Tyres to become more expensive

The price of car tyres is set to soar in the near future, experts warned today (Fri).Business newspapers cite industry representatives and market analysts as saying that the rising price for rubber and other materials will fuel a jump in consumer prices. Experts claimed that the recovering economy and an increase in car sales will strengthen the development. They said 10 to 15 per cent price hikes were likely in the coming months.Earlier this month, statisticians said that 33,317 new cars were bought and registered in Austria in April 2011, five per cent more than in the same month of last year.Research group Imas recently found that around a third of Austrians are ready to use their cars on just five days a week to protect the environment. Other studies suggest that just 10 per cent of drivers can imagine living a car-free life.Meanwhile, the Austrian inflation has hit a new high. Prices climbed by 3.3 per cent from April 2010 to the same month of this year. This is the biggest increase since September 2008 when a 3.8 per cent jump was recorded.Especially prices for foodstuffs and mineral oil products shot up significantly last month.