Generally speaking, a wheel refers to a cylindrical metal component with a center mounted on the axle that supports the inner contour of a tire. It usually consists of three parts: the rim, spokes, and center hub. The wheel rim is a component that installs and supports the tire on the wheel, and the spoke is a supporting component between the center hub and the wheel rim on the wheel. The center hub is the central part of the wheel, connected to the axle. Wheel rims and spokes can be integral, permanently connected, or detachable.

Overview of the Automotive Aluminum Alloy Wheel Industry

The wheel is one of the components with high safety requirements in automotive parts, and it is the assembly with the largest proportion of automotive parts in the whole vehicle. It is not only a functional component that carries the overall weight and transmits torque of the vehicle, but also an important decorative component that matches the shape, coordinates the whole, and balances the appearance. At the same time, it has a certain impact on the handling stability, driving smoothness, and safety of the vehicle.

According to the entry channels, the automotive wheel market can be divided into the OEM market for complete vehicle matching and the AM market for after-sales service. Car wheels are the most durable and resilient components in the structure of automobiles, with a relatively low rate of damage and repair. Their after-sales market is mainly used for exterior modification and seasonal replacement needs. Countries such as Japan, Russia, and the United States generally prefer to replace snow season wheels in winter.

Overview of the Global Automotive Aluminum Alloy Wheel Industry

The global wheel materials have gone through the evolution process of steel materials (carbon steel, ductile iron, etc.), alloy materials (aluminum alloys), composite materials (aluminum magnesium alloys), etc. Currently, aluminum alloy wheels are the main type, and the popularity of magnesium alloy wheels with higher prices is relatively low. From the development of aluminum alloy wheels, steel wheels have dominated the wheel manufacturing industry for a long time. However, with the development and progress of science and technology, the requirements for vehicle safety, environmental protection, and energy conservation are becoming increasingly strict. Aluminum alloy wheels have gradually replaced steel wheels due to their beauty, light weight, energy saving, good heat dissipation, corrosion resistance, and good processing performance. At present, the installation rate of aluminum alloy wheels in the world has reached over 60%, with the vast majority of passenger cars choosing aluminum alloy wheels.

From the distribution area of aluminum alloy wheel manufacturers in the world, Chinese Mainland and Southeast Asian countries are the main production areas of aluminum alloy wheels; In the European market, German and Italian aluminum wheel factories have strong manufacturing technology and high product quality consistency, and still firmly control the share of European high-end brands and most common OEM market shares. However, due to high production costs and weak price competitiveness, their production capacity has gradually shifted to the Czech Republic, Poland and Türkiye. Through technological transformation, wheel manufacturers in industrial developed countries maintain their leading edge in product technology, control local high-end market demand and main OEM market share, and reduce their cost disadvantage by establishing factories overseas (mainly in China, Mexico, Türkiye, Southeast Asia and other countries or regions).