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 presented its fifth-generation Conti Eco tyre line for freight transportation, promising to cut costs for hauliers while significantly reducing fuel consumption and CO2 emissions in both regional and long-distance operations. With the new generation of the Conti Eco, Continental says its development experts were able to resolve the conflicting goals of optimised rolling resistance and high mileage.
At the end of January, the European Commission (EC) announced that it is had begun conducting “unannounced inspections” – commonly known as dawn raids – at the European offices of the world’s leading tyremakers. The investigation intends to find out whether or not “the inspected companies may have violated EU antitrust rules that prohibit cartels and restrictive business practices”. In the days immediately after that news broke, it quickly became apparent that (in alphabetical order) Bridgestone, Continental, Goodyear, Michelin, Nokian and Pirelli all received those visits. All the above companies issued statements denying the allegations and confirming that they are cooperation with the authorities. The EC’s announcement was short on detail and the investigated tyremakers are being understandably tight-lipped about the whole thing, which leaves significant questions about what the grounds for such an investigation were in the first place.
Initiating detailed coverage of European tyre manufacturers, analysts at Jefferies Equities Research fated Pirelli as their top pick, followed by Continental and Michelin. “Continental is trading on the largest discount to Michelin in years and the ex-tyres business is at the lowest multiple (2x EBIT) in three years. Pirelli is at a two per cent discount to Michelin versus a premium for >90 per cent of the last three years.
Continental has been at the core of Fuller Tyres’ provision ever since it won its first contract 14 years ago. Initially supplying Continental car tyres into rental fleets at London’s Heathrow and Gatwick airports, Fuller Tyres rapidly grew its operations. Today, the tyre supply and fitment business is arguably one of the South East’s largest. Operating from sites in Guildford and Southampton, the company boasts thousands of satisfied customers from a wide array of automotive sectors.
Continental has acquired EMT s.r.o., a mould manufacturing specialist based in Puchov, Slovakia. The tyre maker and automotive technology company obtained all shares in its long-standing supplier on 2 April 2024 after entering into an agreement with EMT’s shareholders, including majority shareholder Dynamic Design Europe. Beyond confirming the retention of all 107 EMT employees, Continental has not disclosed details of the agreement.
UK tyre safety charity TyreSafe found that almost 18 per cent of van tyres were replaced with less than the legal minimum 1.6mm of tread depth in the 2023 Tread Depth Survey. Recognising the importance of vans as a critical asset to many business operations, tyre supplier Continental Tyres describes itself as a “passionate advocate for tyre safety” with “a longstanding legacy of helping to educate owners and operators about responsible tyre maintenance.” General manager – technical services, Steve Howat has answered a series of frequently asked questions to address important tyre maintenance topics amongst LCV operators.
Continental has become the preferred tyre supplier of Maritime Transport, the UK’s leading provider of integrated, low-carbon road and rail freight logistics. The intermodal transport operator is running its machinery on Conti’s speciality OTR tyres at its rail and freight terminals around the country. The relationship between the companies is owned by Conti’s strategic service and distribution partner, T&C Site Services, and Conti says the account benefits from the direct input of both supplier and producer. The tyre supplier stresses the importance of a high level of collaboration and co-operation, as well as the products and services offered.
As part of measures outlined in February, on 26 March 2024 Continental announced the planned closure of its Wetzlar and Schwalbach sites in Germany. Both belong to the company’s non-tyre Automotive group sector.
Through the implementation of 160 energy-saving projects, Continental Tires reduced its annual energy requirements by around 150 gigawatt hours in 2023. This energy saving could power some 12,500 family homes for a year.
Continental has broadened the ContiRoad sport touring tyre range with sizes bikes between 125cc and 300cc, and will introduce five new dimensions by the end of Q2 2024. The newcomers are 17-inch front tyres in sizes 100/80 and 110/70, and as 17-inch rear tyres in three sizes: 130/70 and 140 /70 and 150/60.
After subjecting its Hyundai i20 N loan car to all manner of testing, the Sportauto team have finally turned their attention to the tyres. As a crowning finale to its activities with this pocket rocket, the German performance car magazine fitted five brands of size 215/40R18 summer tyre to evaluate how each product influences the Hyundai’s performance and safety characteristics. For good measure, the test team also worked with an all-season tyre, but did not include it in the final results.
Who likes tyre tests? Continental does, and with good reason. Continental products have won seven of the nine European passenger vehicle tyre tests that we’ve encountered in recent weeks and achieved a none too shabby second place in the eighth. As for the ninth test, no Continental tyre took part, giving other brands a chance to get acquainted with the podium.
Tyres are much of a muchness these days, at least to look at. Auto Bild Sportscars laments that tyre brands are no longer easily identifiable by their tread patterns, as the diversity of former times has been replaced by a “yawning boredom in the uniformity of unimaginatively cut longitudinal groove patterns.” But an absence of aesthetic outliers doesn’t mean all tyres offer the same levels of performance or safety.
Bandvulc has widened the range of its fifth-generation BD5 ultra-high mileage drive tyre. Launched at the inaugural 2022 Road Transport Expo, replacing the BD08 in the Fleetmaster range, the BD5 will now also be available as a 315/80 tyre from March.
Autozeitung recently conducted its summer tyre test for 2024, joining the ranks of evaluations by Auto Bild as well as European motoring clubs ADAC, ÖAMTC and TCS. The German motoring publication looked at nine brands of 225/45 R17 94W/Y XL tyres, mounting them on a BMW 1-Series and subjecting all to a range of tests in wet and dry conditions.
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