Superior Industries Joint Venture Wins Multi-Year Contracts
5 April 1999
Superior Industries International Joint Venture Wins Multi-Year Contracts to Supply Aluminum Road Wheels to Rover Group Ltd., U.K.
VAN NUYS, Calif.--April 5, 1999--Superior Industries International, Inc. announced today that its European joint venture company, Suoftec, in partnership with Otto Fuchs of Germany, based in Tatabanya, Hungary, has won multi-year contracts to supply cast aluminum road wheels to the Rover Group, Ltd., U.K. for several Rover vehicle lines, including sport utility vehicles (SUV) and passenger cars."These new supply contracts, our first with Rover Group, will support further growth of our casting manufacturing operations in Europe. We have steadily ramped up production at our joint venture facility in Hungary since it opened less than two years ago.
"Production of lightweight forged aluminum wheels for Audi and BMW continues to grow, and we have expanded the plant's casting capacity to meet anticipated demand in this segment of the business.
"Aluminum is the material of the future in the automotive industry. As evidenced by these new contracts, Superior will continue to be a major beneficiary," a company spokesman said.
The wheels will be manufactured in Superior's Suoftec facility for shipment to the Rover Group's assembly plant in the U.K. Shipments are expected to begin this summer.
Superior supplies aluminum wheels and other aluminum components to Ford, General Motors, Chrysler de Mexico, BMW, Volkswagen and Audi as well as various Japanese auto manufacturers including Toyota, Mazda, Nissan and Isuzu. The Company is also a leading manufacturer of accessory products for the national automotive aftermarket.
The statements contained in this release that are not historical facts may be deemed to constitute forward-looking statements. Actual results might differ materially from those projected in such statements due to a number of risks and uncertainties, including, without limitation, demand and competition for the Company's products, and other risks or uncertainties detailed in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.