Press Release
New look reflects pioneering contributions to mobility
 Continental redesigns its corporate and product branding
 Safe, clean, comfortable, easy-access mobility is the brand’s core value proposition
 New tagline “The Future in Motion” points up the company’s strategic direction
Hannover, June 11, 2013. At Continental the future arrives faster as the mobility of tomorrow
takes shape today. Once an out-and-out tire manufacturer, today the company is one of the
world’s largest system suppliers of technologies designed to endow mobility with greater
safety and sustainability, as well as more information management, comfort, and convenience. With its new corporate design, Continental is making a statement about the transformation it has undergone in recent years. The company’s message is clear: “Our technological solutions are helping people enrich the quality of their lives through mobility, and structure
their living space in a sustainable way. We are faster than others at creating fascinating solutions and at getting products into volume production in reliable, first-class quality. Our brand
stands for this commitment; it is a pledge to our stakeholders and the yardstick by which we
measure our performance every day,” said the Chairman of Continental’s Executive Board,
Dr. Elmar Degenhart.
First revealed to the public at the Annual Shareholders' Meeting in Hanover in mid-May, the
new logo stands for agility, passion and innovation. It is accompanied by a revised design
system, including a new typeface and an unequivocal brand claim: Continental - The Future
in Motion. The dual implication is that Continental not only moves the future but also moves
with the times. The key aspect here is the significance of mobility as a basic human need:
Continental plays an active part in shaping the future of mobility by making mobility and
transportation safer, cleaner, more comfortable and convenient, and more easily accessible
for everyone.
Over the past two years, the new corporate design has taken shape as part of a comprehensive project involving a thorough re-evaluation of Continental’s growth strategy, corporate
culture, positioning, and brand architecture. In its 140-year history, the corporation has grown
continuously, not just organically but also through the acquisition of more than 90 companies.
Through its tire business, this technology group has been a successful player for many years
now, targeting global growth in pursuit of its Vision 2025. The Continental tire brand is well
known worldwide and remains the prime mover in Continental’s drive for brand awareness.
Today, however, well over half of Continental’s annual sales are accounted for by its Automotive business. Electronics in particular are coming to account for an increasing proportion
of the value of the vehicle, handling more and more functions. That explains why Continental
is growing faster than the market, gaining market share. For example, the high sales growth
posted by the ContiTech Division in the industrial sector, with customers from the raw material extraction industries, helps ensure that Continental is less exposed to economic volatility
and to fluctuations in the automobile industry in particular. This overall development has
been flowed into the new-look corporate logo and the newly designed product branding. Both
will be gradually introduced across the company in the course of 2013.
The Continental brand will serve as the master brand for the company as a whole, and as the
core product brand in all business areas. As the new look was being developed, however,
one central concern was to make the most of the strong presence and significance of the tire
brand. In all, the new, modern look strikes the ideal balance between continuity and progress. It will further strengthen Continental’s image while at the same time reflecting the
company’s identity and tradition. The word mark in the Continental logo has been enhanced
with an easily recognizable appearance that also improves its legibility. The figurative mark
retains the horse, which is firmly rooted in the Continental brand and enjoys a long history,
although it now appears in a more prominent, natural and dynamic stance. When the figurative mark is used without the word mark, added stability is provided by two concentric circles
flanking the words “Continental – since 1871”. In this way, the figurative mark not only points
to the over 140-year history of the company but also resembles a seal of quality.
“In the tire industry, maintaining a distinctive brand presence is more important than ever.
The new Continental logo provides us with an effective tool with which to support the Tire
Division’s growth strategy in the coming years, because it combines the advantages of the
established word mark with a modern look and feel. We are convinced that our new logo will
help us write the next chapters in our success story in the Europe, Middle East and Africa
region (EMEA), in the Americas and especially in Asia. The Asian region – and China in particular – are of fundamental importance to our future growth. In recent years we have become established in the premium segment as the “horse brand”. With what is now a far more
dynamic look to the horse in both the figurative mark and the logo as a whole, we will be able
to drive forward this development even more effectively in the future,” said Nikolai Setzer,
Continental Executive Board Member responsible for the Tire Division. Through its wide-
ranging commitment as one of the leading sponsors of professional football, over the past 15
years Continental's Tire Division has made sustained investments in building public awareness of the premium Continental brand. For example, the Tire Division is an official sponsor
of the German DFB Cup, Major League Soccer in the US, the 2014 FIFA World Cup™ in
Brazil, and UEFA EURO 2016™ in France.
Continental AG
With sales of €32.7 billion in 2012, 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 an expert partner in
networked automobile communication. Continental currently has approximately 173,000 employees in
46 countries.
www.continental-corporation.de
Tire Division
As one of the world's leading tire manufacturers with more than 42,000 employees, the Tire division
achieved sales of more than €9.7 billion in 2012. The division currently has 22 production and development locations worldwide. The broad product range and continuous investments in R&D make a
major contribution to cost-effective 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 Tire business unit is one of the largest manufacturers of truck and bus tires
worldwide and also offers a complete product range in the field of industrial tires.
www.continental-lkw-reifen.de
Sponsorship
Continental's Tire division is an official sponsor of the German DFB Cup, Major League Soccer,
the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, and UEFA EURO 2016TM in France
www.ContiSoccerWorld.com
Contact:
Alexander Bahlmann
Head of PR, Passenger and Light Truck Tires
Continental AG
Tire division
Büttnerstrasse 25, 30165 Hanover, Germany
Tel.: +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
Klaus Engelhart
Press Spokesman, Passenger and Light
Truck/Two-Wheel Tires
Germany/Austria/Switzerland
Continental AG
Tire division
Büttnerstrasse 25, 30165 Hanover, Germany
Tel.: +49 (0) 511 938 2285
Fax:
+49 (0) 511 938 2455
klaus.engelhart@conti.de