Nature of Operations	3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2013
Nature of Operations [Abstract]
Nature of Operations [Text Block]	Nature of Operations Headquartered in Van Nuys, California, the principal business of Superior Industries International, Inc. (referred to herein as the “company” or in the first person notation “we,” “us” and “our”) is the design and manufacture of aluminum road wheels for sale to original equipment manufacturers ("OEMs"). We are one of the largest suppliers of cast aluminum wheels to the world’s leading automobile and light truck manufacturers, with wheel manufacturing operations in the United States and Mexico. Customers in North America represent the principal market for our products. In addition, the majority of our net sales to international customers by our North American facilities are delivered primarily to such customers' assembly operations in North America. Ford Motor Company ("Ford"), General Motors Company ("GM"), Toyota Motor Company ("Toyota") and Chrysler Group LLC ("Chrysler") were our customers individually accounting for more than 10 percent of our consolidated sales in the first quarter of 2013 and together represented approximately 92 percent and 83 percent of our total sales during the first quarter of 2013 and 2012, respectively. We also manufacture aluminum wheels for Nissan, BMW, Subaru, Mitsubishi and Volkswagen. The loss of all or a substantial portion of our sales to Ford, GM, Toyota or Chrysler would have a significant adverse impact on our operating results and financial condition. This risk is partially mitigated by our long-term relationships with these OEM customers and our supply arrangements, which are generally for multi-year periods. Demand for automobiles and light-duty trucks (including SUV's and crossover vehicles) in the North American market is subject to many unpredictable factors such as changes in the general economy, gasoline prices, consumer credit availability and interest rates. Demand for aluminum wheels can be further affected by other factors, including pricing and performance comparisons to competitive materials such as steel. Finally, the demand for our products is influenced by shifts of market share between vehicle manufacturers and the specific market penetration of individual vehicle platforms being sold by our customers. While we historically have had long-term relationships with our customers and our supply arrangements generally are for multi-year periods, maintaining such long-term arrangements on terms acceptable to us has become increasingly difficult. Despite recovery of the market for our products since late in 2009, global competitive pricing pressures continue to affect our business negatively as our customers maintain and/or further develop alternative supplier options. Increasingly global procurement practices and competition, and the pressure for price reductions, may make it more difficult to maintain long-term supply arrangements with our customers. As a result, there can be no guarantees that we will be able to negotiate supply arrangements with our customers on terms acceptable to us in the future. We are engaged in ongoing programs to reduce our own costs through improved operational and procurement practices in an attempt to mitigate the impact of these pricing pressures. However, these improvement programs may not be sufficient to offset the adverse impact of ongoing pricing pressures and potential reductions in customer demand in future periods. Additional factors such as inconsistent customer ordering patterns, increasing product complexity and heightened quality standards also are making it increasingly difficult to reduce our costs. It is also possible that as we incur costs to implement improvement strategies, the initial impact of these strategies on our financial position, results of operations and cash flow may be negative. The raw materials used in producing our products are readily available and are obtained through suppliers with whom we have, in many cases, relatively long-standing trade relations.

Nature of Operations

Headquartered in Van Nuys, California, the principal business of Superior Industries International, Inc. (referred to herein as the “company” or in the first person notation “we,” “us” and “our”) is the design and manufacture of aluminum road wheels for sale to original equipment manufacturers ("OEMs"). We are one of the largest suppliers of cast aluminum wheels to the world’s leading automobile and light truck manufacturers, with wheel manufacturing operations in the United States and Mexico. Customers in North America represent the principal market for our products. In addition, the majority of our net sales to international customers by our North American facilities are delivered primarily to such customers' assembly operations in North America.

Ford Motor Company ("Ford"), General Motors Company ("GM"), Toyota Motor Company ("Toyota") and Chrysler Group LLC ("Chrysler") were our customers individually accounting for more than 10 percent of our consolidated sales in the first quarter of 2013 and together represented approximately 92 percent and 83 percent of our total sales during the first quarter of 2013 and 2012, respectively. We also manufacture aluminum wheels for Nissan, BMW, Subaru, Mitsubishi and Volkswagen. The loss of all or a substantial portion of our sales to Ford, GM, Toyota or Chrysler would have a significant adverse impact on our operating results and financial condition. This risk is partially mitigated by our long-term relationships with these OEM customers and our supply arrangements, which are generally for multi-year periods.

Demand for automobiles and light-duty trucks (including SUV's and crossover vehicles) in the North American market is subject to many unpredictable factors such as changes in the general economy, gasoline prices, consumer credit availability and interest rates. Demand for aluminum wheels can be further affected by other factors, including pricing and performance comparisons to competitive materials such as steel. Finally, the demand for our products is influenced by shifts of market share between vehicle manufacturers and the specific market penetration of individual vehicle platforms being sold by our customers.

While we historically have had long-term relationships with our customers and our supply arrangements generally are for multi-year periods, maintaining such long-term arrangements on terms acceptable to us has become increasingly difficult. Despite recovery of the market for our products since late in 2009, global competitive pricing pressures continue to affect our business negatively as our customers maintain and/or further develop alternative supplier options. Increasingly global procurement practices and competition, and the pressure for price reductions, may make it more difficult to maintain long-term supply arrangements with our customers. As a result, there can be no guarantees that we will be able to negotiate supply arrangements with our customers on terms acceptable to us in the future.

We are engaged in ongoing programs to reduce our own costs through improved operational and procurement practices in an attempt to mitigate the impact of these pricing pressures. However, these improvement programs may not be sufficient to offset the adverse impact of ongoing pricing pressures and potential reductions in customer demand in future periods. Additional factors such as inconsistent customer ordering patterns, increasing product complexity and heightened quality standards also are making it increasingly difficult to reduce our costs. It is also possible that as we incur costs to implement improvement strategies, the initial impact of these strategies on our financial position, results of operations and cash flow may be negative.

The raw materials used in producing our products are readily available and are obtained through suppliers with whom we have, in many cases, relatively long-standing trade relations.