140 YearsContinental 1871– 2011

The rampant horse is

adopted as trademark.

Continental-Caoutchouc-

und Gutta-Percha Com-

pagnie is founded in

Hanover on October 8 as

a joint stock company.

Manufacturing at the main

factory in Vahrenwalder

Street includes soft rubber

products, rubberized

fabrics, solid tires for

carriages and bicycles.

Production of automobile

pneumatic tires without

tread pattern starts in

Hanover-Vahrenwald.

Continental is the first

German company to

manufacture pneumatic

tires for bicycles.

The first German airship

LZ 1 uses Continental

balloon material to seal

the gas bags.

1871 1882 1892 1898 1900

The first Daimler-

produced car to be

called Mercedes

achieves a sensational

victory on Continental

pneumatics in the

Nice-Salon-Nice

car race.

Continental presents the

world’s first automobile

tire with a patterned

tread.

Continental produces

riveted anti-skid

tires, a forerunner of

steel-studded tires.

The first edition of Continental’s

Road Atlas for motorists and

motorcyclists is published.

Continental invents the

detachable rim for sedans

– a remarkable innovation

to help save time and effort

when changing a tire.

1901 1904 1905 1907 1908

1909 1912 1914

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.

Construction of an

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.

Triple victory for

Daimlers fitted with

Continental tires at the

French Grand Prix.

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

fiber fabric. The first

giant pneumatic tires

are made by Continental

and replace the solid

tires used until that time

on commercial vehicles.

1921 1926 1928/29 1932

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.

Continental markets a

rubber-metal bonding

under the registered trade

name of Continental

Schwingmetall. It is used

to isolate vibrations and

noise when supporting

motors.

1935-40 1936 1938 1943 1945

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.

Synthetic

rubber is intro-

duced into the

tire manufactur-

ing process.

Foundation stone is

laid for the tire plant

in Stöcken, Hanover.

Patent application filed

for tubeless tires.

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.

1951 1952 1951-55 1955 1960

Production of

steel cable

conveyor belts

starts.

Continental adds

M+S tires for

winter driving to

its range of con-

ventional tires.

In close collaboration with

Daimler-Benz and Porsche,

Continental repeats its pre-

war successes on the track.

Racing in cars fitted with Con-

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.

Continental is also

the first company to

develop air springs

for trucks and buses.

Mass production of

radial tires begins.

At the beginning of

the year Continental

is the first German

company to start

manufacturing tube-

less tires.

1961 1964 1967 1971 1972

Completion of the plant

in Dannenberg (Elbe).

Initial production com-

prises plastic components

for the automotive industry.

Construction of a tire

plant in Sarreguemines,

France. A factory for

industrial products is built

in Northeim, Germany.

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.

Europe’s largest hose

manufacturing facilities

are set up at the Korbach

plant. The entire hose

production is transferred

from Hanover to Korbach.

Continental launches the

studless ContiContact

winter tire.

1974 1976 1978 1979

Continental is the first

manufacturer to supply the

European automotive industry

with extrusion-blow-molded

polyurethane gaiters.

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.

Takeover of the European tire

operations of Uniroyal, Inc., USA,

gives Continental a wider base in

Europe (photo: Aachen plant).

1871 1882 1892 1898 19001983 1985 1987 1989/90 1991

Continental hydromounts

– special bearing elements

used in engines for damp-

ing vibrations and noise

– are mass-produced for

the automotive industry.

Takeover of the tire

operations of the

Austrian company

Semperit.

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.

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.

The industrial products

operations are reorganized

under the ContiTech

umbrella brand.

With its ContiEcoContact

tire, Continental is the first

manufacturer to launch an

environment-friendly

passenger tire.

Benecke-Kaliko AG is

integrated into the ContiTech

division. Key products are

leatherette and foils.

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.

1993 1994

The Automotive

Systems division is

established to intensify

the systems business

with the automotive

industry.

1995

1997 1998

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.

Acquisition of the

Automotive Brake and

Chassis unit of a

globally active U.S.

company, the core of

which is Alfred Teves

GmbH in Frankfurt/

Main.

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 reinforces its

position as global tire

manufacturer by adding sites

in Argentina, Mexico, South

Africa and Slovakia.

Further steps on the way

towards internationalizing

ContiTech’s operations are

taken in Brazil, Chile, Mexico

(photo) and Hungary.

2001

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.

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.

To intensify tire activities

with Japanese carmakers,

Continental and Yokohama

establish a 50/50 joint venture.

2002

Unveiling of ContiSport-

Contact 2 Vmax, the

world’s first road tire

approved for speeds up

to 360 km/h.

ContiTech sets up a

joint venture for the

production of air spring

bellows in Korea.

Continental strengthens its position as a

tire manufacturer in the ASEAN region and

Australia by establishing the Malaysian

Continental Sime Tyre joint venture.

2004

Cooperation with ZF Friedrichshafen for

the joint development and marketing of

hybrid vehicle technology.

Inauguration of a new plant

in Mexico for the production

of brake components.

Takeover of Phoenix AG.

With the merger of

ContiTech and Phoenix, the

world’s largest specialist for

rubber and plastics techno-

logy evolves (photo: plant

in Hungary).

Continental expands its production

base in Romania by opening up a

plant making assemblies for automo-

tive electronics – with an on-site R&D

center – in Sibiu, as well as a manufac-

turing facility for air-conditioning lines

in Timisoara.

Continental acquires the wheel sensors

business of a Japanese company with

manufacturing operations in China.

2003 2005

2006 2007

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).

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).

2008 2009 2010

Production of lithium-

ion batteries for use

in vehicles with hybrid

drives begins in the

Nuremberg plant.

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.

The ContiSportContact™ 5 P is launched on the

market. The new high-performance summer tire is

specially designed for sports cars and tuning vehicles.

At a glanceFounded 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

www.continental-corporation.com01/2

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