From Tire Review
                        
During its annual press conference, Continental CEO Elmar Degenhart shared that expansion of the tire business and further acquisitions are on the cards as part of the company’s aim of reducing its reliance on the automotive original equipment industry. After discussing the recent acquisition of Veyance Technologies, a firm he described as "ideally" matching the ContiTech division in terms of both product range and markets, Degenhart added that further steps toward reducing automotive OE dependence will follow: “Firstly, in the form of continuous expansion of our replacement tire business. And then too, we are not ruling out the possibility of further acquisitions.”
 
Continental anticipates global replacement passenger car, SUV and light commercial vehicle tire markets will rise 3 percent year-on-year in 2014; according to Degenhart, a 2 percent increase is expected in Europe and the NAFTA area; unit sales in these two regions should thus rise by a total of 11 million units compared with 2013. A year-on-year rise of 5 percent to 66 million units is anticipated in South America, along with a 6 percent increase to 313 million units in Asia. (Tyres & Accessories)