When was the company Continental Automotive Systems is a division of founded?
Continental AG Continental AG, commonly known as Continental, is a leading German automotive manufacturing company specialising in tyres, brake systems, interior electronics, automotive safety, powertrain and chassis components, tachographs, and other parts for the automotive and transportation industries. Continental is based in Hanover, Lower Saxony, Germany. Continental is the world's fourth-largest tyre manufacturer. Continental was founded in 1871 as a rubber manufacturer, "Continental-Caoutchouc und Gutta-Percha Compagnie". After acquiring Siemens AG's VDO automotive unit in 2007 Continental was ranked third in global OEM automotive parts sales in 2012 according to a study sponsored by PricewaterhouseCoopers.
Xtrac Limited Xtrac Limited, also known as Xtrac Transmission Technology, is a British engineering company founded in 1984 by the former Hewland engineer Mike Endean to make 4WD systems and gearboxes for rallycross and later rally and racing cars. Endean, together with Chris Goddard, who had been working on the electronic components essential to the system, in 1983 developed the first ever Xtrac 4WD system for Norwegian rallycross star Martin Schanche. Schanche had thought up the idea of a during driving changeable hydraulic 4WD system (his 1984 ERC winning Ford Escort Mk3 Xtrac/Zakspeed had a stepless FWD:RWD ratio of 28:72 to 50:50) and financed its development. This 560bhp strong so-called "Xtrac 1" (see image at right) was bought by Endean in the mid-1990s, who is still racing it himself in carsprints and hillclimbs from time to time.