Staff Writer
Chennai: Wheels India Limited has strengthened its push in the aluminium alloy wheels segment by signing a technical assistance agreement with Tokyo-headquartered Topy Industries, a move that comes alongside an aggressive capacity expansion plan and fresh orders from leading global automakers.
The agreement, announced on December 15, 2025, will see Topy Industries provide technical know-how and engineering support to Wheels India for the design, development and manufacture of cast aluminium alloy wheels. Company officials said the collaboration is expected to significantly enhance Wheels India’s design capabilities and manufacturing processes, while also improving its ability to compete for new business in the fast-growing alloy wheel market.
Topy Industries, which has a history of over a century, is globally recognised for its advanced technologies in wheel manufacturing and is among the leading producers of aluminium wheels worldwide. Wheels India believes access to this expertise will give it a stronger technological edge as demand for lighter and more efficient wheels continues to rise among automobile manufacturers.
Alongside the technology partnership, Wheels India is expanding capacity at its alloy wheel plant at Thervoy Kandigai on the outskirts of Chennai. The company is in the process of increasing annual production capacity from the current 5 lakh wheels to 7 lakh wheels, with the expansion expected to be completed by the end of the next quarter. Encouraged by the growth outlook in the aluminium wheels segment, Wheels India has also drawn up plans to further scale up capacity to 10 lakh wheels per annum, a milestone it expects to achieve by the end of FY27.
Wheels India entered the aluminium alloy wheel business in FY21 with a state-of-the-art facility at Thervoy Kandigai. In its initial phase, the company focused largely on exports to the US and European aftermarket. Over the past few years, however, it has shifted its attention to the domestic market and has begun supplying alloy wheels to Indian original equipment manufacturers such as Tata Motors and Stellantis.
The company has now secured additional orders from Hyundai and Volkswagen for its aluminium wheels business, with commercial supplies expected to commence next year. Management views these orders as a strong endorsement of its product quality and manufacturing capabilities, and as a key driver for the ongoing capacity expansion.
The technical agreement with Topy is also expected to help Wheels India deepen its engagement with Japanese automakers operating in India. The company is aiming to make fresh inroads into Japanese OEMs in the alloy wheel segment, leveraging both Topy’s technological strengths and its long-standing relationship with the Japanese automotive ecosystem.
Wheels India already has an established partnership with Topy Industries in the steel wheels segment through WIL Car Wheels Limited, a joint venture in which Wheels India holds a 74 per cent equity stake. That venture supplies steel wheels to Japanese OEMs in India, and the new agreement extends the collaboration between the two companies into the aluminium wheels space.
Commenting on the development, Wheels India Managing Director Srivats Ram said the partnership with Topy is expected to bring in considerable technical expertise in the aluminium wheels segment and help the company win new business. He added that the collaboration would strengthen Wheels India’s competitive position in the cast aluminium wheel market at a time when demand from both domestic and global automakers is rising.
Part of the TSF Group, Wheels India is a leading manufacturer of wheels for trucks, agricultural tractors, passenger vehicles and construction equipment. The company also manufactures air suspension systems and industrial components, with production facilities across Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
