Continental Tyres

Origin and Expansion

Continental AG or most commonly known as Continental, is a Hanover, Germany based multinational automotive company that specializes in tyres, interior electronics, chassis, powertrain, braking systems and other auto parts. Continental is currently the fourth largest tyre manufacturer in the world and is constantly making efforts to expand its reach across the globe. 

Continental was established in 1871 as a rubber manufacturer, and in 1898 it started producing vehicle tyres. Continental manufactures tyres for almost all vehicles including, industrial, motorcycles and cars across the globe. It was the first manufacturer to develop an automobile tyre with a patterned tread.

In India, the company started its journey in 2011 by establishing its production unit in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh. The same manufacturing plant produces both radial and bias tyres for passenger cars and commercial vehicles. It is one of the few companies which produces its own tubes and flaps for commercial vehicle tyres. 

The company has been successful in producing & selling bias and radial tyres for commercial vehicles, making a significant impact in the country. And with its premium technology, together with the sheer understanding of the Indian road conditions and customer requirements, Continental has made strategic partnerships with OEMs and strengthen its presence in the aftermarket.

The success of the company is driven by its commitment to offer quality tyres that are custom-built to suit the market needs, and its German legacy has helped it unleash the needed expertise and research knowledge to produce solution-specific tyres. 

The tyremaker’s success mantra in India is its first-rate product range and excellent aftersales service. The company cemented its position in many core sectors of commercial truck tyres including, mining, construction, goods, etc. in the year 2014-15.

In addition to the trending technologies of today such as automated and autonomous driving, smart infotainment and holistic connectivity, Continental is very much focused on several fundamental trends such as digitalization, sustainability, efficiency, and cost-saving, that are shaping the auto sector as much as road safety, and comfort and convenience during the ride. 

It is working on automated driving technologies such as sensor technologies and high-performance computer systems, components required in human-machine dialogue and Cluster intelligence, a powerful backend that allows highly and fully automated vehicles to see around corners.

The company is constantly working on improving electric mobility to develop a sustainable vehicle system. Continental is also developing Advanced Driver Assistance systems for increased safety and supporting the manufacturers worldwide in equipping them with intelligent transportation systems, along with intelligent climate control systems or individually climate-controlled car seats. 

Apart from this, Continental is the founding partner of a new race series called the Extreme E series for 2019 and 2020.

Facilities

Continental has a strong presence in research and development, production and administration at 561 locations in 58 countries worldwide. Apart from the main Research and Development Center in Hanover, Germany, the company has a research and development wing in the tech-heavy Silicon Valley in California, America. 

Continental has its own in-house track called Contidrom, near Hanover. Within the Contidrom, there is AIBA, the world’s first fully automated tyre-testing system. The tyremaker has another test track in the Uvalde region of Texas, the USA, where the self-driving vehicle for tyre testing tyres is being undertaken on a variety of surfaces.

Achievements

• Won 2021 Supplier of the Year Award for Construction Machinery Products in China
• Winner of the Materialica Award 2020 for Modular Coupling System for thermal management in vehicles.
• Bagged Zinnov Confluence awards namely; Unlocking Centre Value and Building a Culture of Intrapreneurial Leadership for its Technical Center India (TCI)
• Chinese arm received the 2020 China Best Employer Award.
• Best Practice Award for innovative ergonomics and demographics program from the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA)
• German Digital Transformer Award 2018
• US wing was certified as “A Great Place to Work” by the Global Authority of Workplace Culture.
• Grabs Three CES 2021 Innovation Honoree Awards
• The Virtual A-Pillar arm Honored in First Automotive News PACEpilot Award Program.
• Continental Tyres is acknowledged as the 2019 Supplier of the Year Winner by General Motors.
• Earns FCA Supplier of the Year Award 2020 for Leading Innovation

Passenger Car Tyre

The passenger car tyre range of the Continental brand in India consists of cars, SUVs & CUVs and vans. The vast product range contains tyres in the summer category made for performance and tailor-made specifically for the Indian road conditions. Continental provide top-notch tyres with superior durability and unbeaten performance. 

Some of unique products in its passenger car portfolio include ContiMaxContact MC5, Conti4x4SportContact, ContiCrossContact LX 2, ContiPremiumContact 5 SUV and ContiSportContact 5 and ContiEcoContact 5 SUV among others.

Motorcycle and Scooter Tyre

The German tyre manufacturer has a vast range of tyres for the two-wheeler category. These tyres are produced for performance-oriented folks as well as ideal for the city commuters. Some of the notable names in the motorcycle & scooter category include ContiTrailAttack 3, ContiScoot, ContiRoadAttack 3, TKC 70 and ContiEscape, among others.

Truck Tyre

Continental has been able to make a significant impact in the commercial tyres sector of India in a short period. The company manufactures truck tyres that are superior in terms of durability and offer superb stability, and the range extends from the motorway to on/off-road and regional categories. 

Some of the prominent names in the truck category include Hybrid CHD2, HDR 2, HDX2, HSX2, Conti L, Conti ML, Conti R, Loadpower NW and Loadpower 3B, among others.

Manufacturing facilities in India and abroad

The tyre manufacturing giant has divided its business into regions of Europe, the Middle East, Africa, North, Central and South America, and the Asia Pacific region, with 13 manufacturing units currently producing tyres in 12 countries. In India, the company has a manufacturing unit located in the Modipuram region of the Meerut district of Uttar Pradesh. 

It also has a technical centre in India that supports the company’s global R&D activities. The plant has a commercial tyre production capacity of over 1 million per annum while the manufacturer is working on expanding the range for 20’ and 22.5' tyres and increase the capacity to cater to the domestic and export markets.

Continental Sales Network

The tyre manufacturer has a strong network in India and is steadily working on its expansion. Currently, it has more than 1400 outlets and sales & customer service teams situated in over 70 cities across the country.