Charlotte, NC (September 5, 2006) – Continental Tire North America, Inc. (CTNA) today announced they are moving forward with the next phase of their growth strategy, which includes an expanded leadership team to support new product offerings and marketing initiatives.

Dr. Alan Hippe, current President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of CTNA, will remain as President of CTNA. Joining Hippe on the leadership team will be Matthias Schönberg, current Managing Director of Continental Tire of Mexico, who will assume the role of CEO on Oct. 1, 2006. In addition, Andreas Gerstenberger, current Vice President of Sales & Marketing, will serve as Executive Vice President of Sales & Marketing at CTNA, also effective Oct. 1, 2006.

“This is an exciting time for CTNA as we turn the corner and focus on growing our company in North America with additional resources and expanded product lines,” said Hippe. “We are moving forward with new ideas and creative products while maintaining a consistent management team and approach.”

"Matthias Schönberg has been a key part of our North American management team for the last several years and has a proven track record of success, and Andreas Gerstenberger has been instrumental in the growth of our replacement business in North America. Ultimately, this is about putting together a winning team that will make our strategic plan a reality. I believe the unique skills both these men bring to the table will provide us with the tools we need to achieve this goal."

As Managing Director of Continental Tire of Mexico since 2004, Schönberg helped to restructure marketing and sales activities in Mexico which led to significant improvements in the region. Prior to this position, he served as Director of Finance and Sales and Marketing at Continental Mabor – a Continental AG facility in Portugal – and as Senior Auditor at Continental AG headquarters in Germany. As CEO, Schönberg will lead and coordinate Supply Chain, Sales and Marketing and Production initiatives for CTNA. He will report to Hippe, who as President of CTNA and CFO and Executive Board Member of Continental AG will continue to provide strategic direction to CTNA.

“I am proud to be joining CTNA’s leadership team,” Schönberg said. “This is a pivotal time for our company, and I look forward to working with the CTNA team and our customers as we enter the next phase of our strategy to grow the business in North America.”

The company’s new marketing initiatives and product launches are based on a three-year plan to increase product offerings and improve market coverage in the light truck and high performance tire market segments. During this time, CTNA will introduce more than 500 tire products, including new product lines and extensions of current lines for both the Continental and General Tire brands.

“We have an exciting opportunity ahead of us,” Gerstenberger said. “I look forward to working with Matthias and our team as we continue to implement the marketing and growth initiatives we have in place to strengthen our presence in North America.”

Continental Tire North America, Inc. (www.continentaltire.com), based in Charlotte, North Carolina, is a group company of Germany-based Continental Corporation, a leading supplier of brake systems, chassis components, vehicle electronics, tires and technical elastomers. In 2005 the corporation realized sales of EUR 13.8 billion (USD 17.2 billion). At present it has a worldwide workforce of about 85,000.