Hannover-based Continental AG is a leading automotive supplier and – according to the company – is “the choice of leading car manufacturers, offering award-winning tyres that deliver responsive braking in all weather conditions.”
Only last week Continental announced plans to run a joint venture operation with Korea’s SK Innovation to develop, manufacture and market lithium ion batteries systems for electric vehicles; now the German company has released a few figures outlining why it sees so much potential in the electric vehicle market. As long as the price is right.
Continental has added two larger models to its range of premium commercial vehicle tyres with the introduction of new, larger steer and trailer products for volume-optimised transport operators. The HSR2 XL for front steer axle is designed for higher load capacities, while the second is the HTR2 trailer tyre in 55 cross-section for use on high volume vehicles.
Bridgestone Europe is to roll out a new round of price increases for retread materials across Europe during the first quarter of 2012. Starting on 1 March and varying from country to country, price increases will average 10 per cent for Bridgestone and Bandag pre-cure tread products and 8 per cent for Bandag cushion gum products.
AGCO has awarded its highest supplier rating to Mitas for deliveries of farm tyres from January to December 2011. The Mitas-produced brand Continental is a standard fitment in four out of six AGCO’s model series – for example Fendt 924-930 Vario. According to the company, AGCO evaluates its suppliers’ quality, logistics, customer service and protection of the environment, in all of which Mitas received the highest grade. Mitas has received the overall A award annually since acquiring production of Continental farm tyres in 2004.
Off-road tyre specialist, Mitas Tyres Limited – the UK distributor of Mitas tyres manufactured in Eastern Europe – has announced that it will give away copies of its new Tyre Pressure Management Guide as well as exhibiting examples from its three new tyre ranges at LAMMA 2012. The Mitas Tyre Pressure Guide highlights three steps to achieve optimal tyre pressures in the field and on the road. Mitas says the publication will help farmers to achieve significant financial savings by reducing fuel costs and wear-and-tear, whilst also improving performance.
During a press conference at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit, Michelin North America’s recently appointed chairman and president Pete Selleck introduced the tyre maker’s latest product for a North America still feeling the effect of what some have dubbed the “Great Recession”. Called the Defender, the new passenger car range has been described by Selleck as a “product that meets the demands of Americans who are enduring difficult economic times and are insisting on top value for their money in a way not seen for decades.”
We are told that we are living in an age of austerity and belt-tightening, but this has not stopped Rolls-Royce Motor Cars announcing that 2011 was a record year for sales of the luxury marque. 3,538 cars were sold globally during the year, a 31per cent increase on the 2010 total of 2,711 cars. The figure represents the best sales result in the company's 107-year history; the previous record of 3,347 cars having been set in 1978 during the Silver Shadow II era.
Continental Corporation and Korean company SK Innovation have announced they will jointly develop, manufacture and market lithium ion batteries systems for electric vehicles. The two companies have signed an agreement to set up a joint venture for this purpose, with SK Innovation and Continental holding 51 and 49 per cent ownership respectively.
Continental has responded to the Which? magazine winter tyre test published in December, saying the “best buy” rating the ContiWinterContact TS830 and TS800 were awarded was a “real honour”. The test was the first time the consumer advice magazine has recognised the increased awareness of the product in the UK, with many premium brands putting extra effort into the promotion of seasonal tyre changes. The test encompassed 69 tyres across six of the most popular sizes on the market, with Conti tyres given “best buy status in four sizes.
At Continental Tire the Americas’ annual truck dealer meeting, company executive vice-president Paul Williams announced plans for a ‘multi-million dollar’ investment in the ContiLifeCycle tread rubber plant in central Mexico. This investment will double plant space to more than 4,000 square metres and include the addition of extra curing and finishing lines.
Continental AG’s management is confident enough that its fourth quarter revenue will beat the third quarter to tell analyst of the upgrade. According to Morgan Stanley, this implies a slight upgrade to consensus numbers which following 7.7 billion euros for the third quarter currently stand at 7.6 billion for the final quarter of the year.
Consumer advice magazine Which? has completed an extensive winter tyre test in the Alps, taking into account six sizes. Each tyre was given a percentage score and ranked accordingly in its size division. In addition, the magazine presented a star rating out of five in each category it tested, namely: dry braking, dry handling, wet braking, wet handling, braking on snow, traction on snow, cornering on snow, braking on ice, cornering on ice, fuel economy, noise and wear. The full list of Which? magazine’s “best buys” – and the winter tyres it suggests its readers to avoid – is presented below.
According to Continental, an estimated 2.8 million electric vehicles will be registered worldwide and on the road by 2020. To cater to this currently small yet fast-growing market, the tyre maker has introduced the Conti.eContact, a new range featuring dimensions specifically aimed at electric vehicles.
Continental has named the new executive vice-president for its replacement passenger and light truck tyres Asia Pacific business unit. Antonio Lopes de Seabra, formerly in charge of Continental Mabor in Portugal, takes over from Andreas Esser in the role and reports directly to Nikolai Setzer. Esser has taken over responsibility for Conti’s commercial vehicle tyres business unit, effective 1 January.
Continental Tyre Group Ltd has named Phil Scanlan as its new passenger sales director. Scanlan takes over from Angus Smith who left the company after 10 years in the position to become commercial director with Micheldever Tyre Services at the end of 2011. Scanlan has been with Continental for over 25 years in varied positions such as regional sales manager, national accounts sales manager, car fleet sales manager, and European key account manager. Based at the German tyre manufacturer's UK head office in West Drayton, he will have overall responsibility for profitable sales and account management of independent, regional, national and wholesale accounts in the UK and ROI.
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