The 20 Craziest Looking Rim Designs From The 2017 IAA

Rims are an important design feature for any modern car, and so the 2017 IAA has brought up some crazy new designs. Here are the best, worst and most hilarious wheels of the Frankfurt Motor Show, and my honest opinions on their designs.

First up we’ve got the Mercedes Vision Tokyo. It comes with strange blue glowing rims, which don’t have any visible bolts and which shape is outlined by some triangular chrome shapes.

#2: Volkswagen I.D.

Closed off rims reduce drag and are accordingly more efficient, and so this has been on of the biggest trends of the year - especially on electric cars. The Volkswagen I.D. is no exception, and like many others it comes with a classic five spoke rim design which is painted onto the flat surface. Seriously though, what’s up with those blue tires?

#3: Audi Aicon

Next up, we’ve got the Audi Icon… Errh, sorry, “Aicon” of course. The wheels are almost as creative as the name: Imagine a pizza with some sharp razor blades on top of it. And again, the black color tries to fool you into thinking it’s actually a normal five-spoke rim.

#4: BMW i Vision Dynamics

BMW is also following the trend: The rim is closed off to reduce drag, and a contrasting color simulates a classic wheel design. Oh, and of course it’s got the chrome, because that’s cool. Oh, and of course it doesn’t need any bolts, because these are uncool.

#5: Skoda Vision E

Skoda also went for the “chrome triangles outlining a different colored closed off rim without any visible bolts” trend. Sadly, their version of it looks more like a cheap plastic hubcap from the local warehouse.

#6: Smart Vision EQ ForTwo

This Smart concept also has closed off rims with four fake spokes, but what’s even more interesting are the shapes. The wheel is round, obviously, but then the middle of the rim is dominated by a square area which houses the round Smart logo. Weird, isn’t it?

#7: Mini E Concept

You thought you would only see closed off rims throughout this post? Ha, you were wrong! The rims on this Mini concept are at least somewhat open. And like Smart, they’ve fitted square shapes into a round wheel - although this rim with its asymmetrical design actually looks pretty cool!

#8: Volkswagen I.D. Buzz

Common procedure on the new Volkswagen Bus concept’s rims: Chrome around the outside, grey on the inside, no visible bolts. And again, oddly colored tires - because black would be mainstream. Also, what’s up with that name? Was “Bus” not fancy enough for Volkswagen, a brand which (as we know) is all about Emotion and appealing to young customers?

#9: Mini John Cooper Works GP Concept

But the “closed off rims to reduce drags because electric car” was not the only trend on the IAA: The few cars that were not electric usually got open rims with bright colors. Such as this JCW Mini, which rolls on black and red rims with “GP” logos on them and central locks to underline the car’s sporty character.

#10: Mercedes GLC F-Cell

The Mercedes GLC F-Cell runs on hydrogen, and so the rim design simulates blue water flowing through the spokes. Also, this wheel is actually held in place by five good old bolts!

#11: Land Rover Discovery SVX

The wheels on this off-road ready Discovery were ment to look extra robust, and so Land Rover added some orange color splashes and tons of rivets. Not sure if that will actually improve the Disco’s off-road capabilities, but at least you will look extra cool at the mall parking lot. At least until someone spots your weirdly offset number plate.

#12: Bugatti Chiron

“Boss, we need a reason to show our Chiron off at some more car events! Can we make a special edition?” - “No, not yet. Remember, we will have to produce this car for at least 10 years like we did with the Veyron. Just add a blue stripe around the car and on the rims, that will do for 2017!”

#13: Volkswagen Polo GTI

Even little hot hatches are getting extravagant rims now: This Polo GTI’s rims feature five spokes designed like space ships, all heading towards the Volkswagen emblem, and a red stripe that matches the read brake calipers.

#14: Mercedes AMG GT Concept

What exactly is this car? A stretched Mercedes-AMG GT with four doors? Or just a fancier version of the CLS 63? I don’t know. But at least it’s got some cool two-tone rims.

#15: BMW i8 Memphis Style

The i3 and i8 just got turned into art cars, but apparently BMW didn’t want to call them like that. Instead, they are called “Memphis style”. Maybe because every car in Memphis is covered in psychedelic colors and weird patterns? Probably not. But hey, we’ve got to give BMW some credit for painting asymmetrical parts of the wheels - this must have been a pain to set up in a way that it all lines up…

#16: Mercedes-Maybach 6 Roadster

The third and final wheel design trend on the IAA: MAKE THEM BIGGER. This Mercedes yacht rolls 295/30 R24 wheels. In case you’re not familiar with this system: It stands for 29.5 cm of tire width, 3 cm of profile, and a diameter of 24”. That’s crazy.

#17: Borgward Isabella Concept

The Borgward Isabella was one of the most attractive German cars from the late fifties. Now, it’s being reborn - with the only difference that it’s now from China.
About the wheels: Compared to the 24” of the Mercedes, this car’s 22” are almost normal. The design is nice, actually.

#18: Thunder Power SUV Concpet

Already nominee for the most stupid car name of the 2017 IAA, the wheels of this SUV concept are not much better. A weird asymmetrical design, no wheel bolts, no brakes…

#19: Renault Symbioz

Some of the craziest rims of the IAA: The ones fitted to the Renault Symbioz Concept. I mean, just look at them… These look great!

#20: Honda Urban EV Concept

The Honda Urban EV is a little electric hatchback with a cute retro design. This design was of course also used for the wheels, which are simple and elegant. I guess cleaning them would be a pain in the a…, though.

So, these are the craziest rims of this years IAA. Which one do you think are the best, worst and most hilarious ones? Comment below!
Tobi aka The Stig’s German Cousin