History of BMW
BMW, an acronym for Bayerische Motoren Werke in German, or Bavarian Motor Works in English, is a leading German automaker of luxury cars and motorbikes. It is worth noting that in its early days, the company also produced aircraft engines until 1945.
Founded in 1916, BMW is headquartered in Munich, Bavaria. With a global presence, it has production plants in Germany, Brazil, China, India, South Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States. In 2022, BMW ranked as the world’s third largest automotive company by revenue, with around 23 billion euros in turnover.
The Quandt family, meanwhile, holds the largest shareholding in the company with almost 46% of the company’s shares, with the remainder of the company’s ownership in the hands of investment funds and private and institutional investors.
The brand markets its vehicles under the BMW (including the BMW M sub-brands for high-performance models and BMW i for electric vehicles), Mini and Rolls-Royce brands. Motorbikes are marketed under the BMW Motorrad brand.
BMW also has a strong history in motorsport, particularly in passenger cars, Formula 1, sports cars and the Isle of Man TT.