Hanover, May 2009. The new Porsche Panamera will be launched with Continental tires. To this end the tire developers in Hanover adapted the ContiSportContact 3, Continental's top tire line, to match the chassis of the new sports car and meet the specifications drawn up by Porsche in Zuffenhausen. This limited series of special tires for the Porsche will carry the designation 'N0' after the product name to distinguish them from the standard edition ContiSportContact 3. Size 255/45 ZR 19 (100Y) tires are fitted to the front axle of the Panamera, with 285/40 ZR 19 (103Y) on the rear. The alternative sizes 245/50 ZR 18 (100Y) and 275/45 ZR 18 (103Y) have also been approved by Porsche for the Panamera and carry the special designation 'N0'.
The sports tires approved by Porsche have to meet the high demands made by Germany's foremost sports car manufacturer. "Despite exacting requirements in terms of comfort and rolling resistance on the new Panamera, it was naturally important that these were not at the expense of the sporty handling characteristics of a Porsche" commented tire developer Uwe Kachel. "We spent long hours on computer simulations, carrying out trials on test beds and doing thousands of test miles on a range of tracks and racing circuits in Europe to match the tires as closely as possible to the car."
Continental is market leader with PLT-tires in the European OE business and is traditionally an important tire supplier for Porsche, a fact that documents the high standard of tires made by Hanover-based Continental, as well as the company's innovative achievements in the field of tire engineering.
With sales exceeding i24 billion in 2008, the Continental Corporation is one of the top automotive suppliers worldwide. As a supplier of tires, brake systems, systems and components for the powertrain and chassis, instrumentation, infotainment solutions, vehicle electronics and technical elastomers, the corporation contributes towards enhanced driving safety and protection of the global climate. Continental is also a competent partner in networked automobile communication. The corporation currently employs approximately 133,000 at nearly 190 locations in 35 countries.
Continental is Europe's market leader for car tires. In the Original Equipment sector, over 30% of all new European cars leave the factory on Continental tires. The Tire Divisions are an Official Sponsor of the 2010 FIFA World Cup South AfricaTM. For further details, visit www.ContiSoccerWorld.de.