Conti’s View of 2010

From European Rubber Journal’s (subscription required) interview with Nikolai Setzer, Conti’s management board member in charge of car tires.

How do you assess the tyre market for 2010?

“In Europe, we expect a flat market in production. But in North America, we expect a substantial recovery of about 20 percent. But the level was at a historic low in 2009. It can almost only go up.

We also see positive signs for original equipment in Europe, where we expect growth of 2 percent to 4 percent. In Asia, especially China, the growth should end up considerably stronger.”

The interview also touches on tires for electric vehicles.