Continental Tires continues to serve as the Preferred Partner of the Global Mercedes-Benz After-Sales Tires Program in the Asia-Pacific markets. The partnership extends within the APAC region, which started September 2020 in Japan, Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Republic of China (R.O.C., Taiwan), India, and starting September 2021 in Indonesia. The partnership involves intensive cooperation with the development of special marketing concepts and the implementation of joint sales campaigns and sell-out promotions.
The Preferred Partner Program, extended three years ago from Europe to Asia-Pacific, aims to create a closer and joint development of the tires after-sales, to facilitate in-store sales and enable knowledge sharing between Mercedes-Benz AG and tire manufacturer. Ferdinand Hoyos, Executive Vice President, BU RE Tires APAC for Continental Tires expressed, “Premium vehicle manufacturers have the highest requirements on the quality and performance of its vehicles and demands no less of their tire supplier. This applies not just to the original factory-fitted tires, but also to the subsequent tire changes needed throughout the life of the vehicle. Continental’s shared commitment to premium quality and precision German engineering make us the ideal partner for this program.”
The APAC region is one of Continental Tires’ key growth markets, where it is expanding its footprint through investments on various fronts – in its people, production, R&D, marketing, and distribution. In 2019, it officially launched production at its plant in Rayong, Thailand, to support its planned business growth in both original equipment and replacement business for passenger and light truck tires. Keeping up with the era of digitalisation and changing trends of the automotive industry, Continental strives to understand local customer demands and to provide customized solutions accordingly.
Continental Tires continues to work jointly with the vehicle manufacturer in the selected APAC markets to provide customers an excellent service experience by offering and making available the right homologated tailor-made Mercedes-Benz marked MO/MOE/MO1/MOS Continental tire for their vehicle. Continental tires and co-branded displays are visible in Mercedes-Benz retail stores across the region. Additionally, customer events take place jointly to highlight the importance of the correct MO-marked Continental tire. Continental Tires also receives access to central order and sales tools linking to Mercedes-Benz’s network and a direct online platform to fulfill orders.
Ferdinand Hoyos adds, “As we have before, Continental dedicates its best people to support the program with tire business expertise and training. We are excited to continue this partnership and look forward to our joint success in the region.”
