BAVARIAN MOTOR WORKS (BMW)

INTRODUCTION:

• BMW is a German multinational company which currently

produces automobiles and motorcycles, and also produced aircraft engines
until 1945. The company was founded in 1916 and has its headquarters
in Munich, Bavaria. Automobiles are marketed under the brands BMW (with
sub-brands BMW M for performance models and BMW I for plug-in electric
cars), Mini and Rolls-Royce. Motorcycles are marketed under the
brand BMW Motorrad. The company has significant motorsport history,
especially in touring cars, Formula 1, sports cars and the Isle of Man TT.
 HISTORY

• BMW, short for ‘Bayerische Motoren Werke1’, which means ‘Bavarian Motor Works’ in English, has come a long way
since its inception and has become one of the most popular sports, luxury, and family car manufacturers today. The BMW
history started with the efforts of Karl Rapp, who incorporated Rapp Motorenwerk. The company used to manufacturer
aircrafts and had contracts with Gustav Otto and Austro-Daimler to manufacturer V12 engines for its airplanes.
• In 1918, BMW was forced to cease production of aircraft engines. Therefore, the company shifted its attention to
manufacturing motorcycles by 1923. Soon enough, BMW saw huge potential in the field of automobile manufacturing and
then began producing automobiles in 1928. The first automobile produced by the company was the ‘BMW Dixi’.
 BMW LOGO

• In 1916, after gaining considerable success in the airplane industry,

the company was renamed to Bayerische Motoren Werke GmbH. It
was during this time, Franz Josef Popp, became the supervisor of
airplane engines. Within a few weeks, Max Friz was assigned as the
designer of airplanes and a new aircraft engine was created, which
would be given the name ‘BMW IIIa’. Soon enough, the company
became popular by the name BMW and the owners decided to design
a new logo. This is how the famous blue and white trademark of the
company was created.
IMPORTANT EVENTS IN THE
HISTORY OF BMW
 1930-1960
• In the 30s, BMW introduced a new car, the
‘Wartburg’ DA3, which was also incredibly
successful. Soon enough, the company attempted
to introduce a new front axle on both their Dixi and
Wartburg models, but due to construction faults
most of the prototypes ended up in series
accidents. However, in 1933, the company got back
in the game and manufactured the 303 which used
the new M78 engine.
• Due to the impending war in 1940, BMW shifted
its interest to manufacturing military vehicles.
• By 1954, the most famous vehicle of all time, the
BMW 502 V8 super made its debut, which allowed
the company to enhance its reputation worldwide.
In 1956, BMW introduced a muscle 507 car, which
made the company the largest money earner at
that time.
 1960-1980

• The 60s were an incredibly successful time in BMW’s

History. In fact, the company had become so popular that
the Munic Plant couldn’t handle the production and
consumer demands. Therefore, in 1967, the company
shifted to a new location with a larger plant and began
production of motorcycles in Berlin. In the 70s, BMW
began production of its vehicles in South Africa.
• A few years later, the BMW Motorsport GmbH was
founded. Additionally, BMW established its own museum
of aircraft engines and traditional hit cars. Not to mention,
it was during this time the 5 series, 3 series, 7 series, and
6 series vehicles were introduced in the market, which is
still in production.
 1980-2000+
• In the 80s, BM1W began production in Regensburg
and the company was operating efficiently all over
the world. In the 90s, BMW entered the US and
soon acquired the British Rover Group. This
brought the active Land Rover, Rover, and MINI
brands under BMW ownership along with rights of
numerous dormant marques, such as Wolseley,
Triumph, Riley, Morris, and Austin.
• In the 2000s, BMW took over MINI and Rolls-
Royce and the company introduced its famous 1
series. Soon enough, the company established a
plant in Shenyang and even created a joint-venture
with China. By 2013, the BMW launched the all-
new I3, which kick-started the new era of electric
mobility.
BMW AUTOMOBILES TODAY

THE HISTORY OF BMW SHOWS THE

PRESTIGE AND STILL EXISTS AS ONE OF
THE THREE BEST LUXURY AUTOMOBILE
MANUFACTURERS IN THE WORLD.
ADDITIONALLY, THE COMPANY HOLDS A
HIGH PLACE IN MOTORCYCLE
PRODUCTION. NOT TO MENTION, BMW
HAS FOUR NEW DIVISIONS NAMELY BMW
MOTORRAD, BMW I, BMW MOTORSPORT,
AND MINI. MOREOVER, THE COMPANY HAS
A YEARLY OUTPUT OF 2,117,965
AUTOMOBILES AND 120,000
MOTORCYCLES.
 Project made by:
Frosa Cosmin
Popa Andrei
Raicu Darius-Stefam