Continental: from rubber horseshoes to tires and car parts

History

Continental was founded on 8 October 1871 in Hanover as the joint-stock company Continental-Caoutchouc- und Gutta-Percha Compagnie. It began by making soft-rubber goods such as horseshoe buffers, and in 1892 launched pneumatic bicycle tires. A turning point came in 1904, when Continental introduced treaded car tires — the first company in the world to develop grooved tires for automobiles.

In 1987 Continental acquired the American tire maker General Tire, becoming a major international player. The company is headquartered in Hanover. In 2025 Continental spun off its automotive technology division as a separate company, Aumovio, and refocused on two core businesses: tires, and ContiTech (rubber and thermoplastic products for industrial customers). The Continental tire brand nonetheless remains a supplier of vehicle replacement parts through its specialised product brands.

What Continental makes

Beyond tires — where Continental ranks as the world's fourth-largest manufacturer, behind Bridgestone, Michelin and Goodyear — the group has run its ATE brand for over a century, specialising in brakes: discs, pads, hydraulic components and diagnostic equipment, including the ATE New Original line built for electric vehicles and Euro 7 requirements. ContiTech, active in the rubber business for more than 140 years, supplies timing belts, serpentine belts and other drive-belt components to both carmakers and repair shops. Continental also offers sensors for driver-assistance systems, chassis and steering, along with high-pressure fuel pumps.

Buying Continental parts

Continental is primarily known as a tire brand, but in braking (ATE) and drive belts (ContiTech) it holds some of the longest track records in the industry — ATE has been in the brake business for more than a hundred years. Buying parts under these brands generally means OE-grade components, often the same ones fitted by carmakers at first assembly, sold at aftermarket prices.