Michelin founders Édouard and André Michelin were brothers from Clermont-Ferrand and Paris, France. Their small rubber factory was incorporated in 1888 and has grown into the largest tire manufacturer in the world. In 1946 Michelin introduced the first radial tire, originally titled the X tire. This tire design is currently the standard in the world for passenger and light truck tires, although the design has been improved over the years. As of 2007, Michelin employed 113,500 people in several countries and became the largest tire manufacture in the world in 2008, surpassing Bridgestone. The vision of Michelin is to constantly “Contribute to the Progress of Mobility”. The company uses this as a focus with the concepts of their employees, their values, the consumer, the environment, and the high standards of being a responsible member of society. As a testament to this, Michelin is the only brand to receive a J.D. Power and Associates award every year since the tire study began.
The Company’s well known icon, the Michelin Man, is 111 years old and going stronger than ever. This world icon can be recognized on all 7 continents and cultures abroad. The origin of this character is derived from a poster depicting a man made of tires raising a glass full of objects that could cause a flat tire with the headline “nunc est bibendum” meaning “now is the time to drink”. It meant that Michelin tires could absorb obstacles in the road without going flat since flat tires were the biggest obstacle to automobile travel in those days. In 2008 The Michelin Man and his dog like companion, Bubbles, promote nothing but safety while showing the passion that Michelin puts into all of its products.
The most popular tire Michelin produces is the Energy MXV4 Plus tire which features “Balanced All-Season Performance”. The Energy MXV4 Plus tires are engineered to meet the needs of luxury sedans and a variety of different sport coupes. The Energy MXV4 Plus tire incorporates an advanced version of Michelin Radial XSE Technology and features Comfort Control Technology, MaxTouch Construction and Energy Saver Construction. The tire’s goal is to offer a quite, comfortable ride, long lasting wear and fuel efficiency while remaining maneuverable and maintaining precision handling.
The Michelin premium Passenger All-Season tire is the HydroEdge. This tire is designed to meet all of the needs of family coupes, sedans, and minivans; while being a very versatile tire (combining long wear with hydroplaning resistance and year-round traction). The outer composite of the HydroEdge features a silica-enhanced tread compound molded into a directional tread design to blend dry and wet road traction with long wear. Dual circumferential center grooves and angled Hydro Chutes combine to pump water from under the tire's footprint to increase hydroplaning resistance. Overall, this tire is considered to be one of the best tires in the industry.
The Michelin Cross Terrain SUV tire is a premium highway, all-season light truck tire designed to uniquely support the way Americans drive their sport utility vehicles. The features of the Cross Terrain SUV tire consist of a silica-enhanced tread compound molded into a tread design optimized for car-like ride comfort and responsiveness in dry, wet and wintry conditions. Full depth, interlocking zigzag sipes are integrated into the tread design to provide the extra biting edges that enhance year-round traction and driving confidence in light snow. Internally, the Cross Terrain SUV features twin steel belts, a two-ply polyester cord body, and Michelin Bead Tension Structure to increase ride comfort and provide predictable handling.
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