MAY 23, 2001

Bridgestone Firestone and Ford end relationship

BRIDGESTONE FIRESTONE has announced that it will stop supplying tires to the Ford Motor Company, ending a relationship which dates back 100 years. The Japanese tire company decided to end the relationship because of the problems between the two companies resulting from a series of tire blowouts for Firestone tires on Ford Explorer vehicles which has resulted in a series of lawsuits.

The announcement is a blow for both companies as Bridgestone is sacrificing an enormous amount of income and Ford now needs to look elsewhere for tires. The one company expected to gain from this is Goodyear which is likely to get the deal. Goodyear shares rocketed after the announcement which is good news for the firm which has been struggling with poor results in recent months. The boost to Goodyear may help convince Goodyear that it is a good time to return to Formula 1...

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