Hot Wheels

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Toyota is taking a different approach to the customization craze. Its new line of Gen Y-oriented Scions will hit dealer lots in June with a standard package that lets buyers choose from three wheel-cover designs or pay $665 to upgrade to ritzier alloy rims. "A lot of people go right out and buy custom wheels," says spokeswoman Ming-Jou Chen. "We want to give them a choice from the factory." A choice, mind you, that is no bigger than 15 in.

Meanwhile, American Racing, the country's biggest custom-wheel maker, has seen sales of its big wheels grow 40% over the past year and is preparing to launch a second plus-size line called Twenty Inches Strong. Like several of its competitors, the company, based in Rancho Dominguez, Calif., debuted a 26-in. wheel long before there was a "street-legal" tire to go with it. (South Korea's Kumho Industrial started shipping a 26-in. tire last month, the first to meet federal testing requirements.) The good news for Detroit is that big rims are finally maxing out. Bazo Wheels, in City of Industry, Calif., admits that the 28-in. wheel and tire it unveiled last fall will never make it past the prototype stage. "It's just too big," says marketing chief Bill Koenig. "It looks like a rubber band strapped to a quarter."

Size limitations mean wheelmakers will have to find other ways to stand out. Japan's Enkei has produced the first 24-in. forged wheel, which weighs 30% less than ones that are cast. Italy's Momo and Japan's Lowenhart are pushing wheels with parts that can be popped out and painted to match the car. KMC Wheel, in Riverside, Calif., which is making the rims for Hot Wheels, is also going after off-roading enthusiasts who are looking for sturdiness as well as style.

But so far the wheels that have commanded the biggest price tags are those with inserts that keep spinning for a few minutes after the car stops moving. The limited-edition "continuous-motion" wheels by Davin, based in Providence, R.I., start at a suggested retail price of $14,400 for a 24-in. set. "It's very much like an elite club," says CEO Ian Hardman. Last month Davin received a patent for its spinning technology, which could spell trouble for dozens of copycats and keep prices and profits whirling high.