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.”
Continental commissioned the first driverless tyre test vehicle for a wide range of road surface types at its Ulvade, Texas test track on 19 December 2018. The aim is to make the test results for Continental’s passenger and light truck tyres more conclusive and minimize the impact of the test procedure on the results. The new test vehicle is based on Continental’s automated Cruising Chauffeur, which was developed for freeways.
Continental has appointed Reinhard Klant as the new Earthmoving product line manager for Commercial Specialty Tires (CST).
General Tire unveiled a branded vehicle as part of the Autosport International show 2019 NASCAR stand in order to raise awareness of its partnership with NASCAR Whelen Euro Series.
During the CES 2019 technology show in Las Vegas, Continental is exhibiting how a driverless vehicle could be paired with a robotic delivery hound. No it’s not 1 April, but do think “deliverwoof”.
Continental Tyres has launched a Christmas message to ensure safer driving with the help of RUDOLPH – not the reindeer, but a pneumonic to help the millions of last-minute shoppers, delivery drivers, gig economy couriers, and homeward bound motorists sharing the roads at this time of year.
Continental reports that it is “further enhancing its support services to strengthen its partnership with ContiTread cold retread shops”. This development is being led by John Cox, Global Head of Technical Services Retread and will centre on the enhancement of support services.
Startup Europe Partnership (SEP), an initiative of the European Commission, has distinguished Fiege – which has developed a tyre logistics specialism during the last 10 years – as an Open Innovation Challenger. 24 corporate partners are listed in this annual ranking, including multinationals like Amazon, Dell or Google.
General Tire have teamed up with the Hudson brothers on Swim Wild – a follow-up video campaign to the award winning Wavemaker that launched earlier this year. Swim Wild documents three brothers escaping the pressures of modern life with the aim to show UK motorists that ‘Anywhere is Possible’.
In the more than two years since Continental Tyre Group acquired Bandvulc, both the Conti360° Fleet Services network and the Bandvulc Plus+ fleet services continued to run in parallel, with customers receiving services from both brands. This will now change – Continental Tyre has announced the merger of Conti360° and Bandvulc Plus+. The two operations will unite as Conti360° Fleet Services, with Bandvulc’s key partners joining Continental’s current Conti360° Fleet Services.
German tyre and automotive systems manufacturer Continental AG has reported Q3 2018 sales of 10.8 billion euros, a result just a whisker higher than the company achieved a year earlier. Adjusted EBIT amounted to 771.8 million euros, 30.1 per cent lower than last year’s result. Adjusted EBIT of 771.8 million equates to an adjusted operating margin of 7.2 per cent; the margin was 10.3 per cent in Q3 2017.
Samara Edwards Amos has become communications officer at Continental Tyre Group, and in this role will offer internal and external communications support across the UK and Ireland. She will support the company’s communications and automotive partnerships manager, Mark Griffiths, with media enquires across Continental product lines.
Continental has unveiled its latest tyre technology innovation, ContiFlexStud. The manufacturer calls this a “whole new type of stud that signifies an exciting revolution in the winter driving experience.” A completely new design, ContiFlexStud is said to deliver dramatically reduced road wear, grip on ice, longer-lasting performance over lifetime and less interior stud noise.
Dr Dirk Abendroth has been appointed chief technology officer of the Continental Automotive group that will be created when the company’s restructuring takes effect on 1 January 2019. In this role, Abendroth will assume responsibility for global research and development for autonomous driving and connected mobility, technologies that will be brought together within the group by the end of next year.
Several Tire Industry Project members have published sustainable natural rubber procurement policies of late. Yokohama and Hankook published theirs this month, and so did Continental. The company says its Sustainable Natural Rubber Sourcing Policy will guide the Rubber Group in detecting risks to workers, communities, forests, biodiversity and agricultural land, such as deforestation, corruption and land grabbing, in the early stages.
With the new EcoContact 6, Continental says it has launched a summer car tyre that “delivers substantial improvements in terms of rolling resistance, mileage, steering precision and braking distances.” The tyre has already original equipment approvals from a dozen European vehicle manufacturers for subcompact to mid-range cars, and volume production of the range for the replacement market has now begun. By next March, 112 dimensions for 13- to 22-inch rim diameters will be available.
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