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 has begun making ContiTread pre-cure tread rubber in the USA. A new pre-cured tread manufacturing facility at the tyre maker’s Mound Vernon plant in Illinois has commenced production of the tread compound, and Continental anticipates that the facility will reach full operation by the end of the first quarter of 2018.
Consumers are increasingly likely to research their tyres online pre-purchase, regardless of whether they complete an e-commerce transaction. Peer review website Tyre Reviews has therefore become an influential destination in the car tyre market: discussing Tyre Reviews’s audience, owner, Jonathan Benson, states that 94 per cent of Tyre Reviews visitors are engaged in the tyre buying process, with its users predominantly “high earning, well educated, male automotive enthusiasts looking for the best possible product for their vehicle.” In 2017, the site delivered 25 million pageviews to tyre buyers, and claims to have influenced around “one-sixth of UK tyre sales.”
The rollout of a new Continental solid tyre range for industrial trucks began last month. This new line-up is available in four versions – SC20+, CS20+, CSEasy SC20+ and SH12+ – and all come with Continental’s new ‘Plus’ compound, which is said to combine the advantages of high mileage with low rolling resistance. Continental states it is also streamlining its solid tyre range, bringing benefits to customers with a more transparent, simplified choice of products.
A promotional video released by Continental has gained the ire of many internet users with Turkish roots. The reason for this is that Continental has, in animation, pushed Turkey into the sea.
Continental tyres have long served as the point of contact between vehicle and road, and now horse riders can equip their preferred mode of transport with Continental ‘footwear’. Continental has collaborated with German firm turfcord GmbH to produce an alternative to the traditional horseshoe. This innovation has already gained its first award, an ‘Innovation Pferd’ award at the ‘Pferd & Jagd’ equestrian, hunter and angler show in Germany.
As part of a new, multi-year partnership with US-based rallycross series Red Bull Global Rallycross (GRC), Continental is developing its very first rallycross tyres. The partnership between GRC and Continental Tire the Americas gets under way in 2018 and will see Continental serve as exclusive tyre provider for competitors in the Supercars, GRC Lites and Polaris RZR categories of the GRC, was well as to the e-GRC electric series that is scheduled to debut in 2019. Continental replaces BFGoodrich as official GRC tyre supplier.
On Saturday, Eduard Nikolaev’s crew from the KAMAZ-Master team crossed the Dakar Rally 2018 finish line in Cordoba, Argentina to take first place in the event’s truck category. The crew finished nearly four hours ahead of the nearest competition, having completed the rally’s 14 stages in 54 hours, 57 minutes and 37 seconds. Although KAMAZ-Master failed to replicate the one-two finish it secured in the truck category last year, it ended proceedings in the 40th anniversary event with another win for Nikolaev and a third-place finish for Airat Mardeev and his Kamaz-Master crew.
Continental’s return to the agricultural tyre segment stems from an internal project undertaken in 2012 that sought out possibilities for extending the CST business. Thorsten Bublitz shares that the outcome of this project was a “clear recommendation to go back to ag,” and this decision was taken the following year. Specific development began in 2014 with the involvement of material developers and the writing of requirement books for particular developments. The search for a suitable production site also commenced.
It really isn’t a long time since Continental committed itself to return to the agricultural tyre segment. Within the space of four years, the company has developed the first products for its new portfolio, chosen and equipped a production site and recruited a team to further develop, sell and service the new range. The first Continental-made and branded agricultural tyres to see the light of day since 2004, the Tractor70 and Tractor85, publicly debuted at the Agritechnica show last November and are now available in the UK and European markets. Tyres & Accessories spoke with two founding members of the Continental agricultural team about the new products and the tyre maker’s agri market re-entry.
The Continental range of wheel loader and dump truck radials has been rounded out by the introduction of two more E4/L4 dimensions into its EM-Master line. The addition of these size 23.5R25 and 26.5R25 tyres give Continental a total of 13 loader and dump truck tyre sizes within its three tyre lines.
We may see a breakup of Continental AG commencing before the end of this year. German business publication Manager Magazin writes that Wolfgang Reitzle, chairman of the tyre maker and automotive technology company’s Supervisory Board, foresees the first subsidiary to emerge from this breakup being listed on the stock exchange some time in 2018. He sees this as being the direction Continental will clearly take, even though to-date neither the Supervisory Board nor the Executive Board has decided upon a concrete course of action.
Hoosier Racing Tire Corp. co-founder Joyce Newton, the matriarch of the company, has passed away at the age of 85. “The thoughts and prayers of Hoosier Tire employees and Distributors are with Joyce’s family,” the company said in a statement.
JP Morgan has allegedly been hired to advise tyre maker and automotive technology company Continental on a possible break-up. Reuters reported yesterday that “three people familiar with the discussions” have indicated that the investment bank has been given this role, however neither Continental nor JP Morgan have commented on the bank’s involvement.
Continental has announced it plans to acquire a 5 per cent stake in digital mapping and location services provider Here Technologies.
Preliminary key data for the 2017 fiscal year published this week shows annual sales at Continental AG to have met estimates announced in November. The tyre maker and automotive technology company reports sales of “around 44 billion euros,” while the adjusted EBIT margin for the year is approximately 10.8 per cent. Continental views its annual targets as being “exceeded”.
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