History of BMW

History of the Founding of BMW

BMW is one of those brands with a long history in automobile history. Its beginnings date back to the beginning of the 20th century. Over time, the German brand has been carving out a niche in the industry, becoming part of that select and reduced group of premium car brands. This is the history of BMW.

Picture Credit: fitmycar.com

History of the Logo

The distinctive blue and white circular BMW logo symbolizes the motion of an aircraft propeller. It represents blades cutting through the blue sky, an interpretation that BMW gave to its emblem in 1929, twelve years after its creation. It evolved from the circular symbol of the Rapp Motorenwerke company, from which BMW grew, combined with the blue and white colors of the Bavarian flag, inverted to produce the current emblem.

Brand History

1910-1929
The embryo of BMW, Bayerische Flugzeug-Werke (BFW), was founded on March 7, 1916. Rapp-Motorenwerke was renamed Bayerische Motoren Werke on July 21, 1917. Thanks to the start of the war the small company enjoys a fast growth. On August 13, 1918, Bayerische Motoren Werke began its listing on the stock market and its name was changed to BMW AG. In 1922 BMW acquires BFW. Since then, the date of the creation of BMW is considered as that of the founding of BFW.

1930-1949
In 1933, the German state massively subsidized the construction of aircraft engines, an aspect that BMW used to increase its business. In 1941 BMW takes control of Brandenburgerische Motorwerken. The Munich plant suffers major damage due to the outbreak of the Second World War, while the Allach factory was virtually unscathed.

1950-1969
In the 1950s, the financial situation of BMW was quite precarious. So much so that at the end of 1959 Daimler-Benz made an offer that included the restructuring of BMW. This option was rejected by small shareholders as well as company employees. In the mid-1960s, the Munich production plant practically reached the limit of its capacity. BMW planned to build another factory, but in 1967 it bought the Hans Glas company, with its three factories in Dingolfing and Landshut. In the next three decades, the growth of the Dingolfing plant reached such magnitude that it became BMW's largest production plant. Motorcycle manufacturing moved to Berlin in 1969.

1970-1989
By 1972 the South African importer of BMW was in serious financial trouble. In an effort not to lose that market, the firm decided to open a plant in that country, the first outside of Germany. A year later, in 1973, the company began its worldwide expansion. The first division created was that of France. In 1977 the construction of the new factory in Berlin began and in 1979 the engine production plant in Steyr, Austria was inaugurated. On March 1, 1984, the Berlin factory was officially opened.

1990-2000
The Center for Research and Innovation, called FIZ, was opened in the north of Munich in 1990. Four years later, BMW landed in the United States. The Spartanburg, South Carolina plant opens in 1994 whose production is exclusively dedicated to the BMW Z3. From there it would be exported all over the world. A few years later, the BMW X5 would also be manufactured in those same facilities. In 1994 BMW acquired Rover, in a move to establish itself in the British market. In 1998, BMW bought the rights to use the name Rolls-Royce, although according to the agreement signed, it could not be used until 2003. At that time Volkswagen was the manufacturer of these cars. In 2000 BMW parted ways with Rover after a series of problems that led to its sale. MINI saw the light in 2001 and began the manufacture of models of the brand at the plant in Oxford, England.

Present

Since 2000, BMW has focused on the premium segment with its BMW, MINI and Rolls Royce brands. The total vehicle production of the BMW Group in 2008 was 1,439,936 vehicles in 6 countries.

At the moment the models that are marketed by the brand are: series 1, series 3, series 5, series 6, X1, X3, X5, X6 and Z4.

Milestones and Curiosities

BMW has a motorcycle division, something quite unusual in the automotive industry.
The firm's technological improvements are always introduced first in the BMW 7 Series.
BMW was one of the first manufacturers to have a hydrogen-powered model, a variant of the BMW 7 Series. However, they recently abandoned their development to focus on other technologies.

Watch the detailed video below: The History of BMW | Short Documentary

Competition

BMW joined Formula 1 in 1980. At that time it was a supplier of engines. In 1987 he made a break in this competition. A decade later he returned to Formula 1, in conjunction with Williams. The pairing with the English lasted until 2006, the year in which they decided to split into two teams. In 2007 they completed a very good season, becoming the alternative to McLaren-Mercedes and Ferrari. Its progression culminated in 2008, with BMW's first and only Formula 1 victory. This feat was accomplished by Robert Kubica at the Canadian Grand Prix. A year later, in 2009, the German team announced that it was leaving the competition due to cost-cutting policies.

The brand also has a long history in the world touring car championship. Since the 1950s he has been competing in it or in its more modern variant, the WTCC (World Touring Car Championship). BMW has also lavished itself in Le Mans, Formula 2 and even in Formula BMW, a category for young promises to take advantage of.