Continental Tyres looking to raise its profile in the UAE

Continental is the fourth largest tyre manufacturer in the world. The German-based brand launched in the UAE in 2009 when they partnered up with Emirates for Universal Tyres (EUT), part of the Abdulla Al Masood and Sons (AMS) Group, to become the sole distributor. They recently sponsored the AMG club’s drag racing event at the Dubai Autodrome, since all Mercedes-Benz AMG models come with Continental tyres as standard.

“Continental Tyres work very closely with Mercedes-Benz, especially the AMG division,” according to Jonathan Tait, General Manager of EUT. Continental tyres apparently have dedicated personnel working at the AMG headquarters to help build the most suitable tyres for their performance cars. “Continental are serious about creating the best performance tyres in the market,” said Tait.

Continental is now looking to expand their market share in the Middle East. “Continental Tyres has been around for five years in the UAE and it has been good,” said Tait. “We hope to take it to the next level and have big plans for this region.”

Not only Mercedes-Benz, but Volkswagen and Audi are some of the other brands using Continental tyres but Tait says they are not just restricted to German brands. “Continental is not exclusive to German car manufacturers, even though most of them are using Continental tyres. For example, the next Nissan Tiida will have Continental tyres.” The all-new Tiida is slated for launch later this year in the GCC.

However don’t expect lower prices than the other big brands as Continental tyre costs are on par with the usual big players in the market. Tait says, “Continental tyres are a premium brand and use German-engineering technology. Quality is not compromised and Continental tyres are as good, if not better, than our main competitors in the market.”