It’ll all change when you turn the talk to tyres. Most people won’t know where Continental Tyres came from or their history. This is why we bother to write it. Their story and their history deserve a few words.
The Early Years
Hanover was a popular place in the 1800s. It was connected to Germany by train and had grown into an important trading point and industrial hub. Yes, Hanover was alive and well. It was a great place to start a business. The Continental Caoutchouc & Gutta-Percha Company was founded on the 8th of October, 1871. This was 15 years before the invention of the first car. They didn’t begin by making car tires then.
Nope. No. It is important to note that the Coat of Arms from Hanover was used in the rampant horse design featured in the Continental logo. It was first used by Continental in 1875. In 1885, it became their official trademark. It can be used to represent strength, agility, endurance, which is a bonus point.
It’s okay if you forget about the rampant Horse. This one is a little more important. Continental introduced tyre tread to tires. This must be one of the most important milestones in history tyres. We doubt you would reach as many milestones without tread. We don’t think so. This essential addition to tyre design removes water from the road and tyres.
We move on to 1921, when Continental created the first pneumatic tyres large enough for commercial vehicles. We can imagine this being very useful, as it is the roaring twenties and all the gin that needs fast and efficient transportation in the USA during Prohibition. It is easy to imagine that pneumatic tyres would keep precious cargo in great condition, and even prevent the occasional bottle from falling apart. They were not invented for that purpose.
The next significant milestone was achieved in private. This was to be a legendary testing facility. Continental developed a driverless vehicle in 1968 to test it. Although the facility has seen many improvements over the years, it remains a key component of everything Continental does. It continues to play an important role in the 67,000 tyre-testing drivers do before new tyres go into production. It is estimated that the new Continental product has been tested to the point where it can run 500 laps around the globe before being released.
2000 – Now
Over the next few decades, there will be a lot of changes. This blog cannot cover enough. Before we move on, let us not forget that in 2012, Continental was the first automotive supplier in Nevada to receive an autonomous vehicle testing license. Nothing can be better than Continental, which is at the forefront of innovation and leading the charge for tomorrow in the rapidly changing world that we live in.
Continental Today
They’ve done well, haven’t they? This little Hanover firm has been successful over the years. The 2018 Financial Report will show you how you might feel if you had over 243,000 employees and NZ$76 trillion in revenue. The amazing part is that only 25% of the company’s income comes from tyres. Continental is involved in almost every aspect of auto supply, even though you might not be aware. They even created a few systems that are now standard. Even if your car doesn’t have Continental tyres in Auckland on it, there is a good chance that it has one of them. Continental can be credited with the invention of ABS. They invented it.
Over half of total revenue comes from the Automotive sector (NZ$46.1 billion). It is divided into three divisions: Chassis & safety (NZ$16.46 billion), Powertrain (13.2 Billion), and Interior (16.44 billion).
