At this year’s Red Dot Award, the Conti Hybrid HS5 and Hybrid HD5 tyres fought off competition to win the Product Design category.
This annual design competition presents the Red Dot quality label to the best entries. Hinnerk Kaiser, Head of Product Development Bus and Truck Tyres at Continental said “We are particularly delighted to receive the award for the first two models in our new generation of tyres. It is an endorsement of the quality and strength of our development work, which involved bringing together concept and mileage with design and performance.”
Tyre design shapes brand identity
The new Continental Hybrid family of Generation 5 tyres have been developed for the demands of daily operation in the transport and logistics industry. They are said to cope with frequent acceleration, braking, manoeuvring and cornering on a variety of road surfaces, while offering high mileages, durability and traction. The tyres also claim to help to bring down a truck’s fuel consumption and minimise fleet costs thanks to their lowered rolling resistance. “Tyre design plays a key role here in a number of ways,” explains tyre expert Kaiser. “It reinforces brand identity by emphasising innovative strength and technological sophistication.”
Design and function go hand in hand
The design of both winning tyres, particularly of the tread, reportedly highlights the operating principles at play. And tyre design is said to be important for ensuring the products are distinguishable from those of other brands. “When developing the Generation 5 tyres, we were looking to bring a logical evolution of the long series of successful Conti Hybrid truck tyres onto the market, with its innovations easily identifiable,” adds Kaiser.
“We also had to come up with an appropriate design language that would indicate the tyre’s use in freight haulage.” The hexagonal hatching effect on the tyre sidewall links it to the segment covered by the Conti Hybrid Generation 5 series. This claims to have a brand-enhancing effect when the tyres are fitted on the vehicle. In addition, new application icons combine with the product name to apparently illustrate the tyre’s suitability for different road conditions. It all adds up to a development concept that is said to get the vote of professionals on both a functional and design level.
