GM Design Boss Says 26-Inch Wheels Are on Their Way to Production Cars
Presumably, luxury models like the Cadillac Escalade will lead the way.
Are today's luxury car wheels just too small for your taste? Do you scoff at the idea of 22-inch rollers on the newest Cadillac Escalade? Well, then, we're here to brighten your day. General Motors design boss Michael Simcoe revealed in a recent podcast interview that we could start seeing future vehicles factory-fitted with 24- and 26-inch wheels, comparatively dwarfing the "dubs" once thought to be enormous, even by rappers' standards.
Dan Sandberg, president and CEO of Brembo North America, hosted Simcoe on his Brembo Red podcast. One of the topics the duo covered was vehicles’ “corners," or their wheels and brakes. During the interview, Simcoe said that GM’s design philosophy, along with the rest of the industry's, is "headed toward 24- and 26-inch wheels."
SEMA is over, so this isn’t a trick to promote a customized concept vehicle, and no, it’s not Pimp My Ride. Simcoe is legitimately talking about a world where cars will roll out of the factory on wheels in sizes that were previously reserved for the world of customized donks. “Where we are today, an 18-inch wheel is a small wheel,” Simcoe added.0
This can apparently be credited to design changes in today's vehicles themselves. Sandberg noted that the wheels are one of the most attention-grabbing features of a car, to which Simcoe responded, “any designer you’ll talk to will talk about how to make a vehicle look good and lower, longer, wider. And you add to that large-diameter wheel and tire.”
Other than growing to massive sizes, what’s next for the wheel? Simcoe says that they'll be formed to match individual vehicles. Brake design is also becoming more important as wheels get bigger, moving from just a functional item to a decorative and standout feature. Brembo has offered colored brake calipers for years, so it’s not surprising that it offers a rainbow of color options on GM vehicles like the 2020 Corvette C8.
h/t: GM Authority
