BFS wins GM contract

TOKYO (April 9)—Bridgestone/Firestone has won a contract to provide tires for General Motors Corp. cars scheduled to be released this fall, according to Tokyo's "Nihon Keizai" newspaper. The tires will be used on GM's remodeled Saturn Ion and Chevrolet Malibu. Nashville, Tenn.-based Bridgestone/Firestone said it would provide about 2.5 million tires a year for 500,000 vehicles under the contract, and will start supplying the tires as early as this month. Nihon Keizai said BFS has increased production at its Canadian factory to meet the order. This is the firm's first order since the August 2000 recall of 6.5 million tires fitted on Ford Motor Co.'s Explorer.