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October 8, 2004Five Minutes With John Hampson, Performance Category Manager; BFGoodrich® Tires To Expand g-Force Sport Availability & Launch New Sizes Greenville, SC BFGoodrich® Tires is expanding the availability of its new g-Force Sport tire and will launch 14 new sizes in 2005. John Hampson, performance category manager for BFGoodrich Tires, recently outlined his plans for the tire and its impact on the market, the dealer and the brand. Q: What is the g-Force Sport tire? A: The g-Force Sport tire is an entry-level, ultra-high-performance tire developed for the sport-compact vehicle owner looking for maximum performance at an affordable price. Our goal was to offer g-Force tire performance at a price where many first-time customizers and tuners could purchase. The new tire features a cutting-edge tread design and is aimed at the younger sport-compact consumer looking for great performance and handling. Q: You launched the tire in June with limited regional availability, but are now expanding to a more national distribution strategy. Why? A: The popularity of the new g-Force Sport tire has developed beyond our initial expectations. Our sales reps continue to get questions from dealers looking for a lower-priced ultra-high performance tire. With the additional interest generated from the launch earlier this summer, we want to make sure that we are meeting our customer's needs. Quite frankly, the genesis of this product came directly from our dealers and customers looking for a lower priced ultra-high performance tire with the quality that has become one of the hallmarks of the BFGoodrich Tires brand. Q: When can dealers begin ordering the new g-Force Sport tire? A: Right away. All a dealer needs to do is to speak to their sales representative. We currently offer the tire in 21 total sizes ranging from 15-inches to 18-inches. Q: You mentioned you currently offer it in 21 sizes, do you have plans to introduce additional sizes? A: Yes. In fact, we are planning to launch an additional 14 sizes in 2005 bringing the total number of sizes of this entry-level line to 35. The new sizes will include three additional 16-inch sizes, seven 17-inch sizes and four 18-inch sizes. When we initially launched the tire in June, we specifically targeted the most popular sizes in the market. It was our intention to launch these 14 new sizes once the market grew. 
Q: How has BFGoodrich Tires been performing in the ultra-competitive, ultra-high performance tire market?
A: As everyone knows these days, the ultra-high performance market has become one of the fastest growing markets in the industry with UHP tires featuring some of the highest profits ever for dealers and featuring some of the best performing tires ever to hit the road. BFGoodrich Tires has been performing well in a very competitive marketplace that features a lot of old faces and a lot of new ones. The continued rise of low-priced imports from Asia has certainly received attention from the trade and media. From our perspective, we've built our brand and our reputation on the ability to build tires that perform to the exact specifications we promise. We use motorsports as a proving ground and have built a reputation that began with the hot rodders and customizers of the "baby boomer generation". That carries forward with today's youth, many sons and daughters of the same customizers that started out on BFGoodrich tires. One thing has stayed the same through all of it, BFGoodrich has become the tire of choice for people serious about their cars. With tires, like everything else, you get what you pay for and we're proud of the quality and performance built into our tires. Some brands are more about the "look". BFGoodrich Tires will not bring to market a tire that looks good and doesn't perform. We do not compromise and therefore will only design and build products that perform to a very stringent set of criteria and feature cutting-edge designs. Q: How does the g-Force Sport line play into your overall strategy? A: Obviously, having a tire that can offer the best dry handling in its class, be priced at a point that won't empty the consumer's wallet and that is offered in some of the most requested sizes is a plus. What's more important is the impact that it can have for a dealer. Bottom line, the addition of the g-Force Sport tire (or tire line) allows our dealers to offer g-Force performance and technology to a younger, more image and budget-conscious consumer. Q: Many times dealers will ask "who is the ideal consumer?" What is the answer to that when it comes to the g-Force Sport tire? A: I tell our dealers that the ideal consumer for this tire is anyone who walks into their store looking to upgrade the performance of their sports car or replace their worn out brand "X" tires. This tire is perfect for consumers with either import or domestic performance vehicles. For example, this tire might be the perfect fit for someone driving a Subaru WRX, a Honda Civic or even a customized Ford Mustang. I have even seen consumers asking for the tire because of its looks and they really liked the way it handled on a friend's car. BFGoodrich Tires combines technological expertise with vast motorsports experience, delivering a high-performance tire for every type of vehicle from ultra-high performance tuner vehicles, sports cars and SUVs to the hottest sport trucks, pickups and rock-crawling rigs in the world. For more than 30 years, BFGoodrich Tires has used motorsports as a proving ground. Success on the street begins with winning on the track and BFGoodrich Tires is involved in every type of racing, including oval, road, drag, desert and extreme rock-crawling. With 18 consecutive Baja 1000 wins, the most wins in rock-crawling history, and an unmatched record on pavement, BFGoodrich Tires has proven the only records it breaks are its own. Visit BFGoodrich Tires online at www.bfgoodrichtires.com. |
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