Specifically designed to cope with the pressures of constant city-driving

Dubai, UAE, June 07, 2007 - Goodyear, one of the world's largest tire companies, has announced the introduction of DuraGrip, a new tire which has been specifically developed to cope with the pressures that constant stopping and starting in city traffic causes to both the vehicle and the tires. Incorporating innovative technologies used in Goodyear's test-winning tires HydraGrip, UltraGrip 7 and Excellence, DuraGrip delivers high mileage, without sacrificing on any of the performance and safety qualities associated with Goodyear.

As cities have become more and more crowded, the demand for smaller cars that facilitate affordable, safe city driving has also grown exponentially. The consumer's expectations regarding small cars have not lagged behind either. Today's city driver demands outstanding design, quality and safety from his/her city car.

Goodyear's DuraGrip has been developed specifically to cope with the hundreds of stopping and starting manoeuvres of driving in the city - in dry and wet weather conditions.

Innovative technology ensures optimal handling.

Goodyear's DuraGrip features a new silica compound that improves mileage, strengthens the tire's wet performance and provides shorter braking distances. The tire also features an asymmetrical tread pattern with closed outside design and two continuous outside ribs to facilitate improved dry handling by maximizing traction on dry surfaces . The tire's open design and circumferential grooves ensure better wet handling and aquaplaning performance. Stiff outside shoulder blocks also ensure optimal lateral stability on high speed manoeuvres, while progressive 3D-BIS blades ensure excellent handling by providing stiffness under pressure and maximum braking efficiency.

Goodyear's patented Three Dimensional Block Interlocking System (3D-BIS), well-known from successful Goodyear winter tires, significantly improves the tire's wet and dry handling performance because it allows an increased number of blades in the tire compared with traditional bladed tires. This technology equips the tire with as many biting edges as possible to provide excellent performance in aquaplaning and on wet roads while at the same time preserving the precise and dynamic handling characteristics of a high performance tire with its stiff solid tread blocks.

"Continuous driving in big cities puts very specific demands on a vehicle and its tires," stated Hans Vrijsen, Goodyear Marketing Director for Europe, Middle East and Africa. "The days of small, cheap cars with compromises on design, quality or performance are long gone. Today's city drivers demand a good-looking, reliable and safe small car to get by in the city. They want optimal performance and reliability in their vehicle, and of course tires play a crucial role in fulfilling this demand. With DuraGrip, Goodyear has developed a tire that is specifically made to provide consumers with optimal performance during city driving."

As with all Goodyear products, the DuraGrip has been extensively tested, both at the company's own testing facilities as well as on public roads and independent proving tracks, prior to its launch. Tests against competitive products show that DuraGrip performs exceptionally well in tests that measure numerous different city-driving parameters such as braking, tread-wear, aquaplaning and noise emission.

Vrijsen said: "Ultimately, the performance of a tire determines its commercial success, and we are confident that DuraGrip really offers what city drivers want: high mileage without compromising on tire performance."

-Ends-

About Goodyear
Goodyear is one of the world's largest tire companies. Headquartered in Akron, Ohio, the company manufactures tires, engineered rubber products and chemicals in more than 100 facilities in 28 countries. It has marketing operations in almost every country around the world. Goodyear employs more than 80,000 people worldwide.

Goodyear's innovations have set automotive standards for more than 100 years. Goodyear has been the pioneer of the innovative safety technology known as RunOnFlat, which allows a driver to continue on a journey with a punctured tire. Goodyear is the world's leading manufacturer of RunOnFlat tires, with applications on various BMWs, the award winning Mini, Mercedes-Benz high performance cars, Opel and other brands. Additional Goodyear RunOnFlat fitments are on the horizon, as the company's designers are working with multiple automobile manufacturers on more than 150 RunOnFlat projects. In 2006 Goodyear supplied more than two million RunOnFlat tires.

In addition to cars for family and sports performance vehicles, Goodyear supplies tires for a wide range of winter and off road applications, the latter through the renowned Wrangler family of tires.

For more information on Goodyear and its products, visit www.goodyear.com.

© Press Release 2007