BBS Kraftfahrzeugtechnik
AG (English: BBS Automotive Technology AG) is a high-performance
automobile
A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with Wheel, wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primarily on roads, Car seat, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport private transport#Personal transport, pe ...
wheel design company headquartered in
Schiltach
Schiltach is a town in the district of Rottweil, in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated in the eastern Black Forest, on the river Kinzig, 20 km south of Freudenstadt.
Geography
Schiltach lies on the eastern side of the Black Forest ...
, Germany. BBS produces wheels for
motorsport
Motorsport, motorsports or motor sport is a global term used to encompass the group of competitive sporting events which primarily involve the use of motorized vehicles. The terminology can also be used to describe forms of competition of two ...
,
OEM
An original equipment manufacturer (OEM) is generally perceived as a company that produces non-aftermarket parts and equipment that may be marketed by another manufacturer. It is a common industry term recognized and used by many professional or ...
, and
aftermarket applications. The company is often credited as pioneering the
three-piece wheel and advancing the
aluminum wheel industry over many decades, and remains one of the largest producers of automobile wheels in the world.
The company employs approximately 1,200 employees worldwide (2018). BBS trades on the
Frankfurt Stock Exchange
The Frankfurt Stock Exchange (german: link=no, Börse Frankfurt, former German name – FWB) is the world's 12th largest stock exchange by market capitalization. It has operations from 8:00 am to 10:00 pm ( German time).
Organisation
Locat ...
(Symbol: BKS3) with a market capitalization of €8.15M.
History
![BBS Herbolzheim](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/af/BBS_Herbolzheim.jpg)
BBS Kraftfahrzeugtechnik AG began in 1970 in
Schiltach
Schiltach is a town in the district of Rottweil, in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated in the eastern Black Forest, on the river Kinzig, 20 km south of Freudenstadt.
Geography
Schiltach lies on the eastern side of the Black Forest ...
, 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).
[BBS Homepage](_blank)
Retrieved on 8 March 2007
In 1972, BBS pioneered the development of a three-piece racing wheel, a revolution in
motorsport
Motorsport, motorsports or motor sport is a global term used to encompass the group of competitive sporting events which primarily involve the use of motorized vehicles. The terminology can also be used to describe forms of competition of two ...
design.
This original wheel was called the BBS Mahle, named as such due to its partnership with
Mahle for manufacturing.
By 1975, BBS had developed the popular cross-spoke design and the
counter pressure process. BBS entered into a technical cooperation agreement in 1990 with
ASA
ASA as an abbreviation or initialism may refer to:
Biology and medicine
* Accessible surface area of a biomolecule, accessible to a solvent
* Acetylsalicylic acid, aspirin
* Advanced surface ablation, refractive eye surgery
* Anterior spinal ar ...
, a Korean company that was starting wheel production. In 1993, BBS merged the gap between their three-piece forged wheel and one-piece cast wheel with the two-piece design found in the RSII, defining BBS as a pioneer in one-, two-, and three-piece wheels. BBS developed a magnesium forged wheel in 1994 for motorsports use, especially in Formula One, which was over 20% lighter than the standard cast aluminum wheels. In 1995, BBS developed the first one-piece flow-formed cast wheel, with the use of
FEM analysis. The first hollow-spoke wheel was also developed by BBS, in collaboration with
Porsche
Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, usually shortened to Porsche (; see #Pronunciation, below), is a German automobile manufacturer specializing in high-performance sports cars, SUVs and sedans, headquartered in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Germany ...
and
Kuka
KUKA is a German manufacturer of industrial robots and systems for factory automation. It has been predominantly owned by the Chinese company Midea Group since 2016.
The KUKA Robotics Corporation has 25 subsidiaries, mostly sales and servic ...
, in 2000.
Many of the design elements that BBS has developed and popularized over the years have gone on to be replicated in the automotive and aftermarket industry, such as stepped-
lip
The lips are the visible body part at the mouth of many animals, including humans. Lips are soft, movable, and serve as the opening for food intake and in the articulation of sound and speech. Human lips are a tactile sensory organ, and can be ...
barrels, Y-shaped spokes, colored
center cap
A center cap, or centercap is a decorative disk on an automobile wheel that covers a central portion of the wheel. Early center caps for automobiles were small and primarily served the purpose of keeping dirt away from the spindle nut and wheel bea ...
s, and
lug covers.
In May 1987, BBS had its
initial public offering
An initial public offering (IPO) or stock launch is a public offering in which shares of a company are sold to institutional investors and usually also to retail (individual) investors. An IPO is typically underwritten by one or more investment ...
, and continues to be traded on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange.
In 2007, the primary country where BBS sourced aluminum from, Guinea, experienced political unrest which caused market prices for aluminum to increase dramatically.
This significantly affected the company's business and revenue, leading to bankruptcy for BBS and being taken over by the Belgian firm
Punch International
Punch commonly refers to:
* Punch (combat), a strike made using the hand closed into a fist
* Punch (drink), a wide assortment of drinks, non-alcoholic or alcoholic, generally containing fruit or fruit juice
Punch may also refer to:
Places
* P ...
.
In July 2015, South Korean firm
Nice Corp
Nice ( , ; Niçard: , classical norm, or , nonstandard, ; it, Nizza ; lij, Nissa; grc, Νίκαια; la, Nicaea) is the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative ci ...
became the majority owner. In 2020, BBS automotive GmbH filed for insolvency, but was acquired by
KW automotive GmbH in March 2021, a multinational automotive
suspension
Suspension or suspended may refer to:
Science and engineering
* Suspension (topology), in mathematics
* Suspension (dynamical systems), in mathematics
* Suspension of a ring, in mathematics
* Suspension (chemistry), small solid particles suspend ...
parts company. In partnership with KW, BBS has since unveiled new partnerships and endeavors, such as BBS Unlimited, a way to customize and order countless configurations of wheels, rather than relying on only model-specific offerings.
Technology
The multi-stage forging process used by BBS wheels is complex in that it uses multiple stages of compression at 8,000 to 10,000 tons of pressure to densify the wheel blank, while being heated to over between steps. This process achieves an ideal material structure with high density and strength, which allows for lightweight and thin milling.
In modern times, BBS engineered the Air Inside Technology (AIT) in 2002, where hollow chambers are created within the wheel structure to compensate for the small air volume in modern ultra-low-profile tires, reduce
unsprung weight
The unsprung mass (colloquially unsprung weight) of a vehicle is the mass of the suspension, wheels or tracks (as applicable), and other components directly connected to them. This contrasts with the sprung mass (or weight) supported by the ...
, improve
handling dynamics, and increase
fuel efficiency
Fuel efficiency is a form of thermal efficiency, meaning the ratio of effort to result of a process that converts chemical potential energy contained in a carrier (fuel) into kinetic energy or work. Overall fuel efficiency may vary per device, wh ...
without sacrificing
strength
Strength may refer to:
Physical strength
*Physical strength, as in people or animals
*Hysterical strength, extreme strength occurring when people are in life-and-death situations
*Superhuman strength, great physical strength far above human ca ...
and
rigidity. This innovation earned BBS Kraftfahrzeugtechnik the
Automechanika
Automechanika is the world's biggest trade fair for the automobile aftermarket. It is held every two years (in even years) at the Messe Frankfurt. In distinction to the Motor Show, Automechanika is open to trading visitors only.
History
On 20 ...
Innovation Award 2006 in the
tuning
Tuning can refer to:
Common uses
* Tuning, the process of tuning a tuned amplifier or other electronic component
* Musical tuning, musical systems of tuning, and the act of tuning an instrument or voice
** Guitar tunings
** Piano tuning, adjusti ...
segment.
BBS continues to produce one-, two-, and three-piece forged wheels out of aluminum and magnesium alloys, as well as high performance flow-formed wheels and low-pressure cast wheels. BBS also actively uses specialized quality and weight optimization methods, such as
CNC back-milled spoke
A spoke is one of some number of rods radiating from the center of a wheel (the hub where the axle connects), connecting the hub with the round traction surface.
The term originally referred to portions of a log that had been riven (split l ...
s,
x-ray inspection,
FEM analysis,
flow-forming, ceramic
polishing
Polishing is the process of creating a smooth and shiny surface by rubbing it or by applying a chemical treatment, leaving a clean surface with a significant specular reflection (still limited by the index of refraction of the material accordin ...
,
stainless steel
Stainless steel is an alloy of iron that is resistant to rusting and corrosion. It contains at least 11% chromium and may contain elements such as carbon, other nonmetals and metals to obtain other desired properties. Stainless steel's corros ...
lip bumpers, and
heat treatment
Heat treating (or heat treatment) is a group of industrial, thermal and metalworking processes used to alter the physical, and sometimes chemical, properties of a material. The most common application is metallurgical. Heat treatments are also ...
.
File:Materialprobe BBS.jpg, Metal sampling during manufacturing at BBS
File:Lackierung BBS.tif, Finishing process at BBS
Motorsports
BBS has a long history in the world of motorsport, having produced wheels for
Formula One
Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship, ...
, the
24 Hours of Le Mans
The 24 Hours of Le Mans (french: link=no, 24 Heures du Mans) is an endurance-focused Sports car racing, sports car race held annually near the town of Le Mans, France. It is the world's oldest active Endurance racing (motorsport), endurance r ...
,
IndyCar
INDYCAR, LLC, is an American-based auto racing sanctioning body for Indy car racing and other disciplines of open wheel car racing. The organization sanctions five racing series: the premier IndyCar Series with its centerpiece the Indianapolis ...
,
DTM
DTM may refer to:
Sport
* Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters, a motor-racing series staged annually in Germany since 2000
* Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft, a motor-racing championship staged in Germany from 1984 to 1995
Computing
* Deterministic T ...
,
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. The privately owned company was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1948, and hi ...
,
World Touring Car Championship
The FIA World Touring Car Championship was an international touring car championship promoted by Eurosport Events and sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). It has had several different incarnations, including a sin ...
, and other racing series from as early as 1972. The company pioneered technologies in the production of racing wheels and in making wheels lighter and stronger for race usage.
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.
In 2012, BBS Motorsport & Engineering GmbH, the racing division of BBS, became independent under the Japanese Ono Group (Washi Kosan) and moved to
Haslach from Schiltach. Production of all BBS forged racing wheels continues in Japan.
The company is the largest supplier of wheels for
IndyCar Series
The IndyCar Series, currently known as the NTT IndyCar Series under sponsorship, is the highest class of regional North American open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars in the United States, which has been conducted under the auspices of ...
and the main supplier of
Formula One
Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship, ...
teams.
BBS has also supplied wheels for the
NASCAR Cup Series
The NASCAR Cup Series is the top racing series of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR). The series began in 1949 as the Strictly Stock Division, and from 1950 to 1970 it was known as the Grand National Division. In 1971, ...
starting in 2022, when the
Next Gen car made its debut.
File:Porsche 996 (Front Right).jpg, BBS wheels on a Porsche 911 GT3 Cup
The Porsche 911 GT3 is a high-performance homologation model of the Porsche 911 sports car. It is a line of high-performance models, which began with the 1973 911 Carrera RS.
The GT3 has had a successful racing career in the one-make national ...
.
File:Ferrari BBS Foto1.jpg, Forged magnesium Formula One
Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship, ...
racing wheel by BBS.
File:Yokohama ADVAN Tires WTCC 2006.jpg, BBS racing wheels for the World Touring Car Championship
The FIA World Touring Car Championship was an international touring car championship promoted by Eurosport Events and sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). It has had several different incarnations, including a sin ...
OEM applications
BBS has and continues to supply
OEM
An original equipment manufacturer (OEM) is generally perceived as a company that produces non-aftermarket parts and equipment that may be marketed by another manufacturer. It is a common industry term recognized and used by many professional or ...
wheel applications to a number of automobile brands. In street vehicles, their products can be seen on brands such as
BMW,
Porsche
Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, usually shortened to Porsche (; see #Pronunciation, below), is a German automobile manufacturer specializing in high-performance sports cars, SUVs and sedans, headquartered in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Germany ...
,
Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz (), commonly referred to as Mercedes and sometimes as Benz, is a German luxury and commercial vehicle automotive brand established in 1926. Mercedes-Benz AG (a Mercedes-Benz Group subsidiary established in 2019) is headquartere ...
,
Audi
Audi AG () is a German automotive manufacturer of luxury vehicles headquartered in Ingolstadt, Bavaria, Germany. As a subsidiary of its parent company, the Volkswagen Group, Audi produces vehicles in nine production facilities worldwide.
Th ...
,
Ferrari
Ferrari S.p.A. (; ) is an Italian luxury sports car manufacturer based in Maranello, Italy. Founded by Enzo Ferrari (1898–1988) in 1939 from the Alfa Romeo racing division as ''Auto Avio Costruzioni'', the company built its first car in ...
,
Maserati
Maserati S.p.A. () is an Italian luxury vehicle manufacturer. Established on 1 December 1914, in Bologna, Italy, the company's headquarters are now in Modena, and its emblem is a trident. The company has been owned by Stellantis since 2021. Ma ...
,
Mitsubishi
The is a group of autonomous Japanese multinational companies in a variety of industries.
Founded by Yatarō Iwasaki in 1870, the Mitsubishi Group historically descended from the Mitsubishi zaibatsu, a unified company which existed from 1870 ...
,
Mazda
, commonly referred to as simply Mazda, is a Japanese multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Fuchū, Hiroshima, Japan.
In 2015, Mazda produced 1.5 million vehicles for global sales, the majority of which (nearly one m ...
,
Rolls-Royce
Rolls-Royce (always hyphenated) may refer to:
* Rolls-Royce Limited, a British manufacturer of cars and later aero engines, founded in 1906, now defunct
Automobiles
* Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, the current car manufacturing company incorporated in ...
,
Jaguar
The jaguar (''Panthera onca'') is a large cat species and the only living member of the genus '' Panthera'' native to the Americas. With a body length of up to and a weight of up to , it is the largest cat species in the Americas and the th ...
,
Infiniti
is the luxury vehicle division of the Japanese automaker Nissan. Infiniti officially started selling vehicles on November 8, 1989, in North America. The marketing network for Infiniti-branded vehicles included dealers in over 50 countries in ...
,
Renault
Groupe Renault ( , , , also known as the Renault Group in English; legally Renault S.A.) is a French multinational automobile manufacturer established in 1899. The company produces a range of cars and vans, and in the past has manufactured ...
,
Saab
Saab or SAAB may refer to:
Brands and enterprises
* Saab Group, a Swedish aerospace and defence company, formerly known as SAAB, and later as Saab AB
** Datasaab, a former computer company, started as spin off from Saab AB
* Saab Automobile, a fo ...
,
Subaru
( or ; ) is the automaker, automobile manufacturing division of Japanese transportation conglomerate (company), conglomerate Subaru Corporation (formerly known as Fuji Heavy Industries), the Automotive industry#By manufacturer, twenty-first ...
,
Volkswagen
Volkswagen (),English: , . abbreviated as VW (), is a German Automotive industry, motor vehicle manufacturer headquartered in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. Founded in 1937 by the German Labour Front under the Nazi Party and revived into a ...
,
Toyota
is a Japanese multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Toyota City, Aichi, Japan. It was founded by Kiichiro Toyoda and incorporated on . Toyota is one of the largest automobile manufacturers in the world, producing about 10 ...
, and
Volvo
The Volvo Group ( sv, Volvokoncernen; legally Aktiebolaget Volvo, shortened to AB Volvo, stylized as VOLVO) is a Swedish multinational manufacturing corporation headquartered in Gothenburg. While its core activity is the production, distributio ...
.
Lexus
is the luxury vehicle division of the Japanese automaker Toyota. The Lexus brand is marketed in more than 90 countries and territories worldwide and is Japan's largest-selling make of premium cars. It has ranked among the 10 largest Japanese ...
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 RS cross-spoke design, which superficially resembles a
wire wheel
Wire wheels, wire-spoked wheels, tension-spoked wheels, or "suspension" wheels are wheels whose rims connect to their hubs by wire spokes. Although these wires are generally stiffer than a typical wire rope, they function mechanically the sam ...
, was common on many European
sports car
A sports car is a car designed with an emphasis on dynamic performance, such as handling, acceleration, top speed, the thrill of driving and racing capability. Sports cars originated in Europe in the early 1900s and are currently produced by ...
s produced from the 1980s to the early 1990s. This design was noticeably lighter in weight compared to many other styles of the time.
File:1985 BMW M635CSi - 11.jpg, 1985 BMW M635CSi
The BMW E24 is the first generation of BMW 6 Series range of grand tourer cars, which was produced from January 1976 to 1989 and replaced the BMW E9 coupé.
The E24 was produced solely in a 2-door coupé body style. All models used petrol straigh ...
with stock BBS RS007 wheels.
File:Black 997 GT3 RS with Porsche RS Spyder design center lock wheels.jpg, Porsche 911 GT3 RS with OEM BBS centerlock wheels.
File:Mazda RX7 Spirit R (26593591848).jpg, OEM BBS forged aluminum wheels on a 2002 Mazda RX-7
The Mazda RX-7 is a front-engine, rear-wheel-drive, rotary engine-powered sports car that was manufactured and marketed by Mazda from 1978 until 2002 across three generations, all of which made use of a compact, lightweight Wankel rotary engine.
...
Spirit R Type A
File:BBS and Brembo (5482830699).jpg, OEM BBS wheel on a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X MR.
Aftermarket
With the popularization of BBS wheels in the 1970's by motorsports teams and luxury automobile manufacturers such as BMW and Porsche, the demand for BBS wheels in the
aftermarket began to grow. The three-piece RS released in 1977 was one of the most popular BBS-produced wheels for automobile manufacturers,
and soon after became a popular aftermarket wheel which was often
replica
A 1:1 replica is an exact copy of an object, made out of the same raw materials, whether a molecule, a work of art, or a commercial product. The term is also used for copies that closely resemble the original, without claiming to be identical. Al ...
ted by other manufacturers. In 1987, BBS released their first one-piece forged wheel, the RG, based on the same wire-wheel design as the RS. In 1992, the RSII was released, their first two-piece wheel.
The market of BBS as an aftermarket wheel producer surged in 1983 with the inception of global sales by the company. Rather than selling primarily in Europe, or to OEMs and motorsports teams only, BBS broadened their scope to include sales in the Americas with the founding of BBS of America in 1983, in France with BBS France Co. S.A., and in Japan with BBS Japan Co. Ltd. with partner Washi Beam Co. These companies could then sell not only to their respective domestic automobile manufacturers and motorsports teams, but also to their general regional public.
References
External links
*
BBS promotional video showing manufacturing processes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bbs Kraftfahrzeugtechnik Ag
Auto parts suppliers of Germany
Wheel manufacturers
Automotive motorsports and performance companies
Companies based in Baden-Württemberg
Companies listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange
German brands