Return to the Agricultural Tire Business: Continental Launches First Range of its Own Premium Radial Tires

• First standard tires Tractor70 and Tractor85 now available, expansion of the product portfolio in the next few years

• Top-quality production in Lousado, Portugal

• Decades of experience in agricultural and specialty tire business provide a solid foundation

 At Agritechnica, the first Continental premium radial tires for agricultural operations, Tractor70 and Tractor85, are celebrating their world premiere. They have been produced in the Continental plant in Lousado, Portugal, since September. "Re-entering the agricultural tire business is an important step for us on the growth path of the tire division," says Nikolai Setzer, member of the Executive Board of Continental AG and head of the tire division.

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"Over the past few years, we have been able to successfully expand the specialty tire business with the launch of port and earthmoving tires. The agricultural tire portfolio completes the product range for off-road use"

Robust standard tires Tractor70 and Tractor85 for maximum efficiency of agricultural machinery

With Tractor70 and Tractor85, Continental is launching two standard tires for tractors. The tires both display extreme robustness and durability, while at the same time ensuring a high level of driving comfort, gentle ground handling and traction. They feature a new bead technology and are made of an innovative nylon material, for a patent is pending under the name N.flex. The tires bear the "Engineered for Efficiency" label, which means that they are designed to increase the performance of agricultural machinery and the quality of their work, while reducing the resources deployed. After the launch of the standard tires Tractor70 and Tractor85, the Continental tire portfolio is to be expanded to a total of 100 sizes until 2019.

Production in Lousado with state-of- the-art production technology

At the same time as the market launch of Tractor70 and Tractor85, Continental is also starting agricultural tire production at its site in Lousado. The state-of- the-art production facility was set up in less than two years with an investment of 49.9 million euros. It is adjacent to the passenger car tire production facility, which is one of the most efficient within the Continental Group. Continental has also set up a test and development center at the new agricultural tire production site, where the agricultural tires are tested for quality and developed further.

More than 70 years of experience in agricultural tire production

Continental’s re-entry into the agricultural tire business will rely on its own in-depth knowledge of the development, production and distribution of specialty tires. At the same time, the tire manufacturer benefits from decades of experience in the agricultural tire business: the first tow tire was produced in 1928 and until 2004 radial tires were produced in the Czech town of Otrokovice. For this reason, Continental still enjoys a good reputation on the market.