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This article is about the German motor vehicle manufacturer. For other uses, see.BMW ( German pronunciation: ( )) is a German multinational company which produces. The company was founded in 1916 as a manufacturer of aircraft engines, which it produced from 1917 until 1918 and again from 1933 to 1945.Automobiles are marketed under the brands BMW, Mini and Rolls-Royce, and motorcycles are marketed under the brand BMW Motorrad.
In 2015, BMW was the world's twelfth largest producer of motor vehicles, with 2,279,503 vehicles produced.BMW is headquartered in and produces motor vehicles in Germany, Brazil, China, India, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and the United States.The registered company name is 'Bayerische Motoren Werke AG'. The are long-term shareholders of the company, with the remaining shares owned by.BMW has significant motorsport history, especially in, and the. Main articles: andBayerische Flugzeugwerke AG was formed. This company was renamed to Bayerische Motoren Werke (BMW) in 1922. However the name BMW dates back to 1913, when the original company to use the name BMW was born (initially as Rapp Motorenwerke).
BMW's first product was a straight-six aircraft engine called the BMW IIIa. Following the end of World War I, BMW remained in business by producing motorcycle engines, farm equipment, household items and railway brakes. The company produced its first motorcycle, the BMW R 32 in 1923.BMW became an automobile manufacturer in 1928 when it purchased Fahrzeugfabrik Eisenach, which, at the time, built under licence under the Dixi marque. The first car sold as a BMW was a rebadged Dixi called the BMW 3/15. Following the BMW's acquisition of a car manufacturer called Dixi.
Throughout the 1930s, BMW expanded its range into sports cars and larger luxury cars.Aircraft engines, motorcycles, and automobiles would be BMW's main products until World War II. During the war, against the wishes of its director, BMW concentrated on aircraft engine production, with motorcycles as a side line and automobile manufacture stopped altogether. BMW's factories were heavily bombed during the war and its remaining West German facilities were banned from producing motor vehicles or aircraft after the war. Again, the company survived by making pots, pans, and bicycles.
In 1948, BMW restarted motorcycle production. BMW resumed car production in Bavaria in 1952 with the BMW 501 luxury saloon. The range of cars was expanded in 1955, through the production of the cheaper microcar under licence. Slow sales of luxury cars and small profit margins from microcars meant BMW was in serious financial trouble and in 1959 the company was nearly taken over by rival Daimler-Benz. A large investment in BMW by Herbert Quandt and Harald Quandt resulted in the company surviving as a separate entity. The BMW 700 was successful and assisted in the company's recovery.The 1962 introduction of the BMW New Class compact sedans was the beginning of BMW's reputation as a leading manufacturer of sport-oriented cars.
Throughout the 1960s, BMW expanded its range by adding coupe and luxury sedan models. The BMW 5 Series mid-size sedan range was introduced in 1972, followed by the BMW 3 Series compact sedans in 1975, the BMW 6 Series luxury coupes in 1976 and the BMW 7 Series large luxury sedans in 1978.The BMW M division released its first road car, a mid-engine supercar, in 1978. This was followed by the BMW M5 in 1984 and the BMW M3 in 1986. Also in 1986, BMW introduced its first V12 engine in the 750i luxury sedan.The company purchased the Rover Group in 1994, however the takeover was not successful and was causing BMW large financial losses. In 2000, BMW sold off most of the Rover brands, retaining only Mini and Rolls Royce.The 1995 BMW Z3 expanded the line-up to include a mass-production two-seat roadster and the 1999 BMW X5 was the company's entry into the SUV market.The first mass-produced turbocharged petrol engine was introduced in 2006, with most engines switching over to turbocharging over the following decade. The first hybrid BMW was the 2010 BMW ActiveHybrid 7, and BMW's first electric car was the BMW i3 city car, which was released in 2013. After many years of establishing a reputation for sporting rear-wheel drive cars, BMW's first front-wheel drive car was the 2014 BMW 2 Series Active Tourer multi-purpose vehicle (MPV).Branding.
Flag of Company name The name BMW is an abbreviation for Bayerische Motoren Werke ( German pronunciation: ). This name is grammatically incorrect, (in German, compound words must not contain spaces), which is why the name's grammatically correct form Bayerische Motorenwerke ( German pronunciation: ( )) has been used in several publications and advertisements in the past. Bayerische Motorenwerke translates into English as Bavarian Motor Works. The suffix AG, short for, signifies an incorporated entity which is owned by shareholders.The terms Beemer, Bimmer and Bee-em are sometimes used for BMW in the English language and are sometimes used interchangeably for cars and motorcycles. Logo The circular blue and white BMW logo or evolved from the circular company logo, from which the BMW company grew, combined with the blue and white colors of the. The BMW logo still used today was created in 1917, albeit with various minor styling changes.The origin of the logo is often thought to be a portrayal of the movement of an aircraft propeller with the white blades cutting through a blue sky. However, this portrayal was first used in a BMW advertisement in 1929 – twelve years after the logo was created – so this is not the origin of the logo itself.
Slogan The slogan ’The Ultimate Driving Machine’ was first used in North America in 1974. In 2010, this long-lived campaign was mostly supplanted by a campaign intended to make the brand more approachable and to better appeal to women, ’Joy’. By 2012 BMW had returned to ’The Ultimate Driving Machine’. April Fools' Day pranks BMW has garnered a reputation in Britain over the years for its pranks, which are printed in the press there every year.
In 2010, they ran an advertisement in announcing that customers would be able to order BMWs with different coloured badges to show their affiliation with the political party they supported. Finances For the fiscal year 2017, BMW reported earnings of EUR 8.620 billion, with an annual revenue of EUR 98.678 billion, an increase of 4.8% over the previous fiscal cycle.
BMW's shares traded at over €77 per share, and its market capitalization was valued at US 55.3 billion in November 2018. YearRevenuein bn.
EUR€Net incomein bn. EUR€Total Assetsin bn. EUR€Employees2.380.4015.792.1756.394.1636.898.6788.629,932Motorcycles. The 2015BMW began production of motorcycle engines and then motorcycles after World War I. Its motorcycle brand is now known as.
Their first successful motorcycle after the failed Helios and Flink, was the ' in 1923, though production originally began in 1921. This had a ' twin engine, in which a cylinder projects into the air-flow from each side of the machine. Apart from their single-cylinder models (basically to the same pattern), all their motorcycles used this distinctive layout until the early 1980s. Many BMW's are still produced in this layout, which is designated the.The entire BMW Motorcycle production has, since 1969, been located at the company's Berlin-Spandau factory.During the Second World War, BMW produced the motorcycle with a attached. Having a unique design copied by the KS750, its sidecar wheel was also motor-driven. Combined with a lockable, this made the vehicle very capable off-road, an equivalent in many ways to the.In 1982, came the, shaft drive but water-cooled and with either three or four cylinders mounted in a straight line from front to back.
Shortly after, BMW also started making the chain-driven and series with single and parallel twin engines.In the early 1990s, BMW updated the Boxer engine which became known as the. In 2002, the oilhead engine had two spark plugs per cylinder. In 2004 it added a built-in balance shaft, an increased capacity to 1,170 cc and enhanced performance to 100 hp (75 kW) for the, compared to 85 hp (63 kW) of the previous. More powerful variants of the oilhead engines are available in the R1100S and R1200S, producing 98 and 122 hp (73 and 91 kW), respectively.In 2004, BMW introduced the new K1200S Sports Bike which marked a departure for BMW. It had an engine producing 167 hp (125 kW), derived from the company's work with the Williams F1 team, and is lighter than previous K models.
Innovations include electronically adjustable front and rear suspension, and a Hossack-type front fork that BMW calls Duolever.BMW introduced on production motorcycles starting in the late 1980s. The generation of anti-lock brakes available on the 2006 and later BMW motorcycles paved the way for the introduction of, or anti-skid technology later in the 2007 model year.BMW has been an innovator in motorcycle suspension design, taking up telescopic front suspension long before most other manufacturers. Then they switched to an, front suspension by swinging fork (1955 to 1969).
Most modern BMWs are truly rear swingarm, single sided at the back (compare with the regular swinging fork usually, and wrongly, called ).Some BMWs started using yet another trademark front suspension design, the Telelever, in the early 1990s. Like the Earles fork, the Telelever significantly reduces dive under braking.BMW Group, on 31 January 2013, announced that Pierer Industrie AG has bought Husqvarna for an undisclosed amount, which will not be revealed by either party in the future. The company is headed by Stephan Pierer (CEO of KTM). Pierer Industrie AG is 51% owner of KTM and 100% owner of Husqvarna.In September 2018, BMW unveiled a new self-driving motorcycle with BMW Motorrad with a goal of using the technology to help improve road safety. The design of the was inspired by the company's model. Automobiles Current models.
See also:, andThe current model lines of BMW cars are:. five-door hatchbacks (model code ).
A four-door sedan variant (model code ) is also sold in China and Mexico. two-door coupes (model code ), two-door convertibles , 'Active Tourer' five-seat MPVs and 'Gran Tourer' seven-seat MPVs. four-door sedans (model code ) and five-door station wagons. two-door coupes (model code ), two-door convertibles (model code ) and five-door 'Gran Coupe' fastbacks (model code ). four-door sedans (model code ) and five-door station wagons. A long-wheelbase sedan variant is also sold in China.
'Gran Turismo' four-door coupes (model code ). four-door sedans (model code ) and long-wheelbase four-door sedans (model code ). two-door coupes (model code ), two-door convertibles and 'Gran Coupe' four-door fastbacks. BMW HeadquartersThe global in Munich represents the cylinder head of a. It was designed by and was completed in 1972. The building has become a European icon and was declared a protected historic building in 1999. The main tower consists of four vertical cylinders standing next to and across from each other.
Each cylinder is divided horizontally in its center by a mold in the facade. Notably, these cylinders do not stand on the ground; they are suspended on a central support tower.is a futuristic cauldron-shaped building, which was also designed by Karl Schwanzer and opened in 1972.
The interior has a spiral theme and the roof is a 40-metre diameter BMW logo., the company's exhibition space in Munich, was designed by and opened in 2007. It includes a showroom and lifting platforms where a customer's new car is theatrically unveiled to the customer. BMW WeltFilm In 2001 and 2002, BMW produced a series of 8 short films called, which had plots based around BMW models being driven to extremes.
Bmw Motorcycles
The directors for The Hire included,. In 2016, a ninth film in the series was released.The 2006 'BMW Performance Series' was a marketing event geared to attract black car buyers. It consisted of seven concerts by jazz musician Mike Phillips, and screenings of films by black filmmakers. Visual arts BMW was the principal sponsor of the 1998 exhibition at various, though the financial relationship between BMW and the Guggenheim Foundation was criticised in many quarters.In 2012, BMW began sponsoring production of the BMW Art Guide, which is the first global guide to private and publicly accessible collections of contemporary art worldwide. The fourth edition, released in 2016, features 256 collections from 43 countries.
Production and Sales. BMW sponsor car at the London 2012 OlympicsBMW made a six-year sponsorship deal with the in July 2010.In golf, BMW has sponsored various events, including the since 2007, the form 2009-2012, the in China from 2012-2015 and the in Munich since 1989.In, BMW sponsored the from 2011 to 2015. Environmental record BMW is a charter member of the ’s (EPA) National Environmental Achievement Track, which recognizes companies for their environmental stewardship and performance. It is also a member of the South Carolina Environmental Excellence Program.Since 1999, BMW has been named the world's most sustainable automotive company every year by the Dow Jones Sustainability Index. The BMW Group is one of three automotive companies to be featured every year in the index. In 2001, the BMW Group committed itself to the United Nations Environment Programme, the UN Global Compact and the Cleaner Production Declaration. It was also the first company in the automotive industry to appoint an environmental officer, in 1973.
BMW is a member of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development.In 2012, BMW was the highest automotive company in the Carbon Disclosure Project's Global 500 list, with a score of 99 out of 100. The BMW Group was rated the most sustainable DAX 30 company by in 2012.To reduce vehicle emissions, BMW is improving the efficiency of existing fossil-fuel powered models, while researching electric power, and hydrogen for future models.During the first quarter of 2018, BMW sold 26,858 Electrified Vehicles (EVs, PHEVs, & Hybrids). Car-sharing services was a joint-venture between BMW and Sixt that operated from in Europe from 2011 until 2019. By December 2012, DriveNow operated over 1,000 vehicles, in five cities and with approximately 60,000 customers.In 2012, the BMW-owned subsidiary Alphabet began a corporate car-sharing service in Europe called AlphaCity.The car-sharing service was launched in Seattle in April 2016.
ReachNow currently operates in, and.Overseas subsidiaries Production facilities China. Main article:The first BMW production facility in China was opened in 2004, as a result of a joint venture between BMW.
The plant was opened in the industrial area and produces 3 Series and 5 Series models for the Chinese market. In 2012, a second factory was opened in Shenyang.Between January and November 2014, BMW sold 415,200 vehicles in China, through a network of over 440 BMW stores and 100 Mini stores. Hungary On 31 July 2018, BMW announced to build 1 billion euro car factory in Hungary. The plant, to be built near, will have a production capacity of 150,000 cars a year.
Mexico In July 2014, BMW announced it was establishing a plant in Mexico, in the city and state of involving an investment of $1 billion. The plant will employ 1,500 people, and produce 150,000 cars annually. South Africa BMWs have been assembled in South Africa since 1968, when Praetor Monteerders’ plant was opened in, near.
BMW initially bought shares in the company, before fully acquiring it in 1975; in so doing, the company became BMW South Africa, the first wholly owned subsidiary of BMW to be established outside Germany. Unlike United States manufacturers, such as and, which divested from the country in the 1980s, BMW retained full ownership of its operations in South Africa.Following the end of in 1994, and the lowering of import tariffs, BMW South Africa ended local production of the 5 Series and 7 Series, in order to concentrate on production of the 3 Series for the export market. South African–built BMWs are now exported to markets including Japan, Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Hong Kong, as well as. Since 1997, BMW South Africa has produced vehicles in for export to Taiwan, the United States and Iran, as well as South America.Three unique models that created for the South African market were the M745i (1983), which used the engine from the, the BMW 333i (1986), which added a six-cylinder 3.2-litre engine to the, and the BMW 325is (1989) which was powered by an -derived 2.7-litre engine.BMWs with a starting with 'NC0' are manufactured in South Africa.United States. Main article:BMW cars have been officially sold in the United States since 1956 and manufactured in the United States since 1994.
The first BMW dealership in the United States opened in 1975. In 2016, BMW was the twelfth highest selling brand in the United States.The manufacturing plant in has the highest production of the BMW plants worldwide, currently producing approximately 1,400 vehicles per day. The models produced at the Spartanburg plant are the, and SUV models.In addition to the South Carolina manufacturing facility, BMW's North American companies include sales, marketing, design, and financial services operations in the United States, Mexico, Canada and Latin America.Complete knock-down assembly facilities Brazil On 9 October 2014, BMW's new (CKD) assembly plant in, assembled its first car— an 3 Series.The cars assembled at Araquari are the 1 Series, 3 Series, X1, X3. Egypt became the importer of the BMW and Mini brands in 2003.Since 2005, the 3 Series, 5 Series, 7 Series, X1 and X3 models sold in Egypt are assembled from components at the BMW plant in. Main article:BMW India was established in 2006 as a sales subsidiary with a head office located in.A BMW complete knock-down assembly plant was opened in in 2007, assembling Indian-market 3 Series, 5 Series, 7 Series, X1, X3, X5, Mini Countryman and motorcycle models. The 20 Million plant aims to produce 1,700 cars per year.Russia Russian-market 3 Series and 5 Series cars are assembled from complete knock-down components in beginning in 1999. Vehicle importers Canada BMW's first dealership in Canada, located in, was opened in 1969.
In 1986, BMW established a head office in Canada.BMW sold 28,149 vehicles in Canada in 2008. Japan BMW Japan Corp, a wholly owned subsidiary, imports and distributes BMW vehicles in Japan. South Korea BMW Korea imports BMW vehicles in South Korea with more than fifty service centers to fully accomplish to Korean customers. Also, BMW Korea has its own driving center in Incheon. See also Wikimedia Commons has media related to.