The test track that Sumitomo Rubber Europe GmbH (SREU) put into operation in Arnemark, northern Sweden, in December comprises two groomed snow areas, each approx. 15,000 m2, about three times the size of a football pitch, two snow handling courses, each 1,600 metres long, and a 600 metre long ice handling track.
Falken’s parent company, Sumitomo Rubber Industries Ltd (SRI), has developed new technology that utilises artificial intelligence (AI) to predict the properties of rubber and detects how structural changes, due to load and wear, will affect performance throughout a tyre’s lifecycle. The data collected through “Tyre Leap AI Analysis” will support engineers to create longer lasting tyres with more consistent performance over time and is a key element of SRI’s “SMART TYRE CONCEPT”.
Sven Müller’s and Patrick Pilet’s joy in their hard-won second place at the VLN Endurance Championship at the Nürburgring was to be short-lived, after a misdemeanour in a “Code 60 Zone” triggered a subsequent time penalty for Falken, relegating them from second to seventh place.
Falken rounded off the 2019 jubilee season with sixth place for Klaus Bachler and Martin Ragginger in the #4 Porsche 911 GT3 R, and tenth place for Peter Dumbreck, Alexandre Imperatori and Sheldon van der Linde in the #3 BMW M6 GT3.
Falken again delivered a great performance, scooping up fourth place for the BMW M6 GT3 and sixth place for the Porsche 911 GT3 at the seventh round of the VLN Endurance Championship at the Nürburgring.
The Falken tyre brand is represented with a 30 square meter stand at the NUFAM commercial vehicle trade fair in Karlsruhe from 26 to 29 September 2019. With more than 370 exhibitors and 23,000 trade visitors, NUFAM is one of the largest commercial vehicle trade fairs in Europe, celebrating its 10th anniversary this year.
After the Falken EUROWINTER HS01’s good performance in the winter tyre test run by the magazine auto motor sport, more positive results are pouring down on the Falken EUROWINTER HS01: “Good on wet roads”, “Good in terms of fuel consumption” and “Good on ice”, attested the independent tester of the Swiss Turing Club and the Austrian automobile, motorcycle and touring club of the Falken tyre in their 2019 winter tyre test.
Nearly 4,000 spectators experienced live the AUDI NINES mountain bike spectacle on offer to them in the Ellweiler quarry near Birkenfeld last Saturday. 28 of the world’s best mountain bikers from eleven nations gathered there to spend a week producing film and media content in a spectacular setting, with a public contest day as the crowning finish to a successful weekend.
“Excellent lateral guidance, low slip sensitivity when accelerating and good braking on the snow” as well as “very good aquaplaning prevention” confirm the independent testers of the specialist magazine auto motor sport when describing the Falken EUROWINTER HS01 in their current winter tyre test.
In this season, Falken is also offering its customers in its European core markets the “Falken says thank you” sales promotion for the coming winter season: from 15 September to 30 November 2019, customers in participating stores get a prepaid card worth 30 Euros for refuelling and shopping when they buy Falken winter or all season tyres.
Japanese tyre brand Falken admirably demonstrated the superior performance of its rain tyres during the fifth round of the VLN Endurance Championship at the Nürburgring: fourth place for the Porsche 911 GT3 R and fifth place for the BMW M6 GT3.
Two Falken-branded electric go-karts and the Falken logo in a curve at the start and finishing line are decorating Frankfurt's first and only indoor electric go-kart track, which opens in the first week of September 2019.
Tyres from two Falken series have been chosen as OEM tyres for the new Toyota Corolla models, available since March 2019. The new vehicles will be fitted with the ZIEX ZE914B ECORUN in sizes 225/40R18 92 W XL and 225/45R17 91W tyres from Falken’s ZIEX Series, and the SINCERA SN832B in size 205/55R16 91V from the Japanese tyre manufacturer’s SINCERA Series.
For the 2019-20 season, Falken is the premium partner and official tyre partner of Borussia Mönchengladbach, a football club based in North Rhine-Westphalia that finished fifth in the German Bundesliga last season.
Falken will once again be involved in top-level football in Europe for the 2019-2020 season and is on the books at eighteen clubs in Germany, England, France, Italy, Poland, Spain and, for the first time, Belgium.
Last Saturday, both Falken Motorsports race cars achieved top-10 results at the Nürburgring despite adverse weather conditions during the fifth round of the 2019 VLN Endurance Championship. The #4 Porsche 911 GT3 R finished in sixth place, with the #3 BMW M6 GT3 crossing the line seventh.
The ADAC TOTAL 24h Race 2019 posed enormous challenges for Falken Motorsports. In the early hours of Saturday evening, debris on the track damaged the rear right tyre of the #44 Porsche 911 GT3 R, robbing it of any chance of a podium position. The #33 BMW M6 GT3, by contrast, enjoyed a solid race and finished in sixth place as the best BMW.
This year, Falken will once again be looking to win big in the Eifel – the tyre brand is sponsoring the ADAC TOTAL 24-Hour Race, which will take place at the Nürburgring from 20th to 23rd June 2019. Falken first joined the event as a partner in 1999 and, since then, has consistently upped its involvement.
Falken is the Presenting Partner of Audi Nines again this year, which will be taking place in two different locations in Austria: Sölden and Obergurgl-Hochgurgl.
Falken experienced mixed emotions during last Sunday’s ADAC Qualifying Race for the 24h Race at the Nürburgring. Following a superlative show during the early phase of the 6h Race, the BMW M6 GT3 had to depart prematurely from the dress rehearsal for the 24h Race. The Porsche 911 GT3, by contrast, passed the finishing line in 15th position after a nail-biting race to catch up.
The tyre brand Falken presents itself at the Autopromotec, the international trade fair for accessories and products of the automotive industry, which takes place from 22 to 26 May 2019 in Bologna/Italy.
On the almost 200 sqm large exhibition stand the wide product range of passenger car, SUV, light truck and truck tyres will be presented. The highlight of the presentation will be the popular UHP tyres for passenger cars and SUVs from Falken AZENIS FK510 and FK510 SUV, which not only convince sporty drivers again and again, but also independent test organisations.
Falken is supplying the current generation of Porsche Macan with tyres to the factory after approval was issued by the automobile manufacturer. The SUV versions of the Falken best-seller AZENIS FK510 are supplied in both 235/60R18 and 255/55R18 sizes. The tyres each have the speed symbol “W” (up to 270 km/h) and a load index of 103 and 105 respectively.
Falken is one of the sponsors of E-Mobility Days Munich, which are taking place on 3 and 4 May 2019 in the Bavarian state capital. Not only are specialist lectures on electromobility included in the programme, but the participants also have the chance to take electrically powered vehicles for a test drive on the test track, and to go on a tour through the laboratories of Bundeswehr University, where alternative drive technologies are being researched.
Falken successfully got both cars past the finishing line under the most challenging weather conditions in the third round of the VLN Endurance Championship at the Nürburgring. Drivers Martin Ragginger and Dirk Werner in the Porsche 911 GT3 R made a strong comeback around the Nordschleife, ending up in 8th place. Stef Dusseldorp and Alexandre Imperatori finished in 29th place in the BMW M6 GT3.
Falken is the Presenting Partner of Audi Nines again this year, which will be taking place in two different locations in Austria: Sölden and Obergurgl-Hochgurgl.
The second race of the VLN Endurance Championship 2019 – the 44th DMV 4h Race – will go down in history. During the second lap, the originally planned four-hour race was prematurely stopped due to the onset of snowfall and was not restarted.
The BMW M6 GT3’s excellent performance thus went un-rewarded at temperatures around freezing point. During qualifying, Peter Dumbreck and Jens Klingmann put enormous pressure on their competitors, their 8:01.461 lap time securing them a first-row starting position.
Falken has secured eighth place in the ‘Sport Tyres’ and ‘Price-to-performance ratio’ categories of a recent survey conducted by AUTO BILD, published in Issue 13, on 28 March 2019. Almost 70,000 readers of AUTO BILD magazine were asked to rate automotive suppliers on their perceived brand image.
Falken's parent company, Sumitomo Rubber Industries Ltd. has become a member of the European Tyre and Rubber Manufacturers’ Association (ETRMA), effective from 1 January 2019. The Brussels-based trade alliance represents the interests of its members with institutions of the European Union and other international organisations.
Offenbach, 1 April 2019 – Tyre specialist Falken has added a further new tyre model to its portfolio: Falken FOGGY SL321, a tyre especially tailored to foggy conditions.
Falken FOGGY SL321 is primarily designed for drivers that are often on the road in areas where low-stratus fog, ground fog or morning fog are prevalent. Poor visibility and wet roads can turn driving in fog into a tricky challenge. Now Falken has the answer. The new Falken FOGGY SL321 is fitted with sensors that automatically slow the vehicle to a speed appropriate for the density and type of the fog as soon as they come into contact with it. These sensors simultaneously activate a suction intake system that helps clear the fog and restore visibility. As the fog passes through the intake system it is converted into harmless oxygen and carbon dioxide and returned to the atmosphere.
Falken has signed a cooperation agreement with DriveTribe, one of the world’s largest social media community platforms for auto aficionados. DriveTribe was founded by TV presenters Richard Hammond, Jeremy Clarkson and James May – formerly the faces of “Top Gear” and today fronting “The Grand Tour”. The trio of motorsports legends have amassed a huge fanbase of car and motorsports enthusiasts since the platform was founded in 2016, and today clock up over 35 million page impressions and almost 5 million users per month.
The start of this season’s VLN Endurance Championship at the Nürburgring finished with both Falken vehicles amongst the Top 10 competitors. Klaus Bachler and Jörg Bergmeister achieved an impressive fourth place for the de-but of the new Porsche 911 GT3 R, while Jens Klingmann und Alexandre Impe-ratori also finished in a very respectable eighth position in the BMW M6 GT3.
For the eighth year in succession, tyre brand Falken is launching a special sales campaign for the tyre changeover season. The “Falken sagt Tanke” (Tanks from Falken) will run in Germany, Austria and the brand’s other core European markets. From 15 March to 31 May 2019, customers purchasing a set of Falken summer tyres from participating dealers will receive a Shell prepaid card to the value of EUR 20 (in Austria: BP fuel vouchers).
“With the size expansions, we are reacting to the needs of our customers and supplementing our already fairly extensive range by dimensions with growing demand on the market”, Markus Bögner, COO and President of Falken Tyre Europe GmbH comments on the expanded portfolio.
Markus Bögner, COO and Managing Director of Falken Tyre Europe (Falken) since January 2016, will be appointed COO and President of Falken Tyre Europe. With this change of position, Bögner will have a greater focus on the overall running and performance of the business. Markus Bögner was primarily responsible for marketing and sales and has been with Falken since 2009.
Falken Motorsports is starting the 2019 racing season with a new Porsche 911 GT3 R, which will be used alongside the proven BMW M6 GT3 at the Nürburgring. With the racing cars from two premium car manufacturers, the Japanese tyre brand is continuing its successful 20-year commitment to motorsports on the Nordschleife.
Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd. is pleased to announce that we will once again be supporting Mr. Yoshihide Muroya and Team FALKEN as they compete in the ultimate high-speed motorsport: the "Red Bull Air Race World Championship 2019." This is our fifth consecutive year of supporting this remarkable pilot through our FALKEN brand. In addition, FALKEN is also proud to once again be sponsoring the "Red Bull Air Race Chiba 2019," which will be held over the September 7-8 weekend in Chiba, Japan. Through our sponsorship, we hope to contribute to yet another thrilling race here in Japan in 2019.
The Falken Tyres logo now marks the top of the City Tower in Offenbach – helping to make the City Tower more striking, while confirming the tyre brand’s commitment to its business headquarters on Offenbach’s Market Square. For the next five years, Falken will occupy four floors of the City Tower as office premises for its 180 employees based in Offenbach.
Sumitomo Rubber North America, Inc., Sumitomo Rubber Group's American sales subsidiary continues to expand their original equipment fitments, more manufacturers worldwide are taking notice of the brand's ability to deliver an outstanding product.
For the third time in a row, Falken has secured first place in the passenger car tyre category of the bi-annual VRÖ-Awards from the Association of Tyre Specialists, Austria.
