This State Has The Largest Continental Tire Plant In All Of America

Continental Tires is a multinational tire manufacturing corporation that got its start in Hanover, Germany in October of 1871, when it was founded as the Continental-Caoutchouc- und Gutta-Percha Compagnie. It progressed from making solid rubber vehicle tires to pneumatic versions, first for bicycles, and then automobiles. In 1908, Continental developed wheels with detachable rims, which made changing tires easier than ever before. 

After spending the years from 1933 to 1945 as part of the Nazi war machine, Continental returned to civilian-related goals, which started with expansion throughout Europe, then extending to other sites around the world that included the U.S. and a good part of South America by 1998. A Malaysian joint venture started in 2003, while the company's first plant in Hebei, China followed in 2011. The Continental brand itself is just one of the 11 tire brands owned by Continental AG.

America's largest Continental tire plant, located in Mount Vernon, Illinois, has an interesting history of its own. While the plant originally began production in 1974, it was not acquired by Continental until 1987. At first, it produced tires solely for commercial vehicles, but it has been producing light truck and passenger car tires since 2011. The plant recently earned the ISCC PLUS Certification for its use of sustainable materials and transparent sourcing of them. A total of 3,900 employees work at the Mount Vernon plant, making around 11.4 million tires each year in an area equivalent to 100 acres. A Continental tire also earned a spot on SlashGear's list of all-season tires with the best treadwear ratings.

Other Continental tire plants in the U.S. that supplement the output of the country's largest Mount Vernon, Illinois location include Clinton, Mississippi; Plymouth, Indiana, and Sumter, South Carolina. Continental also has additional plants in the Americas, in places like San Luis Potosi, Mexico, Cuenca, Ecuador, and Camacari, Brazil. These plants are in addition to the 12 other Continental tire factories located in Europe, South Africa, and Asia. 

As of 2024, Continental had about 95,000 employees who work in 54 different markets and countries. Total sales that year came in at 39.7 billion Euros, equivalent to around $46 billion. In addition to its tire business, Continental has acquired a wide variety of automotive supplier businesses over the years, making it into a top supplier company by the early years of the 21st century. In September of 2025, Continental spun off these supplier businesses, which included such illustrious names as Teves, Siemens VDO, and Temic into a new entity called AUMOVIO. AUMOVIO will operate independently of the Continental tire-making operation, which produces some of the best-performing tires.

Today, Continental makes a wide variety of tires for a wide variety of vehicles, including bicycles, motorcycles, cars, material-handling vehicles, port operations vehicles, and earthmoving equipment. Some of Continental's more popular automotive tires for summer and all-season use include the PremiumContact 7, the UltraContact, the SportContact 7, and the AllSeasonContact 2. For winter use, the Continental Viking Contact line, the WinterContact TS 830 P, and VanContact are well-rated by users.