To celebrate the 2014 FIFA World Cup™ in Brazil, the official sponsor Continental has added three limited-edition passenger car and bus tyres to its product portfolio. The special design on the side walls of the ContiPowerContact and ContiMaxContact MC 5 passenger car summer tyres featuring stylized soccer balls and the FIFA World Cup logo indicates that these tyres have been specially produced for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. The ContiGol Urbano bus tyre also emphasizes this with a colored vulcanized Continental logo, which will guarantee a visible TV presence throughout the entire event.
Continental fitted the team buses of all 32 teams, which often form the traditional backdrop of TV reports presented during World Cups and European Championships, with these premium bus tyres on all axles before the start of the 2014 FIFA World Cup. “The three special editions are each based on our latest premium products and impressively demonstrate the possibilities offered by tyre design today. This makes them an attractive alternative to series products without a complex side wall design for true soccer fans,” explains Alexander Bahlmann, head of PR for Passenger Car and Light Truck Tires.
The ContiPowerContact special edition has been available in Latin America since back in 2013. The launch of this passenger car summer tyre, which is one of the best-selling tyres in Continental’s product range, was accompanied by a large-scale advertising campaign in high-circulation magazines, TV channels, and on the Internet. The tyre, which was developed specifically for the Latin American market and is manufactured in Camaçari, Bahia, is also supplied to some of the most prominent automotive manufacturers in Brazil as original equipment in its standard design. It offers the latest technologies in terms of fuel consumption, safety, robustness, service life, rolling noise, and comfort and is available in Latin America in 49 sizes for rims measuring 13, 14, 15, and 16 inches with approved speeds of between 190 and 240 km/h.
Continental is banking on a limited edition of the ContiMaxContact MC 5 passenger car summer tyre in China as well, with stylized soccer balls and the FIFA World Cup logo on the side wall, with the aim that the product will build a bridge between soccer-loving car drivers and soccer sponsorship. The ContiMaxContact MC 5 is produced at the tyre plant in Hefei, China, in 49 sizes for rims measuring 13, 14, 15, and 16 inches with approved speeds of between 190 and 240 km/h.
The ContiGol Urbano premium bus tyre was specifically designed for the particular challenges posed by city traffic in Brazil, such as having to stop frequently and change speed, and achieves 30% higher mileage compared with its predecessor model thanks to a new rubber compound. The ContiGol also features AirKeep® technology. With a denser molecular structure on the inside of the tread, this ensures that the tyre pressure can be kept at an optimal level for up to 50% longer than with conventional technologies. This leads to less deformation and better driving properties. All World Cup team buses have been fitted with these tyres in order to transport the world’s best players safely and comfortably to the twelve stadiums hosting the 2014 FIFA World Cup™. The ContiGol Urbano is produced at the tyre plant in Camaçari, Bahia, in Brazil in sizes 295/80 R 22.5 and 275/80 R 22.5 and is sold in Brazil, Ecuador, Columbia, and Venezuela.
Continental’s Research and Development department for tyres in Hanover supplies customized solutions for all regions around the world. Back when the 2006 FIFA World Cup™ was held in Germany and during the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ in South Africa, the premium tyre manufacturer had successfully pursued this product approach – since then, not only has it significantly reduced the braking distances of its products, but it has also massively lowered their rolling resistance, as well as fuel consumption, which is strongly influenced by this. At least since the 2006 FIFA World Cup™ in Germany and the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ in South Africa, Continental has established itself as a leading sponsor in professional soccer and is highly visible to soccer fans around the world thanks to its event sponsorship. With its sponsorship of the Asian Cup 2015, which is due to be held in Australia in January, and UEFA EURO 2016™ in France, as well as its acquisition of a comprehensive perimeter advertising package from UEFA for the European qualifiers for UEFA EURO 2016™ and the European qualifiers for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, Continental will remain clearly visible on the pitch until at least the end of 2017.