Continental AG is going to increase its involvement in motorbike tyres and the OE-market. So far, the Hanover group has concentrated mainly on passenger car, truck and industrial tyres. All this is now subject to change. The fact that, after belonging to the commercial tyre business unit, two-wheeler tyres were merged with the group’s passenger vehicle tyre unit from January, 1st this year, could be an indication for the company’s reborn interest in the motorbike tyre market. As stated by Continental, the group achieved a 50 percent increase in turnover of motorbike tyres last season, and according to their motorbike tyre marketing leader Jörg Essiger, entering the radial ply tyre segment with the “ContiForce” would be another step in the right direction. The new two-wheeler tyre had already been presented to public at the Intermot fair in Munich last autumn, and was officially presented to the press at the Contidrom fair in May. Essiger explains, “the ContiForce offers both excellent handling and a very reasonable price, which is 10-15 percent lower than the competition.” He says, that ContiForce would be the appropriate tyre for sports-bike riders, and real sportsmen can also demonstrate their efficiency on it. Who knows, whether with their next new motorbike tyre the Hanover group might enter into the pure sport machine segment. Already next year, the tyre manufacturer will probably put another newly-developed motorbike tyre on the market; so said Jörg Essiger at the Contidrom presentation – however no further details were forthcoming.