The spin-off of the former Automotive and Contract Manufacturing segments resulted in the application of IFRS 5, Non-current Assets Held for Sale and Discontinued Operations. These parts represent discontinued operations.
The individual lines of the consolidated statement of cash flows show the figures for continuing operations in the reporting and comparative periods. In addition, the subtotals for cash flow from operating activities, cash flow from investing activities, cash flow from financing activities and cash flow before financing activities (free cash flow) for the Continental Group are broken down into continuing and discontinued operations. This results in greater transparency for fiscal 2025 and its comparative period compared with the last presentation of discontinued operations in accordance with IFRS 5, Non-current Assets Held for Sale and Discontinued Operations, in fiscal 2021.
| € millions | 2025 | 2024 |
| Earnings after tax from continuing operations | –415 | 1,358 |
| Income tax expense | 384 | 398 |
| Financial result | 303 | 287 |
| EBIT | 272 | 2,043 |
| Interest paid | –293 | –320 |
| Interest received | 68 | 67 |
| Income tax paid | –562 | –557 |
| Dividends received | 9 | 6 |
| Depreciation, amortization, impairment and reversal of impairment losses | 1,586 | 1,111 |
| Income from equity-accounted investees and other investments, incl. impairment and reversal of impairment losses | –11 | –6 |
| Gains/losses from the disposal of assets, companies and business operations | 676 | –3 |
| Changes in | ||
| inventories | 89 | –97 |
| trade accounts receivable | 17 | –25 |
| trade accounts payable | –337 | 53 |
| employee benefits and other provisions | 349 | –130 |
| other assets and liabilities1 as well as other non-cash effects | 152 | –514 |
| Cash flow from operating activities – continuing operations | 2,014 | 1,628 |
| Cash flow from operating activities – discontinued operations | 179 | 1,306 |
| Cash flow from operating activities | 2,193 | 2,934 |
| Capital expenditure on property, plant and equipment, and software | –1,072 | –1,056 |
| Capital expenditure on intangible assets from development projects and miscellaneous | –3 | 0 |
| Disposal of property, plant and equipment, and intangible assets | 19 | 26 |
| Acquisition of companies and business operations | 0 | 1 |
| Disposal of companies and business operations | 9 | 4 |
| Cash flow from investing activities – continuing operations | –1,047 | –1,026 |
| Cash flow from investing activities – discontinued operations | –371 | –795 |
| Cash flow from investing activities | –1,418 | –1,821 |
| Cash flow before financing activities (free cash flow) – continuing operations | 967 | 603 |
| Cash flow before financing activities (free cash flow) – discontinued operations | –192 | 511 |
| Cash flow before financing activities (free cash flow) | 775 | 1,114 |
| Issuance of bonds | 1,363 | 600 |
| Redemption of bonds | –602 | –725 |
| Repayment of lease liabilities | –222 | –216 |
| Change in other indebtedness | –249 | –264 |
| Change in derivative instruments and interest-bearing investments | 12 | –45 |
| Other cash changes | –11 | –3 |
| Successive purchases | –1 | 0 |
| Dividends paid | –500 | –440 |
| Dividends paid to and cash changes from equity transactions with non-controlling interests | –21 | –11 |
| Cash flow from financing activities – continuing operations | –231 | –1,103 |
| Cash flow from financing activities – discontinued operations | 95 | 31 |
| Cash flow from financing activities | –135 | –1,072 |
| Change in cash and cash equivalents | 640 | 42 |
| Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of the reporting period | 2,966 | 2,923 |
| Disposal/addition of cash and cash equivalents through changes in the scope of consolidation | 0 | –3 |
| Effect of exchange-rate changes on cash and cash equivalents | –181 | 3 |
| Cash and cash equivalents – continuing and discontinued operations | 3,425 | 2,966 |
| Less cash and cash equivalents – discontinued operations at the date of disposal | –1,798 | — |
| Less cash and cash equivalents – assets held for sale | –124 | — |
| Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the reporting period according to the items on the statement of financial position | 1,503 | 2,966 |
1 The figure for the comparative period mainly includes the cash outflow from the payment of €476 million for the shares in ContiTech AG (now operating under the name ContiTech Deutschland GmbH) acquired in 2022. The addition to plan assets in 2022, which was netted with the associated obligations to employees, was offset by a liability that was paid out in the first half of 2024 (please refer to Notes 29 and 34 to the consolidated financial statements in the 2022 annual report). As changes in employee benefits are allocated to cash flow from operating activities in the statement of cash flows, the payment of the liability was also allocated to this item and presented in changes to other assets and liabilities and other non-cash effects.
