140 Years
Continental
1871– 2011
The rampant horse is
adopted as trademark.
Production of automobile
pneumatic tires without
tread pattern starts in
Hanover-Vahrenwald.
1871 1882 1892 1898 1900
Continental-Caoutchouc-
und Gutta-Percha Com-
pagnie is founded in
Hanover on October 8 as
a joint stock company.
Manufacturing at the main
Continental is the first
factory in Vahrenwalder
German company to
Street includes soft rubber
manufacture pneumatic
products, rubberized
tires for bicycles.
fabrics, solid tires for
carriages and bicycles.
The first German airship
LZ 1 uses Continental
balloon material to seal
the gas bags.
The first edition of Continental’s
Road Atlas for motorists and
motorcyclists is published.
Continental presents the
world’s first automobile
tire with a patterned
tread.
1901 1904 1905 1907 1908
The first Daimler- Continental produces
produced car to be riveted anti-skid
called Mercedes tires, a forerunner of
achieves a sensational steel-studded tires.
victory on Continental
pneumatics in the
Nice-Salon-Nice
car race.
Continental invents the
detachable rim for sedans
– a remarkable innovation
to help save time and effort
when changing a tire.
Louis Blériot, the pioneer aviator, writes history with the
first flight across the English Channel. Continental Aeroplan
material covers the fuselage and wings of his plane.
Specimens of synthetic rubber developed at the Bayer
laboratories are successfully vulcanized at Continental and
processed to make the first test tires.
1909 1912 1914
Triple victory for
Daimlers fitted with
Continental tires at the
Construction of an
French Grand Prix.
administration building
designed by architect Peter
Behrens begins in Vahren-
walder Street. In 1986, this
building is bought by the
Hanover City Council to
house a technology center.
Carbon black is
used as a rein-
forcing filler to
give the tire more
resistance to wear
and ageing, as well
as its characteristic
color.
Merger with major
companies of the German
rubber industry to form
Continental Gummi-
Werke AG. Takeover of
plants in Hanover-Limmer
and Korbach/Hesse.
1921 1926 1928/29 1932
The company’s 50th
anniversary sees
Continental as the first
German company to
bring the cord tire onto
the market. The stiff
linen square-woven
fabric is thus replaced
by the more pliable cord
Continental markets a
fiber fabric. The first
rubber-metal bonding
giant pneumatic tires
under the registered trade
are made by Continental
name of Continental
and replace the solid
Schwingmetall. It is used
tires used until that time
to isolate vibrations and
on commercial vehicles.
noise when supporting
motors.
Unbroken run of racing
success with Continen-
tal racing tires fitted to
Mercedes and Auto-Union
cars. Four consecutive
wins in the German Grand
Prix, four successes in-
the North African Tripoli
race, three in Italy and
numerous speed records
help racing drivers like
Carraciola, Rosemeyer
and Stuck to achieve
international fame. Foundation stone is
laid for the tire plant
in Stöcken, Hanover.
1935-40 1936 1938 1943 1945
Patent application filed
for tubeless tires.
Synthetic
rubber is intro-
duced into the
tire manufactur-
ing process.
Heavy bomb damage to the plants in Hanover-
Vahrenwald and Korbach. The British military
government grants permission as early as June 14
for the Hanover factories to resume production.
At the beginning of
the year Continental
is the first German
Production of company to start
steel cable manufacturing tube-
conveyor belts less tires.
starts.
Continental is also
the first company to
develop air springs
Continental adds for trucks and buses.
M+S tires for
winter driving to
its range of con-
ventional tires.
1951 1952 1951-55 1955 1960
In close collaboration with
Daimler-Benz and Porsche,
Continental repeats its pre-
war successes on the track.
Mass production of
Racing in cars fitted with Con-
radial tires begins.
tinental tires, drivers like Karl
Kling, Stirling Moss and Juan
Manuel Fangio win the 1952
Carrera Panamericana and
the French, British, Dutch
and Italian Grand Prixs.
Europe’s largest hose
manufacturing facilities
are set up at the Korbach
plant. The entire hose
production is transferred
from Hanover to Korbach.
Construction of a tire
plant in Sarreguemines,
France. A factory for
industrial products is built
in Northeim, Germany.
1961 1964 1967 1971 1972
Completion of the plant
in Dannenberg (Elbe).
Initial production com-
prises plastic components
for the automotive industry.
Continental launches the
studless ContiContact
winter tire.
Opening of the Contidrom
tire testing facility on the
edge of the Lüneburg Heath.
In 1994/95 the facility is
more than doubled in size to
enable the construction of
new tracks, including a 3.8
kilometer handling course for
high-performance cars. In 2001
a 3.7 kilometer track for noise
assessment is opened.
In Northeim, one of
Europe’s largest conveyor
belt production lines
comes on stream.
Purchase of
Techno-Chemie,
Frankfurt, one of
Germany’s leading
hose couplers.
1974 1976 1978 1979
Continental is the first
manufacturer to supply the
European automotive industry
with extrusion-blow-molded
polyurethane gaiters.
Takeover of the European tire
operations of Uniroyal, Inc., USA,
gives Continental a wider base in
Europe (photo: Aachen plant).
A joint venture is set up together with the
Portuguese company Mabor for the
production of tires in Lousado. 1993 sees
complete takeover of the tire activities
and of a factory producing textile cord.
Takeover of the tire
operations of the
Austrian company
Semperit.
1871
1983 1882
1985 1892
1987 1898
1989/90 1900
1991
Continental hydromounts The industrial products
– special bearing elements operations are reorganized
used in engines for damp- under the ContiTech
ing vibrations and noise umbrella brand.
– are mass-produced for
the automotive industry. With its ContiEcoContact
tire, Continental is the first
manufacturer to launch an
environment-friendly
passenger tire.
Acquisition of the North
American tire manufacturer
General Tire, Inc.
The company has been
operating under the name of
Continental Tire North
America, Inc. since 2001.
Benecke-Kaliko AG is
integrated into the ContiTech
division. Key products are
leatherette and foils.
The Automotive
Systems division is
established to intensify
the systems business
with the automotive
industry.
1993 1994 1995
The majority holding in the Czech company Barum
comprises a passenger and commercial vehicle tire
plant in Otrokovice as well as a dealer organization
with about 50 outlets.
Continental currently has more than 2,200 tire retailers
and franchises in 13 European countries, including
various retail organizations such as Vergölst.
Continental reinforces its
position as global tire
manufacturer by adding sites
Acquisition of the in Argentina, Mexico, South
Automotive Brake and Africa and Slovakia.
Chassis unit of a
globally active U.S. Further steps on the way
company, the core of towards internationalizing
which is Alfred Teves ContiTech’s operations are
GmbH in Frankfurt/ taken in Brazil, Chile, Mexico
Main. (photo) and Hungary.
1997 1998 1998-99 2000
A new plant for the manufacture of passenger
tires is opened in Timisoara, Romania.
Continental and Nisshinbo set up a joint venture
(Continental Teves Corporation) in the field of brake and
chassis systems for the Japanese and Korean markets.
Continental presents ISAD (Integrated Starter Alterna-
tor Damper) for which it receives the German Industry
Innovation Award. ISAD combines the vehicle’s starter
and generator in one single unit. This key technology is
a necessary precondition for hybrid propulsion systems
that help to substantially reduce fuel consumption and
emissions.
Continental reinforces its activities within the growing
automotive electronics market by acquiring Temic, an inter-
national electronics specialist (photo: Nuremberg plant).
Majority holdings are purchased in two Japanese
companies manufacturing brake actuation components
and disk brakes.
ContiTech acquires a 51% stake in a Chinese
hose line manufacturer.
2001 2002 2003
Inauguration of ContiTech’s
new plant for the production of
power transmission systems
in Romania and of a factory in
Turkey providing the division
with extra manufacturing ca-
pacity for air spring systems.
Unveiling of ContiSport-
To intensify tire activities Contact 2 Vmax, the
with Japanese carmakers, world’s first road tire
Continental and Yokohama approved for speeds up
establish a 50/50 joint venture. to 360 km/h.
ContiTech sets up a
joint venture for the
production of air spring
bellows in Korea.
Inauguration of a new plant Continental expands its production
in Mexico for the production base in Romania by opening up a
of brake components. plant making assemblies for automo-
tive electronics – with an on-site R&D
Takeover of Phoenix AG. center – in Sibiu, as well as a manufac-
With the merger of turing facility for air-conditioning lines
ContiTech and Phoenix, the in Timisoara.
world’s largest specialist for
rubber and plastics techno- Continental acquires the wheel sensors
logy evolves (photo: plant business of a Japanese company with
in Hungary). manufacturing operations in China.
2003 2004 2005
Cooperation with ZF Friedrichshafen for
the joint development and marketing of
hybrid vehicle technology.
Continental strengthens its position as a
tire manufacturer in the ASEAN region and
Australia by establishing the Malaysian
Continental Sime Tyre joint venture.
Production of brake calipers commences at the new plant in Zvolen,
Slovakia, and of passenger, light truck and commercial vehicle tires
in Camaçari, Brazil.
ContiTech acquires a Danish manufacturer of power transmission
belts with production facilities in Denmark, China, Korea and India.
Continental purchases the automotive electronics business of the
US company Motorola, Inc., expanding its activities in telematics,
among other fields (photo: Deer Park, USA, location).
2006 2007
With the acquisition of a majority interest in the
Slovak company Continental Matador Rubber
s.r.o. Continental expands its position for the
Tires and ContiTech divisions in Central and
Eastern Europe.
Continental acquires Siemens VDO Automotive
AG and advances to among the top five suppliers
in the automotive industry worldwide, at the same
time boosting its market position in Europe, North
America and Asia (photo: Regensburg location).
Production of lithium-
ion batteries for use
in vehicles with hybrid
drives begins in the
Nuremberg plant.
The ContiSportContact™ 5 P is launched on the
market. The new high-performance summer tire is
specially designed for sports cars and tuning vehicles.
2008 2009 2010
The new Asian headquarters and a research and de-
velopment center is opened in Shanghai. The center
represents another major milestone for the company’s
growth in China and Asia.
Schaeffler KG becomes the major shareholder of
Continental AG following the conclusion of the take-
over offer published in the summer of 2008.
At a glance
Founded in Hanover, Germany, in 1871, Continental can look back
on a history of success. Over the years we have brought individual
mobility to the road and initiated, advanced and collaborated on
a host of technological developments. Today we are among the five
largest automotive suppliers in the world and the second largest in
Europe. As a supplier of tires, brake control systems, driving dynam
ics control systems, airbag electronics, driver assistance systems,
sensors, systems and components for the powertrain and chassis,
instrumentation, infotainment solutions, vehicle electronics and tech-
nical elastomer products, we contribute towards enhanced driving
safety and environmental protection.
The ContiTech division is also an expert develop-
ment partner for various other key industries. In its
six divisions – Chassis & Safety, Powertrain,
Interior, Passenger and Light Truck Tires, Commer-
cial Vehicle Tires, and ContiTech – Continental has
approximately 150,000 employees at nearly 200
production, research and development locations.
Continental AG
Corporate Communications
P.O. Box 169
30001 Hanover, Germany
01/2011
www.continental-corporation.com
