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BMW |
BMW, from Bayerische
Motoren Werke AG, (English: Bavarian
Motor Works) is a
German car,
motorcycle and
engine manufacturing
company founded in 1916. It also owns and produces the Mini brand, and is the parent company of
Rolls-Royce Motor Cars.
BMW produces
motorcycles under
BMW Motorrad and Husqvarna brands.
BMW is known for its performance and
luxury vehicles, and is a global leader in premium
car sales.
BMW entered existence as a business entity following a restructuring of the Rapp
Motorenwerke aircraft engine manufacturing firm in 1917. After the end of World War I in 1918,
BMW was forced to cease aircraft engine production by the terms of the Versailles Armistice Treaty. The company consequently shifted to
motorcycle production in 1923 once the restrictions of the treaty started to be lifted, followed by
automobiles in 1928–29.
The circular blue and white
BMW logo or roundel is portrayed by
BMW as the movement of an aircraft propeller, to signify the white blades cutting through the blue sky – an interpretation that
BMW adopted for convenience in 1929, twelve years after the roundel was created. The emblem evolved from the circular Rapp
Motorenwerke company logo, from which the
BMW company grew, combined with the blue and white colours of the flag of Bavaria, reversed to produce the
BMW roundel. However, the origin of the logo being based on the movement of a propeller is in dispute, according to an article posted in 2010 by the New York Times, quoting "At the
BMW Museum in Munich, Anne Schmidt-Possiwal, explained that the blue-and-white company logo did not represent a spinning propeller, but was meant to show the colours of the Free State of Bavaria."
BMW's first significant aircraft engine was the
BMW IIIa inline-six liquid-cooled engine of 1918, much preferred for its high-altitude performance. With German rearmament in the 1930s, the company again began producing aircraft engines for the Luftwaffe. Among its successful World War II engine designs were the
BMW 132 and
BMW 801 air-cooled radial engines, and the pioneering
BMW 003 axial-flow turbojet, which powered the tiny, 1944-1945-era jet-powered "emergency fighter", the Heinkel He 162 Spatz. The
BMW 003 jet engine was tested in the A-1b version of the world's first jet fighter, the Messerschmitt Me 262, but
BMW engines failed on takeoff, a major setback for the jet fighter program until successful testing with Junkers engines.
By the year 1959, the automotive division of
BMW was in financial difficulties and a shareholders meeting was held to decide whether to go into liquidation or find a way of carrying on. It was decided to carry on and to try to cash in on the current economy
car boom enjoyed so successfully by some of Germany's ex-aircraft manufacturers such as Messerschmitt and Heinkel. The rights to manufacture the Italian Iso Isetta were bought; the tiny
cars themselves were to be powered by a modified form of
BMW's own
motorcycle engine. This was moderately successful and helped the company get back on its feet. The controlling majority shareholder of the
BMW Aktiengesellschaft since 1959 is the Quandt family, which owns about 46% of the stock. The rest is in public float.
BMW acquired the Hans Glas company based in Dingolfing,
Germany, in 1966. It was reputed that the acquisition was mainly to gain access to Glas' development of the timing belt with an overhead camshaft in automotive applications. Glas
vehicles were briefly badged as
BMW until the company was fully absorbed.
In 1992, BMW acquired a large stake in California based industrial design studio DesignworksUSA, which they fully acquired in 1995. In 1994, BMW bought the British Rover Group (which at the time consisted of the Rover, Land Rover and MG brands as well as the rights to defunct brands including Austin and Morris), and owned it for six years. By 2000, Rover was making huge losses and BMW decided to sell the combine. The MG and Rover brands were sold to the Phoenix Consortium to form MG Rover, while Land Rover was taken over by Ford. BMW, meanwhile, retained the rights to build the new Mini, which was launched in 2001.
Chief designer Chris Bangle has announced his departure from
BMW in February 2009 after serving the design team for nearly seventeen years. He was replaced by Adrian van Hooydonk, the right hand Bracelets old. Band was known for his radical
designs such as the 7 series 2002 and 2002-Z4. In July 2007 the production rights for Husqvarna
Motorcycles has purchased a
BMW for reported € 93 million.
BMW Motorrad plans to continue operating Husqvarna
Motorcycles as a separate company. All
development,
sales and
production, as well as the current workforce, remained in place at its present location in
Varese.. -
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