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.”
Following the signing of a multi-year agreement, Continental is now ‘official tyre’ of the USA’s largest football association, the American Youth Soccer Organization (AYSO). The tyre maker has also become the presenting sponsor of ‘Safe Haven’, a child and volunteer safety programme that is compulsory for every registered AYSO coach, referee, administrator and volunteer helper.
In addition to its product offering, Continental sees its Continental Industrial Network as key to success in the sectory. Continental Industrial Network consists of professional industrial tyre specialists across the UK and Ireland, offering a “class leading service” for customers. Providing forklift and industrial vehicle users with greater flexibility and choice, the Continental Industrial Network […]
As a leading wholesale supplier of specialist industrial tyres to the UK materials handling sector, Kings Road Tyres (KRT) reports that it has developed a strategy of working with high quality manufacturing partners that deliver the products and technical expertise to allow KRT to service customers effectively.
The team at Auto Express recently headed to Texas to evaluate 11 European market tyres at Continental’s Uvalde proving ground. The size 225/45R17 tyres were tested against ten criteria that covered wet and dry performance, rolling resistance and comfort. The result? Continental’s ContiSportContact 5 was voted King of the Hill in the Lone Star State.
In May 2011, Continental acquired a 49.9 per cent in French tyre chain Alençon Pneus; the company has now exercised its option to purchase the remaining share, and has become the 100 per cent owner of Alençon Pneus.
For a number of years, Continental’s Tire division has collaborated with the Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology (IME) in Münster, Germany and the University of Münster’s Institute for Plant Biology and Biotechnology (IBBP) to develop rubber from dandelions that is suitable for series tyre production. The scientists heading the ‘Rubin – Industrial Emergence of Natural Rubber from Dandelion’ project have now been awarded the Joseph von Fraunhofer Prize for their research into Russian dandelion and the development of prototype passenger car tyres that used dandelion-derived rubber. The award was presented yesterday in Wiesbaden, Germany, to IME’s Professor Dr Dirk Prüfer, IBBP’s Dr Christian Schulze Gronover and Continental’s Dr Carla Recker.
German tyre maker Continental has shared its view on the comparative test of ten budget SUV tyres conducted by Auto Bild Allrad magazine. The tyre maker sees the test – which used its ContiCrossContact UHP as a reference tyre – as confirmation of its product’s clear superiority. In a press release, Continental comments: “None of the tested models matched the Continental tyre, which was utilised as reference tyre, in safety-relevant performance. Once again, the Far Eastern products possessed significant weaknesses.”
In late April Continental concluded an investment agreement with the Hefei provincial and local governments in China, and has now unveiled plans to significantly expand its passenger car tyre factory there. Annual production capacity will rise from the current level of 5 million tyres per year to 14 million by 2019. In addition, bicycle tyre production in Hefei will be boosted from around 2 million units per annum to 13 million pieces by 2025.
The Dunlop Sport BluResponse, and the ContiWinterContact TS850 have been named winners in the latest Auto Express Product Awards. Detailed in the latest June Special of the UK’s best-selling motoring weekly, product experts Henry Willis and Kim Adams wrote that its summer tyre winner – the Sport BluResponse – “has clearly been designed with EU tyre labels in mind [with highly rated fuel efficiency and wet grip characteristics]… Yet Dunlop engineers haven’t ignored other performance attributes,” with the tyre achieving “six top-three places” in Auto Express’ nine testing categories. The winter tyre winner – the ContiWinterContact TS850 – was lauded for its all-round ability, having been bested by competitors in snow track testing. Conti’s tyre was rated highly for achieving highly in the “conflicting demands” of wet grip and braking, and low rolling resistance.
Continental AG, a major supplier to truck maker MAN, reports that it is strengthening its long-standing partnership with the truck and bus manufacturer further. Continental’s Conti EcoPlus tyres, part of its Generation 3 truck tyre range, are standard fitment on the MAN TGX EfficientLine 2 long-haul vehicle. In addition MAN has added Conti Hybrid, as well as all standard sizes of the Conti Scandinavia truck tyre range, to its original fitment portfolio.
At the start of 2015 we examined the wider car tyre segment as part of Tyres & Accessories February’s “Passenger Car Tyre” feature. In short, we examined the spectrum of figures offered for the size of UK demand and found that most sources settle between 31 and 38 million units a year. Interestingly, some of the latest data points to the market being at the higher end of the spectrum – something that has not been very widely or openly acknowledged in the past.
The market launch for the latest-generation Škoda Superb is imminent, and Continental reports that two of its tyre models have been selected as original equipment on the luxury saloon. The ContiEcoContact 5 and ContiPremiumContact 5 have both been approved for fitment on the Škoda flagship. Effective immediately, size 215/55 R 17 V versions of the two tyre lines will be shipped to Škoda’s plant in Kvasiny, Czech Republic.
Continental’s original equipment supply to truck manufacturer MAN has grown with the announcement that the MAN TGX EfficientLine 2 long-haul vehicle will be fitted with Conti EcoPlus tyres. The Conti Hybrid and Conti Scandinavia have also been added to the MAN original equipment portfolio.
Continental Corporation is increasing its sales forecast for the current fiscal year from about €38.5 billion to more than €39 billion after its sales climbed 14 per cent year-on-year to €9.6 billion and net income rose 12 per cent to €657 million in the first three months of this year.
Following the market launch of the size 315/45 R 22.5 Conti EcoPlus HD3 drive axle tyre earlier this year, Continental has now rounded out its range for lowliners with the new 355/50 R 22.5 Conti EcoPlus HS3 steer axle tyre. The tyres were designed for long-distance use and regional transportation with frequent use of motorways.
If you would like the latest news from the Chinese tyre industry in Chinese, visit our partner site TyrepressChina.com. Or click below to continue on Tyrepress.