Popularity rate of aluminum wheel as high as 66% in 2012-2013

In 2012, the world's PLT output hit 67.6 million, with the popularity rate of aluminum wheel as high as 66%. The estimate suggests that the world's PLT output in 2013 will register 68.9 million with the penetration rate of aluminum wheel soaring to 67%. In 2012, OEM aluminum wheel shipment approximated 185 million, and the shipment of AM aluminum wheel reached 21 million pcs. In 2012, the world's aluminum wheel market scale approached around USD12.9 billion, while the targeted figure in 2013 will increase to USD13.7 billion.

At the end of 2012, China's aluminum wheel capacity approached 180 million pcs, while the sales volume surpassed 120 million pcs, with the capacity utilization above 70%. In particular, some 45 million pcs were sold in domestic market, while the rest 75 million ones were exported to overseas markets.

In 2011-2012, the Chinese market witnessed severe overcapacity of both alumina and electrolytic aluminum, leading to a nosedive of alumina price. In order to dissolve capacities, a great many of alumina enterprises tapped into the aluminum wheel market successively, causing oversupply and cut-throat competition in the market. Consequently, the profits of SMEs fell sharply. By contrast, large industrial players expand market further relying on their scale advantage and improve qualities of top-grade products. A case in point was CITIC Dicastal Wheel Manufacturing, the wheel output of which hit 27 million pcs in 2012, with the revenue substantially rising by 27.8% from the preceding year, despite the slight output growth of 12.5% against the 24 million ones over 2011.

Due to the staggering economic recovery in Europe, industrial players in these countries saw steep dive in profit and slight drop in revenue. As for Japanese and North American counterparts, their profits were basically flat or on a slight decline.