Hennessey Unveils Apex Track-Focused Venom F5 ‘Revolution’ Hypercar
Hennessey has unveiled a new, lighter-weight, track-focused version of the Hennessey Venom F5 that has been comprehensively re-engineered for increased agility, better handling and high downforce. According to Hennessey, the new Venom F5 Revolution Coupe is the most powerful and visceral pure-combustion hypercar in the world.
The Venom F5 Revolution Coupe is based on the Hennessey Venom F5 Coupe, but with comprehensively reworked aerodynamics, suspension, engine cooling and digital telemetry. The engineering team also focused on reducing mass. Due to a systematic focus on weight reduction, the race-honed model tips the scales below 3,000 lbs.—the lightest Venom F5 model.
Mirroring all other Venom F5 models, mid-mounted in the carbon-fiber monocoque chassis is Hennessey’s twin-turbocharged, 6.6L, ‘Fury’ V8 engine rated at 1,817 bhp. Power is sent to the rear wheels through an automated single-clutch gearbox calibrated for competitive use. Carbon-ceramic brakes are fitted as standard and feature muti-piston calipers.
The double-wishbone suspension, with more aggressive alignment settings, is fitted with adjustable dampers that may be calibrated trackside, thus optimizing the suspension system for the particular road course, racing circuit or track. In addition, new forged alloy wheels present a larger contact patch for improved cornering grip and enhanced braking.
The new Venom F5 Revolution Coupe will make its global debut at the Miami Motorcar Cavalcade Concours d’Elegance on January 15.
Meyer Distributing Announces Waterbury, Connecticut, Location
Meyer Distributing Inc. has announced the addition of its Waterbury, Connecticut, crossdock. The crossdock will have a direct feed from Meyer’s Pennsylvania distribution hubs, which house one of the largest inventories of automotive accessories and RV parts in the region.
“We are focused on improving service in the Northeast this year,” said Jeff Braun, CEO of Meyer Distributing. “We will be adding several locations, adding more truck routes and hiring more drivers to better service increasing demand. Our recent Albany, New York, expansion has helped improve delivery times and consistency as well as frequency. The same will be the case for our CT customers with this expansion.”
RNR Tire Express Announces Three-Unit Franchise Signing for Chicago
RNR Tire Express (RNR) has announced finalization of a new multi-unit deal for three franchise locations in Chicago. The first location is anticipated to arrive in Melrose Park this fall, with the second and third expected in Waukegan and Aurora, respectively. Site selection is still underway for the remaining three franchise locations.
“Our brands’ entrance into Chicago has been a long time coming,” said Larry Sutton, founder and CEO of RNR Tire Express. “The agreement is a perfect representation of the commitment our team has to serving as many communities and families across the country as possible. Something you can expect to see a lot more of from the RNR brand in the year ahead.”
Yokohama Tire Announces Organizational Changes
Yokohama Tire Corp. (YTC) has announced three organizational changes within the company. The changes, effective now, include Fardad Niknam, who has been promoted from senior director of consumer product planning and product marketing to vice president of OE sales. Niknam joined YTC in 2014 and has had responsibility for product marketing, including product planning and motorsports for the last five years. According to Jeff Barna, YTC president and CEO, Niknam “will be responsible for guiding OE sales in the United States and establishing forward-looking strategies that are linked to YTC’s overall business goals in his new role.”
Ray Polentz has been promoted from senior director of supply chain and logistics to vice president of supply chain and logistics. “Ray has led this team for the past year under unprecedented circumstances and never before seen challenges as the global supply chain continues its march toward recovery in a post-pandemic world,” said Barna.
Pavan Desaneni has been promoted from vice president of information technology to chief information officer. “Pavan has led our digital transformation efforts and will continue to do so as information technology and the related systems become increasingly important to our business,” said Barna.
LIQUI MOLY Mourns Loss of Press Spokesperson Dr. Peter Szarafinski
LIQUI MOLY’s Head of Media Relations International Dr. Peter Szarafinski, 47, has passed away.
“The terrible news reached us just before Christmas Eve. Unfathomable—the great loss of a valued and extremely popular colleague,” said Managing Director Günter Hiermaier.
At the beginning of 2010, Szarafinski took up the newly created position of head of media relations international at LIQUI MOLY headquarters in Ulm.
“During the past 13 years, Dr. Peter Szarafinski had greatly developed and advanced the public-relations work in our foreign markets,” said Hiermaier. "With his knowledge, dedication and high work ethic, he has played a decisive role in the positive impact of our company. His sudden death is also such a huge loss because he was such a likable and popular colleague.”
After graduating from high school in Füssen, Peter Szarafinski did an internship at Allgäuer Zeitung and worked there as an editor before deciding to study journalism and history at the Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt. He then took up a position in corporate communications at the Beiersdorf Group. Parallel to his work at LIQUI MOLY, he completed his doctorate with the historical research book “Rüstung und politisches System” (Armaments and Political System). In addition to his interest in history, he was also an enthusiastic sailing and paragliding pilot. In 2016, he flew from the Allgäu region to the North Cape of Norway and back again with a friend from the Füssen air sports club.
Ford Joins Virtual Power Plant Partnership as Founding Member to Support Grid Resiliency and Emissions Reductions
Ford has announced the formation of the Virtual Power Plant Partnership (VP3), a coalition led by the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) aimed to scale the market for virtual power plants to help advance affordable, reliable electric sector decarbonization and support grid resiliency.
VP3 includes founding members Ford, General Motors, Google Nest, OhmConnect, Olivine, SPAN, SunPower, Sunrun, SwitchDin and Virtual Peaker.
“Electric vehicles are introducing entirely new opportunities for consumers and businesses alike, creating a greater need for sustainable energy solutions to responsibly power our connected lifestyles,” said Bill Crider, head of global charging and energy services, Ford Motor Co. ”Supporting grid stability through the introduction of technologies like Intelligent Backup Power is central to Ford's strategy, and collaborating to advance virtual power plants will be another important step to ensure a smooth transition to an EV lifestyle.”
The full press release from RMI can be found here.
Hankook Tire Announces Executive Promotions for North America Team
Hankook Tire has announced executive promotions at its North American headquarters in Nashville, Tennessee. Rob Williams has been named president of Hankook Tire America Corp. Additionally, Jong Jin (JJ) Park has been promoted to vice president of USA PC/LT sales. Intae (Ted) Choi has been promoted to vice president of North American marketing strategy and Byoungjoe (Joe) Park has been named vice president of corporate management.
Williams has overall responsibility for Hankook Tire America Corp. as president, overseeing the United States and Canada regions. He will lead four departments and direct teams, including the Tennessee Plant and TBR sales department—a role he’s held since joining Hankook in January 2019. In June 2022, Williams was appointed senior vice president of commercial and consumer sales for Hankook Tire America, adding leadership in consumer products to his existing oversight of commercial replacement and OE product sales and related services. Williams brings more than three decades of tire industry experience and has a proven track record of success in sales and operations executive leadership positions, strategic planning and optimizing profitability.
Park will serve as vice president of USA PC/LT sales, overseeing sales innovation, corporate sales, as well as the North, South and West regional USA PC/LT sales teams. Previously, he served as vice president of marketing and U.S. sales innovation director for Hankook Tire America. Park joined Hankook Tire in 2004 and has experience across the American and United Kingdom regions.
Choi steps into the vice president of marketing role, responsible for marketing strategy, TBR marketing, technical services, Canada sales, as well as supply chain and logistics operations. He also will continue his role as vice president of Tennessee plant management support. Choi has previously held executive positions with Hankook, including vice president of its Australia subsidiary, vice president of GAIA project and corporate strategy and innovation team manager.
Park was promoted to vice president of the North America corporate management team overseeing finance, accounting, tax and internal audit functions for Hankook Tire America Corp. as well as for Hankook Tire’s Canadian subsidiary. Most recently, he served as Tennessee plant corporate management team manager. He also held leadership positions at Hankook's global headquarters on its internal audit and accounting teams.
AAM Group, Engine Parts Group Finalize Agreement
The AAM Group has finalized an agreement with Engine Parts Group (EPGI). As part of the agreement, AAM may now assume operations and management responsibilities for the Engine Pro marketing program, along with operational oversight for the Engine Parts Group corporation. AAM Group’s Tim Odom and EPGI’s Jesse Jones signed the contract in the EPGI booth at the 2022 PRI Trade Show. For more information, visit theaamgroup.com and enginepro.com.
EGR USA Introduces Newly Designed, User-Friendly Website
EGR USA has rolled out a newly designed, user-friendly website that allows consumers and dealers to research products by make, model and year. The site has many new products featured, including the manual and electric EGR RollTrac tonneau cover and the new Baseline Fender Flares introduced in late 2022. The new website offers navigation by product line or by vehicle year, make and model and allows users to search for all products EGR makes for each vehicle.
Developed to assist in direct-to-consumer sales and to provide more complete and accurate asset information including images, videos, product details and warranty, the site now allows consumers and dealers to quickly access product information while providing upgraded visuals and details to assist the purchase decision. New to the site also is a “Find a Dealer” section that informs users of local dealers, online retailers and warehouse distributors. There is also a link on the dealer locator page to request information about becoming an EGR dealer.
Additional changes are planned for the website in the first quarter of 2023, including a new video section that will house how-to and product introduction videos, event videos, promotional videos and company background videos. A news media section is also planned to host press releases and other media assets for easy download.
K&N Engineering Enters Restructuring Agreement
K&N Engineering has announced a new agreement to strengthen its financial position and reduce debt by approximately $250 million. K&N Engineering has entered into a Restructuring Support Agreement (RSA) with 100% of its lenders. Upon consummation of the transaction, K&N’s debt will be reduced by approximately $250 million and participating lenders will inject $60 million of cash into the business. K&N expects to complete the transaction in the first quarter of 2023. The recapitalization will provide K&N with increased financial flexibility to execute its growth strategies and continue investing in the industry-leading automotive, industrial and residential HVAC filtration technology that it provides to its customers worldwide, a company release stated.
In related news, K&N is mourning its co-founder Ken Johnson, who passed away in December at the age of 91.
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