The wheel industry can be a fickle thing. Similar to the fashion industry, what’s hot right now might be ice cold in six months, which is why only the fittest survive to see another fiscal year. Diablo Wheels is one these top dogs, as they continuously reinvent themselves with each new wheel concept. Born from the ambition and dream of president and founder Gary Jerjerian in 2000, Diablo Wheels has become a fierce competitor and a household name in the automotive game.

Taking the name from the Lamborghini Diablo, Jerjerian decided to build his own wheel business after being in the automotive wheel and tire retail industry for more than 14 years “I always wanted to own my own wholesale business,” he says. “Creating your own wheel line takes money, which back in 2000, I finally had the opportunity.” Instead of trying to be like your run-of-the-mill wheel company, Jerjerian wanted to structure Diablo Wheels as being an innovating and trendsetting company whose wheels would ideally reflect the personality of the consumer. “A Diablo customer is going to be an aggressive, upscale, urban youth professional,” says Diablo’s wheel designer Mark Tirado, who has been with the company for the last five years and is the man behind its various top-selling wheels.

Jerjerian’s mentality of creating unique wheels is also Tirado’s passion and specialty, since he’s always thinking of out-of-the-box designs that are cutting edge and ground breaking within the wheel industry. “He basically allowed me to do what I wanted in terms of designs,” Tirado explains. “I didn’t want to create a commodity wheel. I crack my head trying to think of different designs each year. I literally spend three months studying various materials, styles, as I go around sampling things to get a theme going.” One thing that Diablo Wheel doesn’t do is knock off other designs; instead, they are the ones setting the standards. “Personally, we don’t follow trends, we make them,” Tirado says proudly. “We are always two years ahead since we look at all the new cars ahead of time and create wheel designs that would match the new styles of the cars.” While they do observe what’s happening in the industry (for instance: walking SEMA’s floors for updates on the industry), they don’t allow what they see influence them.

An example of their trendsetting ways, Diablo is best known as one of the first wheel lines to introduce plastic and metal accessories and inserts. Like a piece of jewelry for your car, consumers can easily change the look of their wheel by adding or removing the various inserts that also provides practically limitless custom color and finish combination possibilities. “While there might have always been plastic caps, they weren’t being utilized like we have,” Tirado says.