2008.09.23

Hanover, September 2008. The new Continental truck tyres have firmly established themselves in the market. In the meantime they are all making a significant contribution toward reducing transport-industry costs – a major selling point.

In Europe alone, over twelve million tyres are required each year to replace original equipment on the continent's pool of four million commercial vehicles. Added to this are 7.5 million retreaded truck tyres. "Last year, Continental sold nearly 2.5 million truck and bus tyres on the European replacement market," reports Herbert Mensching, director of marketing and sales for the European replacement market at Continental Commercial Vehicle Tyres. The company has thus further strengthened its third-place position in the EU market.

Not only the high-quality of the premium products but also the new mode of product communication make for the sustained market success. Continental AG’s Commercial Vehicle Tyres division relies on feedback from those buying its products. "Customers speak for customers" cogently describes the running dialogue the company engages in with buyers and underscores the R&D/consumer link.

Low rolling resistance, high mileage performance, sturdiness, retreadability and new AIRKEEP® technology turn each new-generation tyre into a top performer when it comes to reducing costs.

The multi-brand strategy has gone down well with the market. The Continental brand leads the pack in the premium segment, along with its hot-retreaded Contire and the cold-retreaded ContiTread brands. More price-conscious regional consumers swear by the Uniroyal and Semperit brands. In the budget sector, consumers go for the Barum and Matador ranges as well as some private brands available regionally.

In addition to tyres, the division provides comprehensive, cost-saving services. Tire Management and BreakDownService relieve the transport agent of tasks that cost time and money. Fleet check and vehicle monitoring rigorously pinpoint weaknesses and ensure better cost transparency.

The Continental Commercial Truck Tyres division is present in 33 European countries. More than 7,000 service partners and some 14,000 local dealers are ever ready to expediently serve the approximately 50,000 end customers. Continental ranks second in the European original equipment market.

With targeted annual sales of more than €26.4 billion for 2008, the Continental Corporation is one of the top automotive suppliers worldwide. As a supplier of brake systems, systems and components for the powertrain and chassis, instrumentation, infotainment solutions, vehicle electronics, tyres and technical elastomers, the corporation contributes towards enhanced driving safety and protection of the global climate. Continental is also a competent partner in networked automobile communication. Today, the corporation employs approximately 150,000 people at nearly 200 locations in 36 countries.

The Commercial Vehicle Tyres division, which oversees the development, production and global distribution of truck, bus and industrial tyres, posted a turnover of approx. €1.5bn in 2007 with a workforce of over 8,000 employees.

The tyre divisions are an official sponsor of the FIFA World Cup 2010^TM, which will be staged in South Africa in 2010. You will find information on this at www.ContiSoccerWorld.de, www.ContiFanWorld.com and www.continental-corporation.com