UK Volume 23

uk.superbrands.com Superbrands UK Vol. 23 Continental develops pioneering technologies and services for sustainable and connected mobility of people and their goods. Founded in 1871, the technology company offers safe, efficient, intelligent and affordable solutions for vehicles, machines, traffic and transportation Market Continental generated sales of €33.8bn in 2021, and currently employs more than 190,000 people in 58 countries and markets. On 8th October 2021, the company celebrated its 150th anniversary. Product Continental is one of the world leaders in tyre production and offers a broad product range for passenger cars, commercial and specialty vehicles, as well as two-wheelers. Through continuous investment in research and development, Continental’s pioneering technology makes a major contribution to safe, cost-effective and sustainable mobility. Since 2021, Continental has released five new tyres for cars and vans. For the high-performance segment, Continental has released the seventh generation of the popular SportContact™ range, the SportContact™ 7. The PremiumContact™ range also saw the launch of the seventh generation PremiumContact™ 7, which is suitable for a wide range of vehicles. Continental’s new UltraContact is a summer tyre that offers outstanding mileage, robustness, safe handling characteristics and low rolling resistance. For van users looking for the same characteristics, the summer VanContact™ Ultra and all-season VanContact™ A/S Ultra tyres are two new van products capable of handling a diverse range of demands. The tyres have been developed to offer robustness and longevity, with the VanContact™ A/S Ultra offering van drivers confidence in both summer and winter conditions. Continental is contributing to society and towards shaping the future through its commitments to sustainability, with the ambitious goal to increase the use of sustainable materials in its tyre products to 100% by 2050, at the latest. The aim is to achieve this by continually investing in research and development in innovative technologies, alternative and sustainable materials as well as environmentally friendly production processes. An example of this in action is the use of polyester yarn from recycled PET bottles in series production tyres, known as ContiRe.Tex. Continental’s ContiRe.Tex technology uses recycled PET bottles to replace conventional polyester in a tyre carcass. The PET bottles are turned into a new sustainable polyester yarn, with a set of standard tyres using material from around 40 recycled PET bottles. Tyres featuring ContiRe.Tex technology are now available in selected sizes of the PremiumContact™ 6, EcoContact™ 6 and AllSeasonContact™. Achievements Continental’s market leading approach has been frequently recognised with a range of UK tyre test wins and international awards. Continental’s new SportContact™ 7 claimed numerous awards in 2022, winning the Auto Express UUHP tyre test, evo UHP tyre test, Tyre Reviews UUHP tyre test, WhatTyre’s Supersports (UUHP) category and WhatTyre’s overall Tyre of the Year 2022. Wider industry award successes include recognition from the NTDA, winning the Red Dot Award as well as the iF DESIGN AWARD. These achievements would not be possible without Continental’s commitment to technical excellence and innovation, ensuring its tyres deliver superb braking, handling and performance. Continental tests more than 143,000 tyres every year in different conditions at its main testing site, the Contidrom, in Germany. Continental is the leading tyre choice for the world’s top car manufacturers, with more than 800 current model approvals. If car manufacturers trust the tyre brand’s products, drivers can too. Recent Developments Over recent years, Continental has developed a range of partnerships to maximise its brand awareness across audiences. Working closely with adidas, Continental continues to bring advanced tyre technology to the soles of trainers, creating rubber compounds with exceptional grip in wet and dry conditions. Since the beginning of the partnership in 2007, there have been over 300 different models, with more than 70 million pairs of adidas-Continental shoes sold. In 2022, Continental announced the extension of its partnership with the Tour de France for another five years. The renowned race provides the perfect platform to engage with keen cyclists and strengthen Continental’s position as safety experts, ‘whatever the wheel’. Continental also continues its partnership with the Extreme E racing series, which sees electric SUVs race in extreme and remote areas of the world to highlight the challenges within the ecosystems of different locations. As founding partner and exclusive tyre supplier, Continental has worked closely with Extreme E to develop tyres capable of tackling a range of difficult terrains, whilst using sustainable and recyclable materials. A third of the new Extreme E CrossContact tyre is now made from recycled and renewable raw Around 40 recycled PET bottles go in to a set of Continental’s ContiRe.Tex tyres DID YOU KNOW?

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