youth Marketing Initiatives Including Sweepstakes and Tour
Turtle Wax, the number one selling brand of car care products in the world, will be combining state-of-the-art technology with authentic grass roots marketing for its upcoming 2005 Turtle Wax “Get Waxed Tour”, and Turtle Wax “Get Waxed Tour” Sweepstakes. As one of its primary marketing initiatives in 2005, Turtle Wax plans to enter the youth auto culture market by way of a tour, sweepstakes and the creation of two highly modified “Get Waxed” show cars. The nation-wide tour will bring the Turtle Wax brand to select leading car culture and youth-oriented lifestyle events. The company plans to reveal details of the tour and sweepstakes next month at the SEMA show at Las Vegas.
Street Glow Announces the Creation of Street Glow International
Street Glow Inc., which produces performance lighting products for the aftermarket, has announced the creation of Street Glow International, an affiliate of Street Glow, Inc. In June of this year Street Glow announced that it had signed a letter of intent to sell a portion of ownership to a Chinese investment group called Street Glow (Hong Kong), Ltd. This group includes members from Street Glow’s long-time Chinese vendor which manufactures virtually all of the Street Glow brand of Auto-Neon and performance lighting products. This announcement marks the completion of that sale.
NFL Coach and NASCAR Team Owner Joe Gibbs to be GAAS 2005 Luncheon Speaker
Joe Gibbs, head coach of the NFL’s Washington Redskins and founder of the Joe Gibbs Racing team, will address “Teamwork, Perseverance and Excellence,” as the luncheon speaker at the 10th annual Global Automotive Aftermarket Symposium (GAAS) in Chicago. The first Global Automotive Aftermarket Symposium was held in 1996, at the Hyatt Regency Deerfield Hotel in the suburban Chicago area. From its humble beginnings, the Symposium has grown to be the industry’s leading educational forum.
Cosworth Technology Forms New Aftermarket Group
Cosworth Technology, Inc. (CTI), an independent consultant and supplier of powertrain and diagnostic engineering services to the global automotive industry, has announced the formation of a new aftermarket product group. The new aftermarket division, called “powerworks” will develop performance enhancement products and systems, supercharger systems in particular, for vehicle power trains ranging from 4 cylinder 2-liter engines up to large 8 cylinders engines (5+ liters).