(an
Abbreviation of '''''Bayerische Motoren Werke AG''''', or in
English , '''Bavarian Motor Works'''), is a
German Company and manufacturer of
Automobile s and
Motorcycles . BMW is the world's largest premium carmaker and is the parent company of the
BMW MINI and
Rolls-Royce car brands, and, formerly,
Rover .
In
German , the
Acronym BMW is pronounced "bay emm vay". In many English-speaking countries, BMW vehicles are referred to as "bimmers".
The company's taglines in English are "The Ultimate Driving Machine" and "Sheer Driving Pleasure". The original German slogan is "Freude am Fahren", which translates to "Joy in Driving" in
English .
BMW's main competitors include
Acura ,
Alfa Romeo ,
Audi ,
Cadillac ,
Infiniti ,
Jaguar ,
Lexus ,
Mercedes-Benz and
Volvo .
in Munich, Germany.]]
BMW was founded by
Karl Friedrich Rapp in October
1913 , originally as an
Aircraft Engine manufacturer, Bayerische Flugzeug-Werke. The
Milbertshofen district of
Munich location was chosen because it was close to the
Gustav Otto Flugmaschinenfabrik site, a German
Aircraft manufacturer. The blue-and-white
Roundel BMW still uses (illustrated above right) alludes to the blue and white checkered flag of
Bavaria and also indicates the origin of BMW by symbolizing a spinning white propeller on a blue-sky background.
In
1916 the company secured a contract to build
V12 engines for
Austria-Hungary . Needing extra financing, Rapp gained the support of
Camillo Castiglioni and
Max Friz , the company was reconstituted as the Bayerische Motoren Werke
GmbH . Over-expansion caused difficulties; Rapp left and the company was taken over by the Austrian industrialist
Franz Josef Popp in
1917 , and named BMW
AG in
1918 .
After
World War I , the
Treaty Of Versailles (
1919 ) prohibited the production of aircraft in Germany.
Otto closed his factory and BMW switched to manufacturing
Railway Brake s.
In
1919 BMW designed their first motorcycle engine to be used in a model called the Victoria which was built by a company in
Nuremberg .
In
1923 BMW built their first model motorcycle, the
R32 . This had a 500 cc air-cooled horizontally-opposed engine, a feature that would resonate among their various models for decades to come, albeit with displacement increases and newer technology.
In
1927 the tiny
Dixi , an
Austin Seven produced under licence, began production in
Eisenach . BMW bought the
Dixi Company the following year, and this became the company's first car, the
BMW 3/15 . By
1933 BMW were producing cars that could be called truly theirs, offering steadily more advanced
I6 Sports and saloons (sedans). The pre-war cars culminated in the
327 saloon and
328 Roadster , fast
2.0 L cars, both very advanced for their time.
BMW
Motorcycle s, specifically the
BMW R 12 and the
BMW R 75 combination were used extensively by the ''
Aufklärungsabteilung '' of German ''
Panzer '' and motorised divisions of the
German Army , ''
Waffen SS '' and ''
Luftwaffe ''.
BMW was also a major supplier of engines to the ''Luftwaffe'' and of engines and vehicles, especially motorcycles, to the ''
Wehrmacht ''. Planes used the aero-engines included the
BMW 801 , one of the most powerful available. Over 30,000 were manufactured up to
1945 . BMW also researched
Jet Engine s, producing the
BMW 003 , and rocket-based weapons. BMW has admitted to using between 25,000 and 30,000
Slave Labourers during this period, consisting of both
Prisoners Of War and inmates of infamous
Concentration Camp s such as
Dachau .
The BMW works were heavily bombed towards the end of the war. Of its sites, those in eastern Germany (
Eisenach-Dürrerhof ,
Wandlitz-Basdorf and
Zühlsdorf ) were seized by the
Soviets . The factory in Munich was largely destroyed.
In 1952, BMW produced its first passenger car since the war, but its attempts to get into the premium sector were not commercially successful; models such as the acclaimed
BMW 507 were too expensive to build profitably and were low volume. By the late 1950s, it was making bu-barrele cars such as the
Isetta . In
1959 BMW's management suggested selling the whole concern to
Daimler-Benz . Major shareholder,
Herbert Quandt was close to agreeing such a deal, but changed his mind at the last minute because of opposition from the workforce and trade unions and advice from the board chairman,
Kurt Golda . Instead Quandt increased his share in BMW to 50% against the advice of his bankers, and he was instrumental in turning the company around.
That same year, BMW launched the
700 , a small car with an air-cooled, rear-mounted 697 cc boxer engine from the R67 motorcycle. Its bodywork was designed by
Giovanni Michelotti and the 2+2 model had a sporty look. There was also a more powerful RS model for racing. Competition successes in the 700 began to secure BMW's reputation for sports sedans.
At the
Frankfurt show in 1961, BMW launched the
1500 , a powerful compact
Sedan , with front disc brakes and four-wheel independent suspension. This modern specification further cemented BMW's reputation for sporting cars. It was the first BMW to officially feature the "
Hofmeister Kink ", the rear window line that has been the hallmark of all BMWs since then.
The "
New Class " 1500 was developed into
1600 and
1800 models. In 1966, the two-door version of the 1600 was launched, along with a convertible in 1967. These models were called the '02' series—the
2002 being the most famous—and began the bloodline that later developed into the
BMW 3 Series .
In
1968 , BMW launched its large "
New Six " sedans, the
2500, 2800, And American Bavaria , and coupés, the
2.5 CS And 2800 CS .
By the
1970s , BMW was commercially successful and in December 1971, moved in to its present HQ in Munich, architecturally modelled after four cylinders.
In
1972 , the
5 Series was launched to replace the New Class sedans, with a body styled by
Marcello Gandini . The New Class coupes were replaced by the
3 Series in
1975 , and the New Six became the
7 Series in
1977 . Thus the three-tier sports sedan range was formed, and BMW essentially followed this formula into the
1990s . Other cars, like the
6 Series coupes that replaced the CS and the
M1 , were also added to the mix as the market demanded.
Between
1994 and
2000 , under the leadership of
Bernd Pischetsrieder , BMW owned the
Rover Group in an attempt to get into mass market production, buying it from
British Aerospace . This brought the active
Rover ,
Mini and
Land Rover brands as well as rights to many dormant marques such as
Austin ,
Morris ,
Riley ,
Triumph and
Wolseley under BMW ownership.
The venture was not successful. For years, Rover tried to rival BMW, if not in product, then in market positioning and "snob appeal". BMW found it difficult to reposition the English automaker alongside its own products and the Rover division was faced with endless changes in its marketing strategy. In the six years under BMW, Rover was positioned as a premium automaker, a mass-market automaker, a division of BMW and an independent unit.
BMW was more successful with the
Mini and
Land Rover brands, which did not have parallels in its own range at the time.
In 2000, BMW disposed of
Rover after years of losses, with Rover cars going to the
Phoenix Venture Holdings for a nominal £10 and Land Rover going to the
Ford Motor Company . In the press, many years of under-investment by Rover before BMW's ownership were mainly blamed for the debacle; productivity and industrial relations were generally good during this period. The German press ridiculed the English firm as "
The English Patient ", after a film at the time. BMW itself, protected by its product range's image, was largely spared the blame — even though it was the serious marketing issues that brought Rover down. Even the British press was not particularly sympathetic toward Rover.
BMW retained the rights to Mini, Rover, Triumph and other marques.
MINI has been a highly successful business, though the other names have not been used.
(known as a
Roundel ) divided into
Quadrant s of alternating white and light blue colour. This is a stylized representation of an
Aircraft Propeller . The colours of the logo are those of the flag of
Bavaria .]]
In the early part of the
2000s , BMW undertook another of its periodic cycles of redoing the styling design of its various series of vehicles, under the auspices of newly promoted design chief
Christopher Bangle . These designs, which were much curvier and 'swoopier' -- a design cue called "flame surfacing" by Bangle, did not rest well at all with BMW enthusiasts or the automotive press which referred to the new designs as "Bangled" or "Bangle-ized". While Bangle did not pen all of these designs, and has indeed been promoted within the company, some question what long term effect the disaffection of BMW traditionalists for these designs will have on sales, and on the company's future. Despite the controversy, BMW sales have increased year after year, showing the buying public's embrace of the new design philosophy, which is to raise the contribution of design to equate with that of engineering in the production of a vehicle. Bangle seems to posture that he wants people to either "love" or "hate" a design, but not be indifferent to it. As such, his designs illicit much more emotional response than previous generations. It should also be noted that BMW's designs, both pre-Bangle and surprisingly since Bangle, are now resonating in the industry at the design level - the "rear end" of the 7-series that most found difficult to digest when it first came out in early 2000s is now appearing in other brands, most notably on the new Lexus LS and the new Mercedes-Benz S-class for 2007 . The iconic "kink" is also a staple of Infiniti as is the "M" moniker, made famous by the higher performance M-series of BMW.
What is not well known, however is that Bangle was indeed responsible for many 'conservative' BMW designs and has worked at BMW for almost a decade. The first X5 sketches (which highly resembled the production car), were designed by him, and under his tenure the E46 3-series came to be.
BMW started producing automobiles at its
Spartanburg/Greenville, South Carolina plant in 1994. Today, the plant manufactures the
BMW X5 and
BMW Z4 Roadster.
The Spartanburg plant is open six days a week, producing automobiles approximately 110 hours a week. It employs about 4,700 people and manufactures over 500 vehicles daily.
After a period of local assembly, BMW's Rosslyn, South Africa, plant now manufactures cars, with over 70 percent of its output destined for export. In the mid-1990s, BMW invested
R 1 billion to make Rosslyn a world-class facility. The plant now exports over 50,000 3 Series cars a year, mostly to the USA, Japan, Australia, Africa and the Middle East.
Starting from October 2004, BMWs are produced in
Shenyang ,
China {Link without Title} . BMW has established a joint venture with Chinese manufacturer Brilliance to build BMW 3 Series and 5 Series vehicles for the local market.
In the early 1990s, BMW and
Rolls-Royce Motors began a joint venture that would see the new
Rolls-Royce Silver Seraph and
Bentley Arnage adopt BMW engines.
In 1998, both BMW and
Volkswagen tried to purchase Rolls-Royce Motors.
Volkswagen outbid BMW and bought the company for £430 million, but BMW outflanked its German rival. Although Volkswagen had bought rights to the "Spirit of Ecstasy" mascot and the shape of the radiator grille, it lacked rights to the Rolls-Royce name.
Rolls-Royce Plc (the aero-engine business) retained the rights over the Rolls-Royce
Trademark and wished to strengthen its existing business partnership with BMW which extended to the
BMW Rolls-Royce joint venture. Consequently, BMW was allowed to acquire the rights to the grille and mascot, and licensed the name and "RR" logo after
2003 for £40 million. Volkswagen was permitted to build Rolls-Royces at its
Crewe factory only until 2003, but quickly shifted its emphasis to the Bentley brand.
In the meantime, BMW was faced with the need to build a new factory and develop a new model. The new factory at
Goodwood produced the new
Rolls-Royce Phantom , unveiled on
January 2 ,
2003 , and officially launched at the
Detroit Auto Show on
January 5 ,
2003 . The model, priced around US$330,000, has experienced record sales worldwide of 796 Phantom's sold in 2005.
The current BMW model lineup is split into what they call "Series", traditionally identified by a single digit - e.g. the 3 Series.
In 2004 BMW announced plans to make odd-numbered models
Sedan s and
Estates or wagons (BMW calls its estates/wagons Touring models), while even-numbered models will be two-door
Coupé s and
Cabriolet s. This convention started informally in 1976 with the introduction of the
6 Series and later continued in 1989 with the
8 Series , but died off when the latter was discontinued in 1999. This practice was revived as the
Z4 replaced the aging
Z3 roadster in 2003 and continues as the new
6 Series augments the existing
BMW 5 Series .
Coupe versions of the
3 Series sedans have always been named 3 Series vehicles, as well. The company had considered renaming future 2-door derivatives of the 3 Series as 4 Series cars, but this plan has reportedly been shelved.
The M letter was used prior to the shift to Series-named cars to designate special "Motorsport" models, beginning with the
M1 supercar. Later the M letter was used as a prefix to top-of-the-range models which had received special treatment by the BMW Motorsport division. The first such car was the M535i of 1979. As these models started gaining popularity the Motorsport division was split into a separate company.
BMW M GmbH now makes sporty models based on the production cars with very extensive chassis and engine upgrades. The M3, M5, and M6 are based respectively on the 3, 5, and 6 Series and are recognised by enthusiasts all over the world as truly excellent sports cars while retaining the practicality of the models they extend.
With the advent of the
SUV , BMW also added the X5 - and in 2004 the X3 - to their model range to capitalize on this growing market. BMW calls its SUV models ''Sports Activity Vehicles''. A possible future V Series will offer
MPV practicality for large families, similar to the
Renault Scenic.
- in Europe; autumn 2006 in the USA. It is the only Rear Wheel Drive vehicle in its class. A coupe has been announced for 2006, and there are concepts of a hatchback and a minivan. Plans to label these variants as ''2 Series'' have reportedly been scrubbed.
- Touring (wagon) model, the 325xiT. Other models, including diesel models, are available outside of the United States.
- --- M3 : The motorsport division's race-inspired version of the 3 Series. Currently available only in the fourth generation E46 body style and with a 3.2 L engine producing 333 hp. A new revision is expected in 2007 with a 400 hp V8.
- . This series has is available with three different engines: the 525i with the same engine as the 325i, the 530i with the same engine as the 330i, and the 545i with a 4.4 L V8 producing 325 hp. For the 2006 model year, the 545i will be phased out in favour of the 550i, with a 4.8 L V8 producing 360 hp. Other models, including diesel models, are available outside of the United States.
inspired V10 engine, producing 507 hp and is mated with a 7-speed Sequential Manual Gearbox (SMG) transmission.
- 6 Series : The coupe verson of the 5 series, the 6 series is currently available only in the 650i version with a 4.8 L V8 producing 360 hp.
- --- M6 : A high performance version of the 6 Series. Developed by BMW's M Division, it is powered by the same 5.0 L V10 507 hp engine seen in the BMW M5. It is currently available in Europe and is coming to America soon.
- , Audi A8 , and Jaguar XJ . The 7 series comes in the 750i and 750Li with the same engine as the 550i, and in the 760i and 760Li, with a 6.0 L V12 producing 438 hp. The 760Li is also made in a bulletproof version for clients who need extra protection.
- X3 : a small SUV with emphasis on practicality and affordability
- and Mercedes M-Class .
- that succeeded the Z3 . For 2006 the Z4 is only available as a 3.0i (3.0L I6 with 215hp) and a 3.0si available with the new generation 3.0L I6 with 255hp.
- --- M Z4 The new M roadster has been released as a Z4 with an E46 M3 motor (3.2L, 330hp), sharing same braking and suspension systems. The new M Coupe should will share the same features but in a "hatch" version.
- Coupé to succeed the Z8 , to be produced in 2008
- R 850 RT
- mid-engine sports car, designed in conjunction with Lamborghini . As Lamborghini went into bankruptcy the production was shifted to the German Karmanwerke.
- Z3 : a compact two-seater roadster.
- --- M coupé and roadster: high-performance hard-top and soft-top versions of the Z3, very popular with enthusiasts
- meant to replace the older 6 Series.
- two-seater with innovative modular construction; only 8,000 were made. Best known for the feature of the vertically sliding doors.
- . Only 5000 were built, the last 500 being a special edition built by Alpina but sold directly from BMW. This exciting roadster was built on an aluminium space frame design.
- Z9 concept car designed by Adrian van Hooydonk marked a departure from BMW's traditional conservative style, and has caused some controversy among BMW enthusiasts.
BMW made many cars over the years which have had great impact on the world of motoring.
- Dixi, 3/20, 303, 309, 315, 319, 320, 321, 325, 326, 327, 328 , 329, 335
- Isetta , 600 , 700
- 501, 502, 503, 507
- 3200 CS, 2000 CS
- New Sixes (2500/2800/Bavaria/2.5/2.8/3.0/3.3) - Predecessor to today's 7 Series
- New Class (1500/1502/1600/1800/1802/2000/2002) - Acknowledged as the first modern sports saloon and the predecessor to BMW's core product, the 3 Series
Internally, BMW associates an "e-code" for each generation of a series ("E" stands for ''Entwicklung'',
German for ''development'' or ''evolution''). These "chassis codes" only change to signify a major redesign of a series, or the introduction of a new series. ''
Motor Trend '' reported in April of 2006 that BMW will switch to the letter "F" for their future models, beginning with the
F10 5 Series replacement.
- Automobilwerk Eisenach
- Isetta
- Glas
- trademark.
- after selling off the rest of the company (see MG Rover Group ).
- ; the current Range Rover was developed mostly by BMW during their ownership of the company and until recently was powered by their 4.4 L V8 petrol (gasoline) engine and continues to use the BMW 3.0 L I6 diesel engine
- ; inspired by the original Mini , which was the British competitor to the Volkswagen Beetle .
- Wiesmann : A company making sporty 2-seater roadsters and coupes for which BMW supplies the engine and transmission components.
- as x700 Pro keyboard, x730 Pro wireless keyborard and mouse combo, M306 wireless mouse.
- Bavaria Wirtschaftsagentur GmbH: BMW Group subsidiary that offers insurance services.
- Softlab GmbH: IT consulting and systems integration.
BMW has been engaged in
Motorsport activities since the dawn of the first BMW motorcycle. BMW has competed and won many of the most coveted and prestigious races and motoring events.
See Also: BMW motorcycles
BMW branded motorcycles were first produced in
1923 and had an unusual "
Boxer Twin " engine, with two air-cooled cylinders protruding from opposite sides of the machine. Prior to this BMW built the "Flink" 2- stroke and "Helios" motorcycles, as well as supplying M2B15 motors to other companies such as Victoria.
The R series currently designates machines with a boxer-twin engine, the K series has an I4 engine (1000 and 1200cc) or an I3 (750cc), and the F series has a single cylinder
Rotax engine.
During
WWII BMW produced the
BMW R75 motorcycle with a
Sidecar attached. This motorcycle was essentially an 80% interchangeable copy of the ZUndapp KS750, made by BMW to avoid producing the KS750 under licence. Unusually, the sidecar's wheel was also driven. Combined with a lockable
Differential , this made the vehicle very capable off-road, an equivalent in many ways to the
Jeep .
BMW motorcycles tend to be relatively large and heavy, and relaxed and comfortable to ride. All BMW motorcycles except for the F series (which have a chain or belt drive) use shaft drive, a characteristic of BMW motorcycles since 1923.
BMW updated the traditional R design in 1993. These new bikes were principally oil-cooled (hence, called
Oilhead s) and had 4 valves per cylinder. (Older Rs are principally air-cooled, and called
Airheads .) In 2004, BMW updated the oilhead boxer engine, adding double spark plugs per cylinder, a built-in balance shaft, an increased capacity to 1200 cc and enhanced performance to 100 hp (75 kW) for the R1200GS, compared to 85 hp (63 kW) of the previous oilhead s R1150GS.
In 2004, BMW introduced the new K1200S Sports Bike which marked a departure for BMW. It is both powerful (the engine is a 167 hp unit derived from the company's work with the Williams F1 team) and significantly lighter than previous K models. It was BMW's latest attempt to keep up with the pace of development of sports machines from the likes of
Honda ,
Kawasaki and
Suzuki . Innovations include a unique electronically adjustable front and rear suspension, and a Hossack-type front fork BMW calls Duolever.
BMW was one of the earliest manufacturers to offer
Anti-lock Brakes on production motorcycles.
BMW is an innovator in motorcycle suspension design. Most modern examples use single-sided rear swingarms. Their trademark front suspension design, called the Telelever, was first seen in the early 1990s. The Telelever significantly reduces dive under braking, and is sometimes criticized by sport riders as insulating the rider from road inputs, therefore reducing the rider's "feel" for the roadway.
The term "beemer" started as a pronunciation of the acronym "BMW," adapted from the early-20th-Century British pronunciation of
BSA (as "beeser" or "beezer"), whose motorcycles were often racing BMW's. Over time, the term became closely associated with BMW motorcycles.
The term "bimmer" was later coined to refer (exclusively) to BMW automobiles. As such, use of the word "beemer" to refer to a BMW automobile is
frowned upon by BMW enthusiasts, because it is the term used for motorcycles, though the distinction is somewhat arbitrary. Interestingly, in the German language, the correct pronunciation of the term "bimmer" is "beemer."
BMW is also the acronym in the UK for a cocktail of
Baileys ,
Malibu and
Whisky .
BMW has always had a very tight and loyal community following. They're one of the few automakers that support driving their cars to their limits, suggesting "spirited driving" in certain operation manuals. In the summer of 2001, BMW even went as far as starting the
BMW Films website, showcasing some sporty models being driven to extremes. These videos are very popular within the
enthusiast community and have opened the eyes of many owners looking for a sporty/fun car. However, even with all this success, on October 21st, 2005, the BMW Films were taken offline.
The BMW enthusiast community however, remains extremely active. Online forums like E46fanatics.com, M3forums.com, and bimmerforums.com are examples of how loyal BMW enthusiasts are. They are some of the most active car forums on the web.
Every year since 1999, BMW enthusiasts have met up in Santa Barbara, CA to attend "Bimmerfest." Perhaps one of the largest brand-specific gatherings in the U.S. Over 3000 people attended this past year (2006), and there were over 1000 cars present.
