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.”
Six well-known tyre manufacturers have teamed up to provide their customers with easier access to agricultural tyre pressure indications. Information from Apollo Tyres, Bridgestone, Continental, Michelin, Nokian Tyres and Trelleborg Wheel Systems is now available in a single app, Agro Tyre Pressure. Swiss firm Anura Associates developed the app for the tyre makers.
Drawing upon information from two anonymous sources, Russian newspaper Kommersant has named Moscow-based holding company S8 Capital as a potential purchaser of Continental’s assets in Russia, including its tyre plant in Kaluga. Kommersant shares that S8 Capital, owned by entrepreneur Armen Sargsyan, has already acquired a lift manufacturing facility in St. Petersburg from Otis Worldwide Corporation.
Bandvulc’s Ivybridge retreading plant is now a Continental LifeCycle facility. While continuing to design, engineer and manufacture Bandvulc-branded retread tyres, the site will align more closely with Continental’s existing LifeCycle plant in Stöcken, Germany. Bandvulc stresses that the plant’s new LifeCycle status won’t impact upon job security for its workforce, confirming that there are “no redundancies taking place as a result of the Continental rebranding.”
BYD, one of the biggest electric vehicle manufacturers in China and indeed the world, has awarded a global OE tyre supply contract for its Atto 3 SUV to Continental, which was launched in the UK in March. Continental will now supply 235/50 R18 101V XL EcoContact 6 Q tyres designed to offer quiet and economical performance to numerous markets around the world.
Some tyremakers say you need specialist EV tyres, some don’t. Others have tried to straddle the fence with a bit of both. Continental has consistently argued that its tyres are of sufficient quality to handle the extra weight and torque demands of electric vehicles. Now, however, the German tyremaker has gone a step further and announced that it is so confident that “all current tyres from Continental already meet the high requirements of electric cars” that in future the company’s tyres will bear a new EV-compatible logo, highlighting Continental’s comprehensive EV product strategy.
Polestar CEO, Thomas Ingenlath, tweeted a teaser video of the company’s new limited-edition 2023 model year Polestar 2 BST 270 on 16 March. Details are scant ahead of the official launch of the latest performance-oriented Polestar 2 upgrade, but something we do know about is the tyres.
The electric vehicle tyre market is evolving quickly, with manufacturers adding EV-appropriate technologies to existing ranges and in some cases launching new lines of specialist products. These products have several goals, most notably offering range-maximising fuel economy, increased resistance to wear, reducing noise, and the ability to carry heavier loads, all while demonstrating greater sustainability and continuing to offer a high level of safety performance. Naturally these characteristics require technological advancements in order to reconcile contradictory demands; for example, making lower-weight tyres that consume fewer materials while also increasing ruggedness to reduce wear and tyre emissions. With tyres specified for electric vehicles now appearing on the European aftermarket in greater numbers, the need for independent scrutiny is becoming greater, and German magazine Auto Motor und Sport has responded by comparing three of the newest EV-specified products with current flagships, fitted to comparable Kia EV and internal combustion engine (ICE) models.
In June 2022, Nokian Tyres was the first tyre manufacturer to use the terms “controlled exit” to describe its withdrawal from operations in Russia. Now, Continental has joined them, with Conti CEO Nikolai Setzer using very similar language as part of the German tyre and automotive supplier’s full-year 2022 financial results presentation.
At the end of last year, it emerged that Continental is planning to introduce a new car tyre this year. Because both Continental’s WinterContact TS 870 and WinterContact TS 870 P are young in terms of product cycle, and because the SportContact 7 and PremiumContact 7 are also new on the block, the new tyre is likely to be a successor to the AllSeasonContact. And our eagle-eyed German colleagues have once again found evidence that supports this theory.
Continental has launched new software designed to support “fleet operators, dealers and service technicians in maximising the safety and efficiency of their tyres”. The new TireTech mobile app for truck and bus tyres, complements the existing version for agricultural tyres.
Tyre cord manufacturer Xingda and Continental Group recently signed a strategic cooperation agreement at Xingda Steel Tyre Cord (Thailand) Co. Ltd. Details of what is involved in the agreement remain to be seen at this stage, but Xingda representatives report that the cooperation includes improving the supplier management services in Europe.
Continental Tyres has become the Rugby Football Union (RFU), England men and Red Roses’ Official Partner. At the same time, Continental Tyres has also become the title sponsor of the Continental Tyres Schools Cup. The combined sponsorship package represents a “multi-year partnership”, according to the company.
Major German automotive components supplier Schaeffler Group, which like tyre and automotive systems firm Continental counts the Schaeffler family’s IHO Holding as a significant shareholder, is shunning investment at home and in Europe in favour of the USA. In addition to more advantageous energy prices, Schaeffler looks approvingly upon the USA’s more pragmatic approach to climate issues.
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Christian Marx/Profil Verlag; screenshots
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