• Stories
150 Years of Continental

Focus at Continental on High-quality Products

Back in 1920, the staff at Continental were already meticulously testing the elasticity and suppleness of car hoses. A particularly high tensile strength was the decisive criterion for determining the quality standard for rubber. To check these properties, a vehicle weighing 1,275 kg was lifted into the air by a crane – attached to a Continental hose. During this test, the hose stretched to 8.6 times its length before returning to its original size. If it did so successfully, it was deemed to have passed. 

Even today, a high quality standard is essential in ensuring that the products are safer, work more efficiently and processes are more sustainable. It is not only car hoses that need be tested on a regular basis, but also electronic products such as body control units, which currently count among the most high-performance vehicle computers.