New plan aims to drive growth and environmental sustainability into the future.

Continental has revealed a new strategic plan for its Tires business unit. Known as Vision 2030, this initiative is focused on a systematic, customer-centric alignment of the organization and its business operations.

Vision 2030, which builds on Continental’s previous Vision 2025, includes a focus on smart digital tire solutions; sustainability objectives and profitable growth within a fast-changing tire industry.

Continental’s Tires business is looking to both North America and Asia as key markets for expansion. In a press release, the company said that related to the passenger car and light truck tire segments, it is emphasizing growth in the electric vehicle and high-performance sectors.

In the heavy truck and commercial bus segment, Continental will offer its Conti360° fleet services across all global regions in which it operates.

Additional growth is planned for the specialty two-wheeler, race car and agriculture market segments of the tire business.

“Excellent tires are and will remain our DNA,” said Christian Kötz, Head of the Tires business area and a member of Continental’s Executive Board.

‘Kötz added that, “with our ‘Vision 2030’ strategic program, we are setting the stage to build on what is already a position of strength.” Going forward, smart digital tire solutions and the realization of ambitious sustainability goals will be decisive for our success and as differentiators in the marketplace.”

Kötz also noted that “the new ‘Vision 2030’ strategic program underlines our aspiration to systematically align our organization with the development of customer-oriented solutions and to put customer needs at the centre of all our activities.”

The previous “Vision 2025” strategy had already witnessed Continental’s Tires business area drive the significant expansion of its worldwide market share. At present, Continental is already the world’s third-largest manufacturer of passenger tires and the fourth largest truck tire manufacturer.

Alongside its portfolio of passenger, truck and specialty tires, Continental says that it will continue to stand for innovative peak performance in tire technology. Additionally, the company is forging ahead with plans to expand its service offerings and tailor them more precisely to individual customer segments. It is also looking to expand manufacturing and distribution capacity—including automated tire warehouses and a cross-company rollout of a global digital manufacturing system designed to support greater efficiency and sustainability.

This includes systematically investing in new research and development related to new technologies, alternative materials and environmentally compatible production processes.

By 2050, Continental says that it expects its tire business to achieve a gradual transition to 100 percent sustainably produced materials in its tire products. Continental defines materials that are sustainable as those that originate in a closed material cycle, have no harmful impact on humans or the environment and are procured responsibly and are carbon neutral along the supply chain.