BBS Wheels

BBS Kraftfahrzeugtechnik AG (English: BBS Automotive Technology AG) is a high performance automobile wheel design company headquartered in Schiltach, Germany. BBS serves North America through BBS of America, located in Braselton, Georgia, adjacent to the Road Atlanta Racetrack. BBS produces wheels for motorsport, OEM, and aftermarket applications.

The company employs approximately 1,200 employees worldwide (2007). BBS trades on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange (Symbol: BKS3) with a market capitalization of €8.15M

History

BBS Kraftfahrzeugtechnik AG began in 1970 in Schiltach Germany by Heinrich Baumgartner and Klaus Brand as a manufacturing plant for plastic auto body parts. The initials BBS are based on the last names of the two founders and the city in which the company was founded (Baumgartner, Brand, Schiltach).

In 2007 BBS went bankrupt and was taken over by the Belgian firm Punch International.

Technology

In 1972 BBS pioneered the development of a three-piece racing wheel, a revolution in motorsport design. Most recently BBS has engineered the Air Inside Technology (AIT) where hollow chambers are created within the wheel structure to compensate for the small air volume in modern ultra-low-profile tyres, reduce unsprung weight, improve handling dynamics, and increase fuel efficiency without sacrificing strength and rigidity. This innovation earned BBS Kraftfahrzeugtechnik the Automechanika Innovation Award 2006 in the tuning segment. BBS entered into a technical cooperation agreement in 1990 with ASA, a Korean company that was starting wheel production.

OEM applications

Japanese company "Washibeam Co., Ltd" manufactures the BBS F1 Magnesium wheel and All racing Aluminum wheels. Since BBS is a customer of Washibeam, manufacture of the wheel will not be discontinued if BBS goes bankrupt.

BBS has and continues to supply OEM wheel applications to a number of automobile brands. In street vehicles, their products can be seen on brands such as BMW, Audi, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Ferrari, Maserati, Mitsubishi, Rolls Royce, Jaguar, Infiniti, Renault,Saab, Subaru, Volkswagen, Toyota, and Volvo. Lexus began using BBS wheels on its IS-F when launched in 2008, updating the design for the 2010 model year and again for 2012.

The cross-spoke design (pictured), which superficially resembles a wire wheel, is extremely common on sports cars produced from the 1980s to the early 1990s, and is light in weight compared to many other styles. One of the most notable wheels of them all they have produced was the three-piece RS, released in 1977 and became a popular after-market features as well as being replicated by other manufacturers. Another wheel that has since become a popular design as well as being replicated by numerous companies is the RG, the company's first wheel produced, known as Rennsport, a competition use only wheel has been copied by Speed Star Racing for its Formula Mesh series.

The company also supplies motorsports applications and is also the largest supplier of wheels for Indy Racing League Series and the main supplier of Formula One teams.