IDA award for Continental UltraContact NXT

Continental’s most sustainable series tyre to date is a winner at the International Design Awards 2023. The International Design Awards (IDA) jury has awarded the Continental UltraContact NXT its Gold award in the Automotive & Transport / Cars Accessories category for its special sidewall design.

“Our design vision was to visually represent the sustainable mission of the tyre. To achieve this, we used 3D and depth effects to design a leaf as a symbol of the tyre’s forward-facing message. This is the first time we have achieved this perspective effect,” says tyre designer Stefan Rittweger.

But Continental stresses that form followed function when designing the UltraContact NXT. “The design of the tread is not only technically optimised, but also supports confidence in the product through its character,” Rittweger continues. “Design details such as the soft shape of the cross-cuts and the edges of the tread blocks support excellent abrasion behaviour, amongst other things. Design and technology are perfectly coordinated.”

An important step

With up to 65 per cent renewable, recycled and ISCC Plus mass balance-certified materials, the UltraContact NXT is Continental’s most sustainable production tyre to date, featuring a high proportion of renewable, recycled and mass balance-certified materials. Continental considers UltraContact NXT an ”important step” towards fulfilling its “ambitious sustainability goals,” which include using more than 40 percent renewable and recycled content in its tyres by 2030.

The IDA have been presented annually since 2007 to recognise, celebrate and promote exceptional design visionaries and discover up-and-coming talents in the fields of architecture, interior design, product, graphic and fashion design worldwide. The jury, consisting of leading experts in the fields of architecture, fashion, interior design, product- and graphic design, evaluates each work according to strict criteria such as innovation, aesthetics, functionality and ecological compatibility. In 2023 alone, the jury evaluated thousands of submissions from almost 80 countries.