BMW

For other uses, see BMW (disambiguation).

Bayerische Motoren Werke AG
180px
Type	Aktiengesellschaft
Founded	1916
Headquarters	[[Template:Country data GER Munich]], [[Germany]]
Key people	Dr. Norbert Reithofer, Chairman
Industry	Automotive
Products	Automobiles Motorcycles
Revenue	Template:Profit €56 billion (2007)
Employees	107,079 (2007)
Subsidiaries	MINI Rolls-Royce
Website	www.bmw.com

File:BMW-Gebäude.jpg

BMW Headquarters in Munich, Germany.

Template:Audio-nohelp (BMW), (Template:Lang-en) is an independent German automobile manufacturer. BMW is one of the world's leading performance-luxury manufacturers of cars and motorcycles, and is the parent company of the MINI and Rolls-Royce car brands. The initials BMW are pronounced Template:IPA in German.

Beginning with aircraft engines, BMW AG produced a variety of products in its early years, eventually shifting to motorcycle production in 1923 and automobiles in 1929. The circular blue and white BMW logo, which has not been altered throughout the company's history, does not in fact symbolize a spinning propeller according to a BMW spokesman Joerg Huebner (although the imagery did appear in post-WWI advertisements). The BMW roundel badge is believed to have been partially derived from the logo of its predecessor company Rapp Motorenwerke, while ultimately taking on the colors and checkers from the arms of Bavaria (fusilly in bend argent and azure). Significant aircraft power plants of pre-WWII and WWII included the BMW 132 and BMW 801 air-cooled radial engines, and the pioneering BMW 003 axial-flow turbojet. BMW's factories were damaged badly in the war, and many surviving machine tools were confiscated by the victorious Allies.

BMW AG bought the British Rover Group (which at the time consisted of the Rover, Land Rover and MG marques as well as the rights to defunct marquees including Austin and Morris) in 1994 and owned it for six years. By 2000, Rover was making huge losses and BMW decided to sell the combine. The MG and Rover marques were sold to the Phoenix Consortium to form MG Rover, while Land Rover was taken over by Ford. BMW, meanwhile, retained the rights to build the new MINI, which was launched in 2001.

Community

File:BMW Logo für Werbung auf Gestell montiert.JPG

BMW logo sign in Düsseldorf

BMW has always had a very tight and loyal community following. 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.

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 in 2006, and there were over 1000 cars present. In 2007, the event was held on May 5.

See also

• BMW Steptronic
• List of BMW engines
• BMW Headquarters
• BMW model designations

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

BMW

• BMW Group International
  • BMW Automobiles International
  • BMW Motorrad International
  • MINI International
  • Rolls-Royce Motors
• BMW announces Hydrogen 7 car for U.S. and Europe in 2007.
• BMW Group archives
• BMW History
• BMW CleanEnergy

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "BMW".