Dunlop Tires Showcase Performance at Charlotte Event

CHARLOTTE, N.C., April 21 -- While prospective Dunlop "treadheads" line up for a chance to win free tires, and booming hip-hop music shakes the walls of Charlotte's Merchandise Mart on Saturday, Dunlop and Saturn will push the limits of performance outdoors.

General Motors' Supercharged Test Drives - featuring the 205-horsepower 2005 Saturn Ion Red Line sports coupe on SP Sport 9000 ultra-performance tires - is making its own noise at Hot Import Nights, the nation's "largest, loudest and most outrageous" car show. The free test drive runs from 4 p.m. to midnight.

"Imagine someone throwing a set of keys to you and telling you to have fun with their sports car," said Andy Traicoff, director of the Dunlop brand in North America. "Where else can automotive enthusiasts experience the thrill of maximum test track handling in an Ion Red Line on Dunlop ultra-performance tires than at Hot Import Nights?"

Dunlop SP Sport 9000 215/45ZR17 tires are standard equipment on the supercharged Ion Red Line. The GM test drive is for licensed drivers 18 years and older.

The Saturn test track experience - outlined by Saturn and Dunlop banners - also will appear outside Hot Import Night sites in Washington, D.C., June 25, 4 p.m.-midnight; San Diego, July 23, 11 a.m.-7 p.m.; Dallas, Aug. 6, 4 p.m.- midnight; and Cleveland, Aug. 27, 4 p.m.-midnight.

Dunlop is a global tire brand with an excellent reputation among performance car enthusiasts. Well known for its prestigious original- equipment fitments and sports car racing heritage, Dunlop is also a key supplier to sport compact enthusiasts featuring "tuner" tire sizes and race series sponsorships.

For more on Dunlop, go to http://www.dunloptires.com/ .