Ford Carbon Fiber Wheel Supplier Makes Plans For New Factory

Following the presence of pricey, optional, carbon fiber wheels on the 2020 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500, The Blue Oval once again turned to supplier Carbon Revolution when it came time to design a set for the all-new 2024 Ford Mustang Dark Horse, too. Those wheels measure 19×10.5 inches up front and 19×11 in the rear, weigh 37 percent  – or around 20 pounds – less than the standard units, and are available as part of the optional Handling Package, which retails for $4,500, while the carbon fiber wheels add another $8,495 to that tally. Regardless, carbon fiber wheels have proven to be quite popular among consumers – paving the way for an expansion in terms of their availability within the FoMoCo lineup – and as such, Carbon Revolution is now looking to move to a larger production facility, according to Automotive News.

“We’re getting ourselves prepared for a facility that will be in North America, quite possibly Mexico, that can service our North American customers and customers in other parts of the world,” Carbon Revolution CEO Jake Dingle told Automotive News. “We are looking at some locations at the moment, and some potential partnerships as well, which would support a fairly rapid ramp-up.”

Currently, Carbon Revolution is headquartered in Australia, but there, it’s only capable of producing around 70,000 wheels annually. Dingle noted that demand for its carbon fiber wheels is largely coming from North America, which is precisely why the company is eyeing a facility in that part of the world, however. “North America is leading the pack,” he said. “The adoption of this technology, particularly for larger pickups and SUVs, is driving our backlog.”

Carbon Revolution notes that it believes its North American facility will be able to produce hundreds of thousands of wheels each year, but it’s still in the early stages of settling on a location, with Dingle noting that the process could take a few years. Regardless, it currently has a $730 million dollar backlog of sales, a number that has doubled since October 2022 and could grow even higher given its desire to make wheels for more mainstream products rather than just niche ones.

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