We enable the journey ahead
Tires are the essential point of contact between a vehicle and the road. We work to ensure that your tires will always offer excellent braking, maximum safety, and pure driving pleasure. That’s why Continental is one of the leading manufacturers of tires in Europe.
But wait – there’s more! We rank among the top five automotive suppliers worldwide, with divisions specializing in brake systems; instrumentation; systems and components for chassis; vehicle electronics; infotainment solutions; and technical elastomers. We’re also one of the world’s largest passenger tire manufacturers in the original equipment and replacement market. Worldwide, the corporation has more than 190,000 employees in 58 countries and 554 locations. That’s a big family.
As you can see, a passion for mobility is at the heart of everything we do. Our goal is to make mobility cleaner, safer, more intelligent, and affordable for everyone. As we prepare for the green future of mobility, we have set ourselves ambitious goals designed to reduce the environmental impact of our products and the vehicles that use them. Find out more here.
Tradition and progress
We have been making tires for more than 150 years: big ones and small ones, heavy ones and thin ones, fast ones and strong ones. Or tires have been on race cars and Tour de France bikes, they have broken speed and range records, they are regularly tested best in class and have often been the first of their kind. We invented the first ever patterned tire tread. And the first ever tubeless tire. Plus the world’s first driverless car. Also the world’s first eco-friendly tire. And the world’s fastest road legal tire. That’s a lot of firsts – and we haven’t even begun to list all of them.
Founded in Hanover, Germany, in 1871, we’ve amassed a vast amount of knowledge and expertise. Decades of extensive research and testing, for example, have proven beyond a doubt that tires aren’t only crucial for a vehicle’s overall performance – they significantly influence braking power, too.
With an emphasis on progress, we continually strive to optimize our product range. The Continental product development teams work to maximize all safety-relevant characteristics of our tires, while simultaneously minimizing rolling resistance. These aspects make a fundamental contribution to driving safety and sustainability.
The right tire for every vehicle
Continental always strives to offer the best tire solutions, no matter the vehicle. We apply our comprehensive understanding of research, development, and testing to a wide range of tires, each tailored perfectly to their purpose.
Our tires come in many shapes and sizes: big ones and small ones, heavy ones and thin ones, fast ones and strong ones. Our tires have been on race cars and Tour de France bikes, they have broken speed and range records, and they are regularly tested best in class and have often been the first of their kind.
Testing tires in every situation
We vigorously test our tires on proving grounds around the globe, including the Contidrom, our in-house track near Hanover. Within the Contidrom is the world’s first fully automated tire-testing system, AIBA, where tests are conducted year-round on wet and dry road surfaces.
This relentless focus on every single safety and performance aspect is confirmed repeatedly by independent tests around the world, where we regularly achieve the highest recommendations and accolades.
Furthermore, our tires must also pass hundreds of vehicle manufacturers’ stringent tests to ensure they perform to the highest standards. Only then are Continental tires approved as Original Equipment (OE).
Verified by partners
Modern vehicles operate through a complex interaction of sophisticated components – and that includes the tires. The right set of tires guarantees that a vehicle’s performance on paper translates into performance on the road.
It’s a good thing, then, that one in every three passenger cars in Europe delivered from the factory is fitted with tires from Continental. As the leading OE supplier in the European market, gaining approval from our partners is a sign of a product’s exceptional quality. Our success in this area also reflects our commitment to sustainable mobility: Continental Original Equipment tires have received approvals for more than 40 % of the all-electric passenger car and van models produced in Europe and over 50 % in the Americas. We also deliver tires to six of the 10 most successful EV producers.