STYLISH NEW TIRE CATERS TO THOSE WITH SELECTIVE TASTES
Bridgestone Potenza RE960AS Pole Position tire provides style and performance

Mississauga (Ontario), March 13, 2006 - When you purchased your sports car, you picked your way through the options – safety features, sound systems, colors, upholsteries and warranties – and ended with the perfect car for you. You have discriminating taste and want your vehicle to reflect that.

So where does that leave you for a tire? Bridgestone Firestone Canada Inc. (BFCA) and Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire, LLC (BFNT) have the answer with their totally new high performance, all-season tire, the Bridgestone® Potenza RE960AS Pole Position. This extension of the popular Potenza Pole Position family line provides the features you need with the style you crave.

"Our designers and engineers have provided consumers with the advantages of all-season capability in an ultra high performance tire," said Phil Pacsi, executive director, North American consumer tire marketing, BFNT. "For a year-round driving experience, the Potenza RE960AS Pole Position is the tire for the discerning performance enthusiast."

Features and benefits of the Bridgestone Potenza RE960AS Pole Position include:

The Ultimate Network of Intelligent Tire Technology (UNI-T®), introduced by BFNT in 1996, is a combination of technologies in materials, design and construction that works together to create advanced tires. The technologies include optimized tire contour, a new bead structure for more accurate mounting on the wheel and improved tread compounds.

In May 1998, Bridgestone announced the second generation of UNI-T Technology, UNI-T AQ^TM, which stands for "Advanced Quality." Tires with UNI-T AQ feature a dual-layer tread and an extended performance compound, providing drivers with more consistent performance as the tires age and wear.

Bridgestone continues to perfect and improve its tire technology with UNI-T AQ II, the "next generation" of UNI-T AQ Technology, which incorporates a variety of improvements to the earlier UNI-T and UNI-T AQ Technologies, giving drivers stronger wet and dry performance, both when new and throughout the life of the tire. The UNI-T AQII Technology was first introduced in 2001.

The Bridgestone Potenza RE960AS Pole Position has a UTQG rating of 400 AA A and is offered in the following sizes (as of April 2006). The size range provides coverage for a wide range of traditional performance vehicles as well as including 19" and 20" sizes for the latest sports cars and performance sedans.

About Bridgestone Firestone Canada Inc.:
Mississauga-based Bridgestone Firestone Canada Inc. (BFCA) is an affiliate of Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire, LLC (BFNT). BFCA and Nashville, Tennessee-based BFNT are subsidiaries of Bridgestone Americas Holding, Inc., whose parent company, Bridgestone Corporation, is the world's largest tire and rubber company. BFCA and BFNT develop, manufacture and market Bridgestone, Firestone and associate brand tires. They are focused on wholesale and original equipment markets, supplying passenger, light truck, commercial vehicle, off-road, motorcycle, agricultural and other tires to their customers in Canada and the United States respectively.

For a downloadable image of the tire, please visit:
http://www.bridgestoneamericas.com/news/2006/06images/bspotenzare960aspp.tif