Edelman is current the PR agency-of-record for Continental China.
A source close to the development told Campaign Asia-Pacific that the winning agency would be responsible for consumer PR and media events for the new product launch this May or June.
A source close to the review described Continental as "a unique and high-end brand". Competitor brands include Pirelli, Yokohama, Michelin, Bridgestone and Goodyear.
In May 2011, Continental opened its first Chinese tyre plant in Hefei, Anhui province, injecting more than US$237 million investment into its manufacturing capabilities there. The plant has a reported annual production capacity of four million tyres.
On Continental's website, chief executive Elmar Degenhart defines Asia as "one of our key growth markets". He points to the opening of the Hefei plant as "another major step into this direction, with which we are significantly enhancing our position in the automotive industry in China and in the Asia Pacific region”.