A 2009 calamity changed the vehicle preference — along with wheel selection — of a number of car enthusiasts in Metro Manila.
Samuel G. Liuson, managing partner at Wheel Gallery, said that when the company started serving up aftermarket alloys exactly 15 years ago consumers preferred modifying sedans, most of whom upsized the wheels fitted on their cars.
“Back in 2002 we brought in 17-inch and 18-inch wheels [under the Concept One brand] that catered to Japanese sedans, and 19-inch wheels for European models. The market was very receptive to our designs and colors, like hyper silver and hyper black, which were darker shades compared to those which were previously popular. These sold very well because of their good quality and trendy designs.
“But after Tropical Storm Ondoy, when nearly the entire Metro Manila got submerged in floodwaters, customers who used to go to Wheel Gallery aboard their Honda Accords, Toyota Camrys, and BMW 3 and 5 Series cars shifted to [Toyota] Land Cruisers, FJs, Fortuners and [Mitsubishi] Montero Sports,” said Mr. Liuson, who added that, at present, even college students who used to prefer tuner cars, are now seen driving Ford Rangers and other pickup trucks.
“I can understand this. Parents do not want to worry about their children getting stranded when the floods come,” the Wheel Gallery executive said.
Along with the shift in vehicle preference came the expected move toward more rugged, beefier wheels that suit the outdoorsy qualities of SUVs and trucks. So these days, the Wheel Gallery showroom is lined with truck wheels, with only a sprinkling of sedan wheels on offer — the reverse of the norm pre-2009.
Mr. Liuson said the manner by which many people use SUVs and trucks have changed over the years as well, citing one of the breakthroughs in Wheel Gallery’s business — the addition in the mid-2000s of “bling bling” wheels to its lineup — as an example.
“We started selling 20- and 22-inch — even going as big as 26 inches — TIS and Dropstar wheels, and the market went crazy for them. My business partner could not believe how we were able to sell such large wheels when SUVs at the time came only with 15-inch or 16-inch wheels,” said Mr. Liuson.
“But since then, our focus on the SUV market has evolved into promoting the outdoors lifestyle, particularly off-road trailing, which requires a different type of SUV wheels.”
Mr. Liuson forecasts the market for off-road wheels will continue to grow because of the country’s road conditions, plus the extreme weather patterns, asserting people will find it necessary to “gear up for the effects” of climate change. And to which concern, he said, Wheel Gallery is in a position to supply customers with “good-looking, high-quality and dependable products.”
His outlook also remains unmoved even if in recent years new vehicles have arrived in showrooms already equipped with larger performance wheels. If anything, the development is even advantageous to Wheel Gallery’s business; Mr. Liuson said that an unexpected challenge during the company’s early years was that tire importers at the time did not stock products in the larger sizes in which Wheel Gallery’s offerings came, supplying only the requirements of local auto manufacturers during the period (this, he said, prompted Wheel Gallery to import tires as well). With the arrival of performance wheels on new vehicles, tire selection has diversified along with it.
Also, Wheel Gallery customers are not the usual new-vehicle buyers, said Mr. Liuson. Because of this, he expects such trait will constantly sustain the momentum of the aftermarket wheel industry — which he noted has accelerated proportionately with the spike in domestic new-vehicle sales during the last 15 years (more than triple in 2016 than the output in 2002).
“The people who come to us always want to look unique. They consider as ‘stock’ [equipment] even the upgraded wheels offered by car dealers. Our products are ‘fashion items,’ and it boils down to individualism. The car is an extension of one’s personality and style, and so there will always be people who will not settle for factory performance wheels,” Mr. Liuson said.
Presumably, at Wheel Gallery the reinvention of the wheel rolls on. — Brian M. Afuang
