Unless the emphasis is placed on a specific group sector, the opportunities apply to all group sectors.
There are opportunities for Continental if the economy performs better than anticipated.
If the economy in our major sales regions develops better than we have anticipated, we expect that demand for vehicles, replacement tires and industrial products will also develop better than we have anticipated. Due to the increased demand for Continental’s products among vehicle manufacturers and industrial clients and in the replacement business that would be expected as a consequence, our sales could rise more significantly than expected and there could be positive effects with regard to fixed cost coverage. Particular importance is attached to the European market due to the high share of sales that Continental generates in this region (47%).
There are opportunities for Continental if prices fall on the raw materials markets relevant to us.
Continental’s earnings situation is affected to a significant extent by the cost of raw materials, electronic components, logistics and energy. For Automotive, this particularly relates to the cost of electronic components as well as metals and plastics. The earnings situation of Tires and ContiTech is significantly impacted by the cost of oil and of natural and synthetic rubber. If prices for natural and synthetic rubber in particular decline, this could have a positive impact on Continental’s earnings, provided sales prices for rubber products remain stable. The trend toward automated and autonomous driving presents Continental with opportunities.
The trend from assisted driving to automated and autonomous driving is set to continue.
Several vehicle manufacturers plan to offer new models with partially automated “Level 3” functions over the next few years. A key requirement for partially automated driving is that vehicles be equipped with sensors. To date, between two and seven sensors for assisted driving have been installed per vehicle, depending on their equipment features. Even for partially automated driving, considerably more and also higher-quality radar, camera and LiDAR sensors are required, depending on the scope of the functionality. Since Continental is one of the leading providers of advanced driver assistance systems, the increasing volume of sensors, electronic control units and new software could result in considerable sales and earnings opportunities.
Innovations for vehicle interiors present Continental with opportunities.
For optimum interaction between the driver and the vehicle, more and more new products are being used in car manufacturing in the increasingly important area of “user experience.” For the user experience of the future, Continental has developed countless innovations such as curved digital 3D displays and temporarily hidden displays. With customer-specific solutions for interior sensor technology, Continental is also increasing safety and ease of use within the vehicle. Since intelligent concepts for new experiences for car buyers in the vehicle interior are becoming more and more important, and Continental is one of the leading providers of these, increasing demand among car manufacturers could result in considerable sales and earnings opportunities.
The digitalization of vehicles and the services generated as a result present Continental with opportunities.
The massive amounts of data generated by driver assistance systems and driver information systems as well as the immediate processing thereof in vehicles require a changeover of the vehicle architecture to the most cutting-edge high-performance computers. This – together with the new software solutions required for this purpose – results in substantial growth potential for Continental with positive effects on its future sales and attainable margins. Furthermore, the increasing digitalization of our products gives us the opportunity to offer our customers software-based services and regular software updates in addition to the product itself, and to open up new markets for mobility services (smart mobility).
The tire business presents Continental with opportunities.
Continental intends to further increase its market share in the growth markets of Asia and North America in particular. In the passenger- car tire segment, the global business with tires for electric mobility and ultra-high-performance tires is to be systematically expanded further. The truck and bus tire business is to be further developed in all regions through the Conti360˚ fleet services. Continental’s specialty tire business, which includes not only two-wheel and racing tires but also tires for a variety of industrial applications, is expected to grow further as well. Smart, digital tire solutions and ambitious sustainability goals will also make a significant contribution to market success and differentiation in the future. The market launch of our new ContiRe.Tex technology and the intelligent tire management solution ContiConnect 2.0 are important steps in this direction (see the Research and Development section). In the area of service-based digital solutions, the Tires group sector of Continental aims to become the leading supplier worldwide by 2030. If Continental succeeds in increasing its market share in highgrowth segments and in digital solutions and services even more than planned, this is likely to have positive effects on its sales and earnings.
Digitalization in the industrial business presents Continental with opportunities.
The growth potential results primarily from the increasing demand for digital and intelligent solutions in the industrial business. To this end, the ContiTech group sector will draw on its long-standing and detailed knowledge of the industry and materials to open up new business opportunities by combining various materials with electronic components and individual services (e.g. Conti LoadSense; see the Research and Development section). If these new products become established more quickly than planned, this would create corresponding sales and earnings opportunities for Continental.
There are opportunities for Continental from changes in the legal framework.
Legal regulations with the aim of further improving traffic safety provide an opportunity for a rise in demand for Continental’s products. Based on our broad product portfolio for active vehicle safety, we have developed more advanced safety systems over the past years. Further volume growth is expected as a result of more stringent requirements in various regional safety tests, since an increasing number of safety systems have been recognized as having achieved the very highest level of safety. In addition, more and more legal requirements in individual countries are being expanded to include active safety systems.
