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.”
Two motorcycle tyre tests from PS. The German sports bike magazine took a look at slick pairs for professional riders in its 6/2021 issue, and followed this up by looking at four brands of track day tyres in its 7/2021 edition. The PS testers declared Dunlop and Continental the respective winners.
Continental has notched up another tyre test win, this time on two wheels. The latest issue (07/2021) of German sports motorcycle magazine PS compares four brands of racetrack slicks suited to ambitious hobby racers. Thanks to its first-place ranking in five out of the eight test disciplines and a total of 183 points from a possible 230, the PS testers declared the Continental Track test winner.
Continental reports that its share of the tyre market for fully electric vehicles is growing, with six of the ten global highest-volume manufacturers of electric vehicles selecting the brand as original equipment in 2020. This includes fitment on key electric models like the Tesla Model 3 and Model S, and Volkswagen’s ID.3, as well as with manufacturers aiming to gain a foothold in the European electric vehicle market, such as BYD, one of China’s largest car producers.
Bandvulc has unveiled a new website, which has been created as a mobile-first tyre information portal, providing technicians with easy to view detailed, technical information about each Bandvulc retread tyre whilst giving customers an overview of tyres by application type, to aid tyre choice.
Nico Rosberg has signed his name on the Continental dotted line and will henceforth act as a brand manager for the tyre maker. Announcing the arrangement, the former Formula One World Champion tweeted that he’s “proud to work with partners who put sustainability, technology and safety at the heart of what they do.”
The eleven leading tyre manufacturer members of WBCSD’s Tire Industry Project (TIP) have launched a Roadmap to accelerate tyre value-chain impact on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The SDGs were adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015 to address some of the world’s most pressing issues by 2030. The members of TIP, in alphabetical order, are: Bridgestone, Continental, Cooper Tire, Goodyear, Hankook, Kumho Tire, Michelin, Pirelli, Sumitomo Rubber, Toyo Tires, and Yokohama Rubber.
Although Continental doesn’t plan to cease production at its Aachen factory in Germany until next year, it isn’t making any tyres at all there at the moment. Corona virus is to blame for this pause in production. To date, 19 of the 1,800-strong workforce has tested positive and a further 130 have been quarantined. Continental has thus stopped work at the site until the end of 26 May.
Continental has launched the CompactMaster AG, a new telehandler and skid-steer loader tyre. According to the company, the tyre is the first to be designed with a new Turtle Shield tread layer and twisted steel belt. It is capable of operating at speeds of up to 50 kilometres per hour. And, compared to a standard agricultural tyre pattern, the new lug design of the CompactMaster AG tyre provides five per cent more surface area.
Continental is recalling 9,988 Continental VanContact 4Season tyres in Canada. According to the 27 April filing with Transport Canada that was updated on 5 May, “In winter conditions, the VanContact 4Season tyres that are part of the recall do not meet the minimum snow traction requirements of Canadian regulations.” And, as a result, “The tyres may not provide the expected traction in severe snow weather conditions, which may increase the risk of a crash.” Continental reports that it has not received any reports of accidents or injuries resulting from use of the tyres.
With 150 years in the business, Continental may well just be the oldest firm in existence still making tyres today. The company has been offering solutions since the days when horsepower was indeed horsepower, but Continental’s off-highway tyres are a much more recent addition – it’s only a little under a century since the first products came to market. As its celebrates its sesquicentennial jubilee, Continental looks back over its activities in this sector from the very earliest days.
Patience is a virtue long needed by those awaiting the WinterContact TS 870, but it has finally paid dividends: Continental has debuted this successor to the WinterContact TS 860 as a ‘double act’ together with the WinterContact TS 870 P. The tyre maker originally intended to release these two new winter products individually, one after the other. The WinterContact TS 870’s launch was scheduled for last autumn but postponed until 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Continental has collected silverware in the Auto Express Product Awards 2021, with its AllSeasonContact winning the all-season tyre category. The tyre maker states that gaining the Best All-Season Tyre award “highlights how committed Continental is to providing drivers with the safest and top-performing choice all year round.”
Continental is extending its commitment to sustainability in the natural rubber supply chain. The tyre maker and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) have agreed to significantly expand their project to ensure full traceability within the natural rubber supply chain in the Indonesian province of West Kalimantan (Borneo).
Tyre production at the Continental plant in Aachen, Germany will cease at the end of next year, if not earlier. This is one of the outcomes of talks between the company and representatives of Aachen plant employees. Continental has also published details of upcoming retraining programmes.
The Continental Group has released preliminary key data for Q1 2021 ahead of issuing its quarterly statement on 6 May. This preliminary data indicates that Continental achieved consolidated sales of 10.259 billion euros during the quarter, 3.5 per cent higher than the same period of last year, with an adjusted EBIT margin of 8.1 per cent.
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