WardsAuto Podcast: Continental’s Future in BEV Era

Continental’s footprint in North America ranges from tires to software-based modules and systems for battery-electric vehicles and advanced driver-assistance systems, safety systems and modules, sensors, and more.

But like most automakers and major suppliers, it is recalibrating its businesses and product mix to comply with mandates in the U.S. and EU to shift to BEVs.

Aruna Anand was named CEO of the automotive group sector in North America in 2022 to steer the operation into the new era.

Anand oversees the work of about 40,000 employees that accounts for 25% of Continental’s overall global business. She joined the Tier 1 supplier in 1997 and rose to vice president—architecture and networking for North America. Anand earned a B.A. in Electrical Engineering in India and a M.S. in Computer Science at Oakland University in Michigan.

WardsAuto named Continental the Tier 1 Supplier of the Year at Informa’s AutoTech: Detroit event earlier this year.

WardsAuto speaks with Anand amidst published reports in Germany and North America that the Germany-based supplier is reorganizing ContiTech from six divisions into one in Europe, the Americas and Asia Pacific, while consolidating car businesses into a separate unit geared toward electromobility.

Part of Continental’s transition into the BEV and software-based vehicles-era could well mean the sale of some businesses, but we’ll have to wait for the company to solidify those plans and strategy.