2019.October.16

YOKOHAMA to Exhibit at 46th Tokyo Motor Show 2019

Tokyo - The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd., announced today that it will participate in the 46th Tokyo Motor Show 2019, to be held at Tokyo Big Sight in Koto-ku, Tokyo, from October 23 through November 4 (open to the general public from October 25). This year’s YOKOHAMA booth will introduce visitors to the company’s excellent technology development capabilities. The booth will feature a future technologies corner that will provide a glimpse into the many changes that are expected to shape the future automobile society as well as a corner where visitors can learn about currently applied advanced technologies through hands-on experiences.

The future technologies corner will introduce YOKOHAMA technologies compatible with the CASE* technology that is expected to see rapid application as well as environmental technologies that will help realize a sustainable society. Three CASE-compatible technologies will be introduced—the YOKOHAMA Intelligent Tire Concept, a tire IoT technology; the Self-Seal Concept Tire, a technology that will sustain tire rotation in self-driven, unmanned vehicles; and the Silent Foam Hook-and-Loop Fastener Concept Tire, a tire noise reduction technology for next-generation vehicles. The environmental technologies to be displayed will include the Ultra Lightweight Concept Tire, which applies a technology that significantly reduces tire weight; a technology that enables the production of synthetic rubber from biomass; and a recyclable thermoreversible rubber.
* An acronym for Connected, Autonomous, Shared & Services (short for car sharing and related services, or in some cases sharing only), and Electric (for e-cars).

The existing advanced technology experience corner will introduce the Matrix Body Ply used in the ADVAN Sport V105, YOKOHAMA’s global flagship tire. Visitors will learn about the difference in rigidity of different carcass structures and feel the difference themselves by touching models at the hands-on display. The corner will also introduce visitors to YOKOHAMA’s wet grip technology and the world’s first 344 size tire (as of September 2019) to receive the Japan tire-labeling system’s ultimate “a” ranking for wet grip performance. This display too will have a hands-on experience corner where visitors can compare the difference in tires’ grip on wet surfaces.

Yokohama Rubber plans to hold an on-site press conference (South Hall 4, S4304) from 9:30 a.m. on October 24 to announce and explain its new technologies.

*Click photo to download high-resolution image for printing.

Overview of New Technologies being Unveiled for First Time

(please check for more details at the YOKOHAMA booth after Tokyo Motor Show begins)

YOKOHAMA Intelligent Tire Concept

The YOKOHAMA Intelligent Tire Concept is a tire IoT technology that transmits data acquired from sensors attached to the tires to the cloud, thus linking the tires with other vehicle systems, driver communication terminals, road service companies, Yokohama tire outlets, etc.

Self-Seal Concept Tire

Because ride-sharing and self-driven vehicles make it difficult or inconvenient to stop and change a flat tire, there is an increasing need for tires that have been punctured to continue running a certain distance without stopping the vehicle and changing the tire. YOKOHAMA’s new Self-Seal Concept Tire technology places a gel-like sealant inside the tire that closes punctures caused by nails and other sharp objects and thus suppresses air leakage. The Tokyo Motor Show booth will also introduce YOKOHAMA’s ZPS (Zero Pressure System) tire which is already on the market. 　　

Silent Foam Hook-and-Loop Fastener Concept Tire

Reduction of in-vehicle noise is one of the development themes for next-generation vehicles, such as quiet-running electric cars. A new technology that reduces the resonance noise inside the tire by attaching a sound absorbing material that also enables the use of puncture repair agents that are difficult to use with direct mounting technology and the retrofitting of sound absorbing material.
In the future, it will be possible to use this fastener to attach various other functional parts inside the tire.
* This hook-and-loop fastener was jointly developed with Kuraray Fastening Co., Ltd.

Ultra Lightweight Concept Tire

To reduce the consumption of natural resources used in tire manufacturing and to improve vehicle fuel efficiency, Yokohama Rubber modified the technology used in its BluEarth-air EF21 lightweight, fuel-efficient tires (released in 2017). In this new Ultra Lightweight Concept Tire technology, Yokohama Rubber aims to increase tire weight reduction from the about 25% reduction achieved in the BluEarth-air EF21 to nearly 50%.
The YOKOHAMA booth will also introduce a tire aerodynamics technology that helps reduce vehicle rolling resistance by analyzing the air resistance to which the tires and vehicle are exposed.