Press Release
Automobile Associations ADAC, ÖAMTC and TCS:
Top Grades for Winter Tires from Continental
 ContiWinterContact TS 850 takes first place in Golf size 205/55 R 16 H
 ContiWinterContact TS 800 ranked "good" in small car size 165/70 R 14 T
 ContiCrossContact Winter ranked "good" in SUV size 215/65 R 16 T
 EU tire label of no assistance when deciding which winter tires to buy
Hanover, September 27, 2012. Continental's tires have passed the common winter tire test
conducted by Germany's ADAC, Austria's ÖAMTC, and Switzerland's TCS with flying colors.
The new ContiWinterContact TS 850 in size 205/55 R 16 scored the best overall grade and
was placed first in the test. With tires in size 175/60 R 14, the ContiWinterContact TS 800
also received the highest grade awarded ("good") as did the ContiCrossContact Winter in
215/60 R 16.
With regard to all three Continental winter tires, the experts singled out the very balanced
overall performances for particular praise. In addition, the new ContiWinterContact
TS 850 achieved outstanding grades on snow and ice as well as in fuel consumption and
wear, thereby showing that it can solve conflicts between goals at a level never before
achievable thanks to its well-balanced nature. While the ContiWinterContact TS 800 also
received the best grade on snow, the ContiCrossContact Winter scored the best grade on
ice. The editorial team tested a total of 16 tires in size 205/55 R 16 H for the compact and
mid-range, 15 tires in size 165/70 R 14 T for compacts and minis as well as six tires in size
215/65 R 16 T for SUVs.
A market leader, the company sold a total of 21 million winter tires in 2011. In addition to
receiving the highest grades for its premium tires in the winter tire segment, the Hanoverbased Corporation received the grade "recommended" for all other products. These include
the Uniroyal M+S 66, Semperit Speed-Grip 2, and Semperit Master-Grip in the quality
segment, as well as the Barum Polaris 3 in the budget segment.
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The EU tire label to be introduced on November 1, 2012 is compulsory for all tires sold in the
EC. Since this label does not contain any relevant criteria, Continental does not regard it as
helpful for car drivers deciding which winter tires to buy.
Continental Corporation
With sales of €30.5 billion in 2011, Continental is among the leading automotive suppliers worldwide.
As a supplier of brake systems, systems and components for powertrains and chassis,
instrumentation, infotainment solutions, vehicle electronics, tires and technical elastomers, Continental
contributes to enhanced driving safety and global climate protection. Continental is also a competent
partner in networked automobile communication. Continental currently has approximately 169,000
employees in 46 countries.
www.continental-corporation.com
Tire division
As one of the world’s leading tire manufacturers with more than 41,000 employees, the division
achieved cumulative sales of more than €8.8 billion in 2011. Today, the Tire division has 22 production
and development locations worldwide. The broad product portfolio as well as continuous investments
in R&D make a major contribution to economical and ecologically efficient mobility.
Passenger and light truck tires
Continental is one of the leading manufacturers of passenger and light truck tires in Europe and the
world’s fourth largest passenger tire manufacturer in the original equipment and replacement market.
The product development focus of the Continental premium brand is to optimize all safety-relevant
characteristics, while simultaneously minimizing rolling resistance.
www.continental-reifen.de
Commercial vehicle tires
The Commercial Vehicle Tires business unit achieved sales of more than €1.8 billion in 2011, making
it one of the largest manufacturers of truck, bus and industrial tires worldwide.
www.continental-truck-tires.com
Sponsorship
Continental’s Tire division is an official sponsor of the German DFB Cup, the 2014 FIFA World Cup in
Brazil and UEFA EURO 2016TM in France.
www.ContiSoccerWorld.de
Contact:
Alexander Bahlmann
Head of PR, Passenger/Light Truck Tires
Continental AG
Tire division
Büttnerstrasse 25, 30165 Hanover, Germany
Phone: +49 (0) 511 938 2615
Fax:
+49 (0) 511 938 2455
alexander.bahlmann@conti.de
www.continental-reifen.de
Media Database
www.mediacenter.continental-corporation.com
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Klaus Engelhart
Press Spokesman Passenger and Light
Truck/Two-Wheel Tires
Germany / Austria / Switzerland:
Continental AG
Tire division
Büttnerstrasse 25, 30165 Hanover, Germany
Phone: +49 (0) 511 938 2285
Fax:
+49 (0) 511 938 2455
klaus.engelhart@conti.de