October 2007: From 1871 to now

Continental has always been linked closely to sports

Hanover (pps) Back in 1871 when Siegmund Seligmann and Adolf Prinzhorn founded the company, they of course would have never guessed that Continental AG would be the official sponsor of the UEFA European Football Championship in 2008. But they were already farsighted 136 years ago: The general director and his head chemist saw the increasing demand for rubber coming – as well as the growing sales market thanks to the founding of the German Reich.

Early in the new century, Continental already had 13,000 employees (today some 89,000 worldwide). Because the world wanted rubber: More and more tires were rolling on the rapidly developing network of roads.

But Continental did something for football as well shortly after the start of the new century: The plant manufactured the rubber bladder with which the leather balls were pumped up.

In the meantime, however, this business field has disappeared as everybody knows, the balls are now made only of plastic. Nowadays, the Hanover-based company makes not only tires, putting out more than 106 million – passenger and light truck tires and nearly 7 million commercial vehicle tires in 2006 alone. In the ContiTech division, it also makes fuel hoses, high-performance timing belts, headrests for car seats, upholstery for designer sofas and hand bags.

Of course, Continental has always had a close connection to sports. Because in the tire and automotive sector, it is, after all, a matter of technique, precision and creativity, just like in sports. In 1901, Wilhelm Werner won the Nice – Salon – Nice car race on Continental tires: the very first victory by a Mercedes. And for years, numerous professional bike racing teams have placed their trust in Continental tires made in Korbach – a long partnership, stemming from continuous research, technical know-how, dependable high-performance products and trust.

The fact that the team buses for the UEFA EURO 2008^TM will roll on Conti bus tires like the buses for the 2006 FIFA World Cup is just mentioned as a footnote. And when just two buses drive into the Ernst-Happel Stadium in Vienna on June 29, 2008, that is definitely not because of Continental.When Continental signed on Germany’s national goal keeper Timo Hildebrand in the spring of 2004, it personified its commitment to sports. The exclusive football sponsoring paid off since it started in the UEFA Champions League 1995: The label with the company name in yellow has become one of the most well known brands in the football sector in the key European markets.

Direct inquiries to:

Alexander Lührs

Head of PR, Passenger/Light Truck Tires

Continental AG

Büttnerstraße 25 , 30165 Hanover, Germany

Phone: +49 (0) 511 938 2615

Fax: +49 (0) 511 938 2455

E-mail: alexander.luehrs@conti.de

Internet: www.conti-online.com

Image database at www.mediacenter.continental-corporation.com