Michelin to launch the 10th Michelin Challenge Bibendum this weekend

May 28, 2010 – The 10th Michelin Challenge Bibendum will be held this year in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from Sunday, May 30 to Thursday, June 3.

Most events will take place in the Riocentro Convention and Exhibition Center, which was also the venue for the 1992 United Nations Earth Summit that led to the Agenda 21 sustainable development program for the 21st century.

The first day of the Michelin Challenge Bibendum features the start of the Rally and the technical tests. The nearly 80 vehicles that will take part are divided into three categories, each to follow its own itinerary. Cars will drive from Rio de Janeiro to Petrópolis north of the city, while trucks and buses will travel from Rio to Resende west of the city, and urban vehicles will be driven near the Riocentro. The Rally will also include acceleration, noise and handling tests to demonstrate the very low “well-to-wheel” carbon emissions for vehicles that use certain types of biofuels, such as ethanol made from sugar cane, as well as for EVs.

The official opening ceremony of the 10th Michelin Challenge Bibendum will be attended by Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, President of Brazil; Sergio Cabral, Governor of Rio de Janeiro State; Eduardo Paes, Mayor of Rio de Janeiro; and government officials from both Brazil and Argentina and from other countries.

During the five-day event, the 4,500 guests and participants will have the opportunity to talk with each other, meet international sustainable mobility experts, test some of the nearly 150 vehicles entered in the 10th Michelin Challenge Bibendum, take part in themed discussions and the Forum, visit the Technology Exhibition Center and attend press conferences. This will then be followed up by a press conference held by the three global Michelin directors, Michel Rollier, Didier Miraton and Jean-Dominique Senard.

Initiated by Michelin in 1998, the Michelin Challenge Bibendum is the world’s only event that brings together car, truck, bus and motorcycle manufacturers, academics, OEMs, energy suppliers, research institutes, government authorities, NGOs and other sustainable mobility stakeholders to discuss the issues involved in the challenges of sustainable mobility. This year, the event is being held for the first time in South America – in Brazil, a country that for more than 20 years has been committed to finding alternatives to fossil fuels.

For the 10th Michelin Challenge Bibendum, the Michelin Group will present three types of innovative products:

· Future generations of low fuel consumption tyres that also enhance safety and increase total mileage. The latest-generation tyre, the MICHELIN ENERGY™ Saver, improves a car’s energy efficiency and environmental impact, reducing fuel consumption by nearly 0.2 liters per 100 km and CO₂ emissions by almost 4 grams per km.

· The first prototype tyres for electric vehicles, which can increase vehicle operating range by nearly 10%.

· Motorized wheels and the MICHELIN Active Wheel, which help to optimize the design of electric and hybrid vehicles.

For the occasion, the Michelin Challenge Bibendum is also taking advantage of its first visit to South America to totally overhaul its website, transforming it into the sustainable road mobility portal – michelinchallengebibendum.com. In addition to providing information, the constantly evolving portal will serve as a forum where experts and the public can exchange views on topics, challenges and solutions that can help to enhance sustainable mobility. It will also provide extensive information about the 10th Michelin Challenge Bibendum.

The Michelin Challenge Bibendum: 1998-2010

1998: Clermont-Ferrand and Paris (France)

2000: Clermont-Ferrand and Paris (France)

2001: Fontana, California (US)

2002: Heidelberg - Strasbourg - Paris (Germany and France)

2003: Sonoma, California (US)

2004: Shanghai (China)

2005: Kyoto and Nagoya (Japan)

2006: Paris (France)

2007: Shanghai (China)

2010: Rio de Janeiro (Brazil)

-ends-

About Michelin (www.michelin.com)

With 109,000 employees and sales organizations in more than 170 countries, Michelin is worldwide leader of the tyre manufacturers. Dedicated to the improvement of sustainable mobility, Michelin designs, manufactures and sells tyres for every type of vehicle, including airplanes, automobiles, bicycles, earthmovers, farm equipment, heavy-duty trucks, motorcycles and the US space shuttle, on 72 production sites in 19 countries throughout five continents. The company also publishes travel guides, hotel and restaurant guides, maps and road atlases and offers electronic mobility support services, on ViaMichelin.com. Research and innovation development is being taken care of in technology centres in Europe, USA and Japan.

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