A glittering partnership and a changing consumer landscape
Continental Tyres boasts more than three decades of association with the Irish Car of the Year and Irish Van of the Year awards, the most comprehensive automotive awards programme in Ireland.
For Continental, safety is, and always has been, at the heart of its operations. Every day the company has more than 240,000 skilled employees in 53 countries working on solutions and products that will make our roads safer for everyone. Continental Tyres’ partnership with the Irish Car of the Year awards is part of that commitment to safety.
Prior to this year’s awards ceremony at the Conrad Hotel in Dublin, Eoin Cuttle caught up with Tom Dennigan, head of Continental Tyres in Ireland, and Peter Robb, marketing director at Continental Tyres, to discuss the importance of these awards, as well as the tyre manufacturer’s current position in the consumer and commercial markets.
Q. How have the Irish Car of the Year and Irish Van of the Year awards helped your overall Irish marketing in recent years?
Tom: “The Irish Car of the Year Awards are the cornerstone to our marketing efforts. These awards recognise the best cars and vans launched in Ireland each year, and as such have always been a great help to Irish motorists when it comes to choosing a new vehicle. One of our key strengths as a brand is that almost one in three new cars in Europe is delivered with tyres from Continental – which is a real mark of quality. This means that several winning vehicles from these awards are also fitted with Continental tyres. This is great for us as a brand and aligns with our premium position, because it tells the consumer that these wonderful cars and vans also use quality products.”
Q. The Irish Car of the Year Awards have highlighted the arrival of electric cars, with [now five] consecutive winners. Yet, the feeling (born out by reduced sales and production cutbacks by most carmakers) is that the market growth curve has stalled and countries cannot now possibly meet EU environment targets. How is Continental managing to balance production and sales amid the uncertain sales numbers?
Peter: “The mixed electric vehicle sales figures seem to be happening in almost all markets around Europe. Some consumers have really embraced the electric transition, while some car manufacturers have perhaps plateaued and adjusted their fully-electric ethos. But from Continental’s point of view, EV tyre (and combustion vehicle tyre) production and sales have still remained pretty stable. Weather a consumer is sticking with fully-electric transport or moving back to a hybrid or ICE vehicle, it’s all about having the right tyres for the job. For Continental, the message to consumers hasn’t changed, and we need to make sure they continue to understand the needs or their vehicle and are choosing the correct tyres for their car, regardless of the powertrain.”
Q. How important have your recent all-season tyre test wins been for the brand, in influencing motorists to choose all-season tyres?
Peter: “The all-season tyre test wins are really important when it comes to giving consumers confidence. We know the average consumer doesn’t spend too much time reading through the various stats and materials behind a tyre, but they most certainly want a product that they can trust. Independent test results give the consumer that extra bit of reassurance, as it’s not just a marketing person saying it’s a really great product. As for all-season, there is a growing acceptance that this is the way to go in Ireland and likewise the UK. At the recent Nevo EV show in Dublin, alongside our retail brand BestDrive by Continental, about 80 per cent of the questions from consumers were regarding all-season tyres. And while we do sell a lot of winter tyres, for a climate such as Ireland’s, an all-season tyre is probably the right option for that added peace of mind.”
Q. What does Continental see as the future for the brand in green (environmentally friendly) tyres for commercial vehicles?
Peter: “Sustainability is a massive part of Continental’s commercial vehicle business. If you look at any of the big supermarket chains for example, they all have sustainability agendas of which tyres play a fundamental role, so it is vital that their tyre policy matches. Any firm that operates a fleet of vans or trucks, large or small, should work with a tyre manufacturer that can deliver a sustainable solution. At Continental we are continuously looking at different ways to make our tyres more sustainable. One example is the ContiLifeCycle retreading model, which is a cost-effective, eco-friendly, and premium quality solution to extend the life of a Continental tyre, meaning it’s not just one and done, and fleets can actually get several uses out of a tyre. This in turn, saves a lot of money without compromising performance, safety and reliability.”
Q. What is the average consumer’s perception of ‘green’ tyres?
Peter: “As for the consumer, I think it will take a bit more time for them to come around to the idea of recycled tyres. Continental recently launched the UltraContact NXT, our most sustainable passenger car tyre with up to 65 per cent renewable and recycled materials. And even though it’s our highest performing tyre, the consumer perception that needs to be overcome is that paradox of liking the idea of recycled products, but not wanting a so-called ‘used’ tyre on their car. The UltraContact NXT is an AAA-rated tyre, but the consumer mindset still tends to be: ‘Is this an inferior product?’. On the commercial vehicle side, it’s a much easier conversation and barrier to overcome, but there’s still a lot of work for manufacturers such as Continental to reassure consumers that recycled tyres are great and they do work, and we certainly wouldn’t put inferior materials into a tyre!”