After the spin-off of Continental Group's automotive sub-group, it will be named Aumovio in the future. The new company name was officially announced at the 2025 Shanghai International Auto Show, highlighting the importance of the growing Chinese market and demonstrating its "rooted in the market, serving the market" strategy.

On April 23, 2025, Continental Group's automotive sub-group announced its future company name at the 2025 Shanghai International Auto Show. This independent automotive enterprise will be officially named Aumovio. The new name reflects its inherited advantages, technical expertise, and strong market position in the automotive industry, while also demonstrating its ambition to shape future mobility through innovation. Aumovio will focus on providing innovative electronic products and advanced mobility solutions to global customers, with a particular emphasis on cutting-edge areas such as software-defined vehicles, as well as safe, enjoyable, connected, and autonomous mobility.

Mr. Nikolai Setzer, a member of Continental's Executive Board and CEO of the automotive sub-group, said, "We have always closely integrated our automotive business with future technologies, aligning with the development trends of the automotive industry. With our innovative strength and competitive edge, we can quickly seize market opportunities. This means we are steadily becoming a leading and adaptable enterprise in the automotive industry. The new brand is a manifestation of this ambition."

The Automotive Sub-group Is Expected to Achieve an Average Annual Growth Rate of 4.7% in the Future

According to a market analysis report by Berrys, the value generated by the automotive sub-group's solutions in each vehicle is expected to grow at an average annual rate of 4.7% by 2029. This growth rate far exceeds the increase in global passenger car and light commercial vehicle production (based on S&P Global Mobility's market forecast). Guided by its "rooted in the market, serving the market" strategy, the automotive sub-group showcased a number of innovative technologies for the Chinese market and customers at this year's Shanghai Auto Show.

Mr. Nikolai Setzer said, "As an independent company, we will significantly enhance our innovation capabilities and response speed. Aumovio will have three major advantages: leading technology products, a consistent value creation strategy, and an organic combination of a global collaborative network and in-depth localization. Our goal is to further strengthen our position in the field of future mobility and growing markets, and this strategy is particularly evident in the Chinese market. Therefore, we are giving full play to the advantages of our local layout, conducting local R&D and production in the Chinese market."

Why the Spin-off?

Continental Group stated that due to the rapidly changing automotive market, the purpose of spinning off the automotive sub-group is to fully unleash the company's potential in value creation and business growth.

Mr. Nikolai Setzer, Continental's CEO, said in Hanover on August 5 last year, "Our strategy aims to enhance our value creation. This includes systematically analyzing how to find the optimal positioning for each sub-group to achieve success. In recent months, significant changes have occurred in the market and among customers, especially in the automotive industry. Looking ahead, the volatile regional markets and software-driven technological transformation require companies to have greater flexibility and autonomous decision-making capabilities. In this context, we plan to split Continental Group into two independent companies." (Editor's note: On April 8, 2025, Continental Group decided to continue the spin-off and divest the ContiTech sub-group. As a result, Continental Group will only retain its tire business in the future.)

Professor Wolfgang Reitzle, Chairman of Continental's Supervisory Board, said on August 5 last year, "The spin-off of the automotive sub-group has the potential to enhance our competitiveness, agility, and transparency. As a strong, independent operating entity, the automotive sub-group will be able to fully utilize its potential and continuously create value. In addition, investors will be able to invest in a company focused on automotive electronics."
According to news from the German magazine Automobilwoche, the Chairman of the Supervisory Board is regarded as the driving force behind this spin-off.

On December 18, 2024, Professor Wolfgang Reitzle, Chairman of Continental's Supervisory Board, said in Hanover, "The entire Supervisory Board firmly supports this ambitious plan."

Mr. Nikolai Setzer added, "When conducting a detailed assessment, we will keep the interests of all employees in mind - they will also benefit from having two strong, independent companies."

On December 9, 2024, Mr. Nikolai Setzer, a member of Continental's Executive Board and head of the automotive sub-group, said, "We have continuously improved the performance of the automotive sub-group, laying a solid foundation for coping with future market changes and capital market demands. Currently, we are strictly following the plan to implement various measures to ensure the smooth realization of our goals."

A Series of Personnel Changes

On January 17, 2025, Continental Group's automotive sub-group appointed Karin Dohm (52 years old) as its future Chief Financial Officer to continue promoting its independent operation. Karin Dohm will join the automotive sub-group of Continental Group on April 1, 2025. She was appointed as a member of the future automotive business's Executive Board, responsible for accounting, finance and control, tax, mergers and acquisitions, real estate management, investor relations, and the information technology department.

The automotive sub-group of Continental Group appointed Nino Romano (57 years old), former head of quality and operations, as the new Chief Technology Officer. Nino Romano took office on February 1, 2025.

On March 12, 2025, Continental's Supervisory Board appointed Stefan E. Buchner, a member of the Supervisory Board, as the Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the independent automotive company. As previously announced, Mr. Nikolai Setzer will continue to serve as the CEO of the automotive company after the spin-off. In addition, the Supervisory Board also approved his appointment as the Chairman of the Executive Board of the future company.

Mr. Nikolai Setzer said, "I am very pleased with the trust the Supervisory Board has placed in the entire automotive sub-group team and in me personally. The performance of the automotive sub-group in 2024 proves that we are moving steadily towards our goals and are fully prepared to comprehensively promote the further development of the future independent listed company."

Investors React Positively to Continental Group's Spin-off

Continental Group streamlined its business for investors. The company's announcement of spinning off the automotive sub-group on August 5, 2024, was warmly welcomed by the crisis-hit stock market the next day. Unlike most other stocks, Continental Group's stock suffered limited losses.

Following the decision to spin off the automotive sub-group, on April 8, 2025, Continental Group decided to spin off the ContiTech sub-group. The tire business will become the entire asset of Continental Group, and the stock market should welcome this.

For some time, insiders have been saying that investors do not value "the all-in-one Continental Group" as highly as companies focused on a specific field. However, stock prices are a tangible way to reward shareholders' trust and ultimately play a decisive role in the company's future. Micha Gebhardt, a journalist from the German magazine Automobilwoche, said that the spin-off is the right step, at least for the tire division.

The Importance of the Chinese Market

Continental Group's automotive sub-group has been deeply involved in the Chinese market for 30 years and currently has approximately 10,000 employees in China. In the 2024 fiscal year, about 14% of the automotive sub-group's global sales came from the Chinese market. According to internal forecasts and assessments by third-party research institutions, as the world's largest automotive market, the growth rate of the Chinese market is expected to continue to lead the global average in the next five years. In recent years, the automotive sub-group has continuously improved its local value chain layout in China, providing comprehensive support to Chinese and foreign automakers through local production, local supply chain systems, and especially innovative R&D tailored to the needs of the Chinese market.

At the annual press conference held in Hanover on March 4, Mr. Nikolai Setzer, Continental Group's CEO, emphasized the company's "localization for localization" approach in the Chinese market. In recent years, the group has invested approximately 3 billion euros in China.

Source：Automotive Manufacturing AP

Published by：AHTE Content Marketing Team