Two iconic Japanese automotive brands, Honda and Bridgestone, have joined forces to develop future products for the Australian market.
Low rolling resistance Ecopia tyres have been the focus for Bridgestone. The special tyres are designed to save motorist fuel and essentially money. Two Honda CR-Vs have been used to perform extensive tests under local conditions.
In a mutually beneficial way, Honda Australia has also been able to perform their own research, specifically on the effects of around-the-clock driving on a variety of road surfaces, different weather conditions and diverse traffic scenarios.
The research revealed the effects of extreme usage patterns, rapid mileage accumulation and durability of the 1.5-litre turbocharged VTEC petrol engine.
Honda Australia Director, Mr Stephen Collins, commented on the joint venture stating: “The program with Bridgestone not only ensured that current and future Ecopia tyres meet specification requirements for the CR-V, but it also enabled us to test the vehicles extensively by travelling more than 40,000 kilometres in just four weeks.”
“This collaboration with Bridgestone represents a further expansion of local development work, as well as an extension of the long-running partnership between the two companies, which has seen Honda Tyre Centres operating at participating Honda dealerships since 2012.”
Bridgestone tyres are supplied by the Honda Tyre Centre which carries a range of rubber including the Ecopia (low rolling resistance), Potenza (performance), Turanza (touring) and Dueler (4x4).
Bridgestone Australia and New Zealand Managing Director, Mr Stephen Roche said: “There’s a lot riding on tyres and it’s crucial that we have products suitable for the harsh roads and climates in Australia and New Zealand.”
“Bridgestone conducts extensive testing in Australia, which directly impacts the development of products like our next-generation low rolling resistance Ecopia product. The learnings from local testing is of huge benefit for Bridgestone globally, as well as our own customers.”
Other Bridgestone and Honda collaborations include the development of original equipment (OEM) tyres for the Jazz, Civic and HR-V models.
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