BMW is one of the world's most famous car brands. BMW produces both executive and city cars, and has a rich and interesting history.
Actually, BMW started out as three other manufacturers. So how did it become the prestige car brand we know and love today?
In this article, we take a look at the history of BMW, from its foundation to the present day.
When did BMW begin making cars?
As mentioned, BMW started out as three separate manufacturing companies. These are Rapp Motorenwerke and Bayersiche Flugzeugwerke in Bavaria, and Fhrzogfabrik Eisenach in Thuringia;
It became Bayerische Motren Werke GmbH (BMW) in April 1917. However, they did not immediately start making cars. Instead, they made aircraft engines. As was the case in the middle of the First World War, this is to be expected. Their first product was the BMW IIIa engine. It had good fuel economy and performed well at high altitude which led to a huge amount of orders from the German Army, which led to the rapid expansion of BMW. After the war ended, BMW had to stop producing aircraft engines due to the terms of the Versailles Treaty. To keep the business going, they produced railroad brakes, household implements, and farm equipment.
When the restrictions imposed by the Versailles Treaty began to be lifted in 1923, BMW began producing motorcycles, starting with the R32 model. They began producing cars in 1928 after the company was bought by Automobilwerk Eisenach. . This began production in 1927 and became the BMW 3/15. The first car designed entirely by BMW was the 3/20 and was produced in 1920.The first straight-six was released in 1933 and was the BMW 303.
During this period, BMW expanded its range to sedans, convertibles and coupes.
What happened to BMWs during WWII?
BMW began producing aircraft engines again during World War II, and produced them for the Luftwaffe.
Their factory in Munich used forced labor. This included foreign civilians, prisoners of war and inmates of the Dachau concentration camps.
Some successful engines included the BMW 132 and BMW 003 turbojet powered Heinkel He 162 Spatz.
The first four-engined jet aircraft ever flown were the sixth and eighth Ardo Ar 234 reconnaissance bomber models. The BMW 003s used electric jets.
During World War II, BMW's factories were heavily bombed and its facilities in East Germany were seized by the Soviet government. The remaining facilities were prohibited by the Allies from producing motorcycles or cars.
What did BMW do after the second world war?
During the ban, BMW overhauled the equipment and materials used to make pots and pans, and then later in the production of kitchen supplies and bicycles.
They were given permission to resume production of motorcycles in 1947, the first of which was the R24. Despite being banned from the automobile industry, the Bristol Airplane Company in the United Kingdom was building cars based on pre-war BMW models.
BMW started making cars in the year 1952 and the first of them was the BMW 501 which was a large sedan. They expanded their model range throughout the fifties. That included sports cars, sedans, coupes, and convertibles. The BMW 502 was powered by a V8 and was the first BMW to do so. Their affordable model, the Isetta, was a small car that was produced in 1955.
When was the new class introduced?
Despite having launched a range of products, BMW was struggling. While the Isetta sold well, it had small profit margins and sedans based on the 501 never sold well enough to be profitable. The chairman of the board of directors of BMW proposed a merger with Daimler-Benz, but merchants and shareholders prevented this. Instead, Quandt Group increased its shares in the company and became the largest shareholder.
A development program was started in the 1960s for a new range of models. This was the Neue Klasse, or New Class, first introduced in 1962. This included the four-door sedans and was further expanded with the 2000 C and 2000 CS in 1965. It was the new class that was adopted to save the company and establish the identity BMW Great sports sedans are made.
When was the BMW 5 Series released?
BMW produced the first six-cylinder in-line engine since World War II in 1968. This coincided with the launch of the new car. These were large sedans and were the ancestors of the 7 Series and 6 Series.
The first 5 Series was introduced in 1972 and was a line of midsize sedans that replaced the sedans of the new segment. This was followed by Series Three, introduced in 1975, and Series VI, introduced in 1976.
The 7 Series was launched in 1978. The 8 Series wasn't launched until much later, in 1989 and 1992. It was also the first implementation of BMW's first V8 engine in 25 years, with the M60.
Limited production of the Z1 began in 1989 and Z Series two-seat convertible models began.
When did BMW launch the M department?
Developed jointly with Lamborghini, the BMW M1 was launched in 1978. It was BMW's first mid-engined sports car, and it was also the first road car produced by BMW's motorsport division. BMW's M division produced its first model based on the regular E12 M535i car. This was the BMW M. It was also the predecessor to the BMW M5, which was introduced in 1985.
BMW introduced its first diesel in 1983 with the M1. A few years later, they launched their first car, the E30.
When did BMW purchase the Rover Group?
BMW bought Britain's Rover Group in 1994. At that time, it consisted of Rover, Land Rover, Mini and MG. It also included the rights to Austin and Morris though it had expired.
BMW owned the Rover Group for six years, but it was incurring huge losses, so BMW decided to sell a lot of the brands. MG and Rover were sold to the Phoenix Consortium, who subsequently formed MG Rover. Land Rover is acquired by Ford.
BMW, however, retained the rights to the Mini, and the newest line was launched in 2001.
The BMW Z3 was the first mass-produced model (outside of the 1, 3 and 5 Series) and the first to be built outside of Germany. Made in the USA
BMW vs. VW
In 1997, the owner of Bentley, Vickers, announced that he was going to sell Rolls-Royce Motors.
Originally, the purchaser's choice was BMW because it supplied components and engines for Bentley and Rolls-Royce.
BMW offered 340 million pounds to Rolls-Royce Motors, but was offered 430 million pounds by Volkswagen. However, Volkswagen only owns the vehicle layouts, production, administrative facilities, and model nameplates. They also own Spirit of Ecstasy and Rolls-Royce grille brands. Seems like a lot, doesn't it?
It was, except they couldn't get to the Rolls-Royce name or logo. She was still owned by Rolls-Royce Holdings. The following year, in 1998, BMW began supplying components for a new range of Bentley and Rolls-Royce automobiles. They paid Rolls-Royce 40 million pounds sterling to license their name and logo.
So BMW owns the name and the logo, while Volkswagen owns everything else. Essentially, any two brands can build Rolls-Royce cars despite owning parts of the company.
After a long fight and negotiations, it was decided that BMW would supply the engines and components and that Volkswagen would have access to the names and logos from 1998 to 2002.
As of 2003, BMW was the sole supplier of Rolls-Royce-branded cars, and Volkswagen was going to get Bentley, which they said they wanted more of anyway.
When did BMW release the i models?
BMW i is a sub-brand of BMW Corporation that was founded in 2011. The goal was to design and produce electric vehicles.
Initially, the plans were for two vehicles, the BMW i3 and BMW i8. The BMW i3 is an all-electric car whose production began in 2013. It was launched in the market in November of the same year.
The i8 is a plug-in hybrid engine that was launched in June 2014.
Combined sales for these models reached 50,000 units in just under two years after their first production. The BMW i3 is the third best-selling electric vehicle in the world, in all-electric vehicle history. This was to provide a visual indication of the technology transition from the Brand I to the core BMW models. The first of these was intended to be used in the BMW 7 Series' plug-in hybrid variants.
Since November 2016, four electrified models of BMW have been launched including the BMW X5 xDriver40e iPerformance and BMW 740e iPerformance.
BMW has set itself a goal of expanding the share of its electrified models to between 15% and 25% of sales by 2025.
And that really brings us to today. BMW continues to make iconic and prestigious models driven by businessmen and families alike. They are selling an increasing number of plug-in and plug-in hybrids, paving the way for executive electric models. BMW has shown no sign of slowing down in the past few decades and it is showing no sign of slowing down now.
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