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.”
To support the digitalisation of tyre solutions, production processes and business workflows at Continental Tires around the world, the company has assembled a team of IT and related specialists at a new facility in Portugal. This Solution Center is located near the Continental tyre plant in Lousado and employs around 80 people, with plans already in place to double the workforce by 2026.
Yesterday German newspaper FAZ named S8 Capital as the likely buyer of Continental’s business in Russia, including its tyre plant in Kaluga. Russian newspaper Kommersant adds further weight to the notion of a transaction involving the holding company.
Without naming its sources, German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine (FAZ) stated yesterday that Continental intends to sell its tyre factory in Kaluga, Russia to holding company S8 Capital. The publication shares that Continental is awaiting the transaction’s approval by Russian authorities. A Continental spokesperson told FAZ that the sale is at an “advanced stage.”
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz carved a tyre prototype and inspected a truck & bus tyre retreading facility during his visit to Continental’s Hannover-Stöcken site yesterday. Accompanied by Dr Ariane Reinhart and Christian Kötz, Scholz also used the event as an opportunity to talk about carbon neutrality just two days after his government enforced the deactivation of Germany’s last three CO2-free nuclear power plants.
After more than 25 years with Continental, Prof. Dr. Burkhard Wies has, in his own words, taken on “a new job”. He is still in the service of the same tyre manufacturer, but was appointed to the position of Vice President Innovation & Applied Research effective the beginning of the year.
No movement occurred on the podium of Brand Finance’s most valuable Tyre brands ranking for 2023, but while Michelin, Bridgestone and Continental respectively retain first, second and third places, Sailun appears on the radar as the fastest-growing tyre brand.
Continental has appointed Teck Seng Chew as product manager for the port operation business in Continental Specialty Tires. The new role will see Chew “drive forward the strategic development of the port operation business and act as an interface to research and development, sales, quality management and customer service”, according to a company statement.
Six well-known tyre manufacturers have teamed up to provide their customers with easier access to agricultural tyre pressure indications. Information from Apollo Tyres, Bridgestone, Continental, Michelin, Nokian Tyres and Trelleborg Wheel Systems is now available in a single app, Agro Tyre Pressure. Swiss firm Anura Associates developed the app for the tyre makers.
Drawing upon information from two anonymous sources, Russian newspaper Kommersant has named Moscow-based holding company S8 Capital as a potential purchaser of Continental’s assets in Russia, including its tyre plant in Kaluga. Kommersant shares that S8 Capital, owned by entrepreneur Armen Sargsyan, has already acquired a lift manufacturing facility in St. Petersburg from Otis Worldwide Corporation.
Bandvulc’s Ivybridge retreading plant is now a Continental LifeCycle facility. While continuing to design, engineer and manufacture Bandvulc-branded retread tyres, the site will align more closely with Continental’s existing LifeCycle plant in Stöcken, Germany. Bandvulc stresses that the plant’s new LifeCycle status won’t impact upon job security for its workforce, confirming that there are “no redundancies taking place as a result of the Continental rebranding.”
BYD, one of the biggest electric vehicle manufacturers in China and indeed the world, has awarded a global OE tyre supply contract for its Atto 3 SUV to Continental, which was launched in the UK in March. Continental will now supply 235/50 R18 101V XL EcoContact 6 Q tyres designed to offer quiet and economical performance to numerous markets around the world.
Some tyremakers say you need specialist EV tyres, some don’t. Others have tried to straddle the fence with a bit of both. Continental has consistently argued that its tyres are of sufficient quality to handle the extra weight and torque demands of electric vehicles. Now, however, the German tyremaker has gone a step further and announced that it is so confident that “all current tyres from Continental already meet the high requirements of electric cars” that in future the company’s tyres will bear a new EV-compatible logo, highlighting Continental’s comprehensive EV product strategy.
Polestar CEO, Thomas Ingenlath, tweeted a teaser video of the company’s new limited-edition 2023 model year Polestar 2 BST 270 on 16 March. Details are scant ahead of the official launch of the latest performance-oriented Polestar 2 upgrade, but something we do know about is the tyres.
The electric vehicle tyre market is evolving quickly, with manufacturers adding EV-appropriate technologies to existing ranges and in some cases launching new lines of specialist products. These products have several goals, most notably offering range-maximising fuel economy, increased resistance to wear, reducing noise, and the ability to carry heavier loads, all while demonstrating greater sustainability and continuing to offer a high level of safety performance. Naturally these characteristics require technological advancements in order to reconcile contradictory demands; for example, making lower-weight tyres that consume fewer materials while also increasing ruggedness to reduce wear and tyre emissions. With tyres specified for electric vehicles now appearing on the European aftermarket in greater numbers, the need for independent scrutiny is becoming greater, and German magazine Auto Motor und Sport has responded by comparing three of the newest EV-specified products with current flagships, fitted to comparable Kia EV and internal combustion engine (ICE) models.
In June 2022, Nokian Tyres was the first tyre manufacturer to use the terms “controlled exit” to describe its withdrawal from operations in Russia. Now, Continental has joined them, with Conti CEO Nikolai Setzer using very similar language as part of the German tyre and automotive supplier’s full-year 2022 financial results presentation.
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Christian Marx/Provil-Verlag
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