Overseas Rubber Industry News｜German tire maker Continental posted profit growth in Q3 and upgraded its full-year guidance. Behind the financial report, the fast expansion of UHP premium tires is reshaping demand for cost-effective refurbished rubber processing equipment. Raw material cost pressure remains a key risk for the sector.
Hanover, Germany — Continental has released its Q3 operational results and raised its full-year targets for 2026.
Financial highlights: Adjusted EBIT reached €514 million, up 6.7% year-on-year, with adjusted EBIT margin climbing to 14.9%. Consolidated sales hit €3.5 billion, a year-on-year decline mainly caused by the divestiture of the Original Equipment Solutions (OESL) business back in February.
Updated full-year guidance:
Adjusted EBIT margin: 13.4%–14.0% (previous: 12.0%–13.5%)
Adjusted free cash flow: €1.0–1.3 billion (previous: €0.7–1.1 billion)
Full-year sales range revised to €13.5–13.9 billion (previous: €13.2–14.2 billion)
Regional tire business performance varies greatly:
EMEA acts as the profit backbone for Continental’s tire division, contributing over half of global tire sales. Quarterly sales stayed flat, while margin improved, driven by winter tires, truck & bus tires and growing UHP tire demand.
Asia-Pacific maintains high profit margins, supported by solid OEM market performance and favorable exchange rates. Continental keeps a positive outlook on the local market. It plans to deepen cooperation with domestic tire manufacturers and explore opportunities in ASEAN, India and Japan with a premium-focused strategy.
Replacement tire demand in the Americas remains weak, with heavier pressure in South America. Regional margin is still lower than EMEA and Asia-Pacific. The group aims to lift margin back to double digits by expanding UHP and premium tire share and optimizing plant utilisation.
ContiTech, the business segment marked for divestment, recorded a sharp sales drop in Q3. Weak market demand and rising raw material costs weighed on profitability. Cost-cutting and operational optimisation measures have been rolled out to offset headwinds. Recent order recovery in its trading business sends a positive signal.
Management warned: Premium large-size tires are the core growth driver, yet surging raw material costs will further squeeze profit in Q4. Combined with a slight drop in global vehicle production, the OEM tire market is facing downward pressure.
Continental is doubling down on the premium track. It plans to launch more than 650 new UHP tire specifications by the end of 2027, targeting SUV and electric vehicle large-size tires. UHP tires now account for 62% of Continental’s passenger tire sales, up from 49% in 2020, showing a clear premium upgrade trend.
We can also draw valuable insights for rubber equipment players from this financial update.UHP tires make up 62% of passenger tire sales, with another 650 new specifications scheduled. Premium tires require more compound formulations and frequent small-batch changeovers, placing stricter requirements on temperature stability and compound dispersion consistency within mixing and calendering lines.
Europe and Asia-Pacific deliver steady profits, while some truck tire production lines in the Americas run at low utilisation. Global tire production capacity is being rebalanced, creating cross-border trading opportunities for inspected, refurbished rubber machinery.
Facing high raw material prices, many tire factories choose controlled capital expenditure. Refurbished rubber mixing and calendering equipment is an economical option for factories expanding UHP tire capacity. DFTMC supplies inspected, refurbished rubber machinery, including mixing lines and calender units, with after-sales support, installation guidance and spare parts service for tire manufacturers worldwide.
The shifting profit structure of leading global tire makers offers reference for domestic rubber and tire practitioners. Replacement market demand is diverging, and high-end UHP tires carry stronger premium pricing power. Meanwhile, raw material price volatility, geopolitical risks and tariff uncertainty remain persistent challenges for overseas expansion.
