BMW is one of the most popular and leading automobile brands in the world. This century-old brand started its journey as an aircraft engine manufacturer and then shifted towards the automobile industry. BMW secured a significant position in the industry due to its durable, technologically advanced and performance-oriented vehicles.
Here we have created a timeline to elaborate on the BMW car history. Let’s unfold the interesting journey of this iconic brand.
Birth Year of BMW
The German automobile brand BMW was established in 1917 by a Munich-based firm Rapp-Motorenwerke. After a few successful years, in 1922 BMW was incorporated with Bayerische Flugzeugwerke AG (BFW) and BMW AG was founded. Since Bayerische was founded in 1916, the official birth year of BMW becomes 1916.
BMW Car Brand History
Following is the timeline of BMW company history that unfolds all the interesting events related to the brand.
Beginning of BMW – 1916 to 1928
BMW initiated its journey as an aircraft engine manufacturer and till the 1920s, this was the only product that BMW was working on. However, due to WWI, aircraft engine production was affected and the brand switched to motorcycle manufacturing.
The first BMW motorcycle R32 was unveiled in 1923 and rapidly became popular. R32 features a boxer engine with cylinders positioned longitudinally. The basic design of the R32 was perfect, and BMW still uses that design in their motorcycles. The iconic and meaningful BMW logo was featured on the R32 motorcycle.
After successful penetration into the motorcycle market, BMW acquired Fahrzeugfabrik Eisenach to start its journey in the automobile industry. The first car unveiled by BMW was Dixi 3/15 which was available in three different car body types: coupe, tourer and roadster. The car was built in cooperation with the Austin Motor Co; therefore, when the contract ended in 1932, the Dixi 3/15 was also discontinued.
Back to Aircraft Engines – 1933 to 1947
In 1933, BMW was asked by the German government to start manufacturing aircraft engines. Apart from that, the brand also produces war machinery. Therefore, during this era, BMW could not make any significant progress in the automobile industry.
Postwar BMW Vehicles – 1948 to 1960
After the war, BMW relaunched itself in the automobile industry by releasing the R24 motorcycle. Similar to R32, this motorcycle series was also a huge success. Following the success of R24, a six-seater BMW 501 baroque design car series was unveiled. The launch of this luxury car series equipped with a six-cylinder engine aids in building BMW’s reputation as a top-tier automobile manufacturer.
To expand its niche and gain a significant position in the market, BMW launched a small car named the 700. The BMW 700 series was a commercial success and helped BMW to continue its journey independently.
Expansion of BMW – 1961 to 1986
BMW unveiled its 1500 model series at the 1961 Frankfurt Motor Show. This time, BMW targeted the market gap and provided a four-door compact sedan suitable for a family of four.
During this era, BMW also started expanding to other parts of the world and the first vehicle manufacturing plant was established in South Africa. Along with this, sales subsidiaries were also initiated in different parts of the world to increase sales of BMW models. The iconic BMW headquarter building and museum were also constructed during this time. The most interesting fact about the BMW headquarters is that it mimics a motor engine.
For the motorsports industry, BMW announced its new subsidiary named BMW Motorsports GmbH. The Motorsports GmbH helped in combining all the BMW’s motorsports activities under one banner. Moreover, BMW’s other subsidiary Technik GMBH was also founded to cater to the technological advancements in the industry. The very first project that was launched by this subsidiary was the Z1 Roadster.
BMW’s Expansion and Acquisition Continued – 1987 to 1998
BMW founded a manufacturing plant in Regensburg to meet the increasing vehicle demand. BMW 3 Series was the first model to be built at the new plant. By the 1990s, BMW focused on producing performance-oriented and technologically advanced vehicles.
Therefore, the brand established a research and innovation centre in Munich. The core purpose of this research centre was to rethink the future of BMW cars and introduce innovative features in models.
Since BMW was an established brand by that time, it acquired a number of other automobile brands. Rover Group was the first brand acquired by BMW in 1994. Later in 1998, BMW acquired the leading luxury car brand Rolls-Royce.
BMW in the New Millennial – 1999 to 2012
BMW entered the new millennium with its X5, a sports activity vehicle series. The X5 was the perfect combination of off-roading features and luxury that initiated a new segment of cars in the industry.
After the X5, BMW unveiled the MINI and BMW 1 compact car series for the small car market segment. For the luxury segment, a redesigned Rolls-Royce Phantom was released.
During this era, BMW established its new and more advanced car manufacturing plant in China. A new strategy named Number 1 was also adopted by BMW to pave strategies for future vehicles.
BMW Electric Cars – 2013 to Present
BMW was working on electric cars for a very long time and finally, in 2013, the first electric car of the brand was released. The all-electric i3 uses an electric motor to power the vehicle and therefore, is completely emission-free. After the successful experiment with the compact i3 series, iX an all-electric SUV and i4 all-electric sedan were unveiled in the market.
This was the complete BMW car history. This century-old brand that started its journey as an aircraft engine manufacturer has come a long way. Now, BMW is counted among the leading automobile brands in the world. The core reasons for this are its model lineup is equipped with innovative and advanced features. If you are also interested in availing of these features, browse through these used BMW cars for sale in the UAE and drive your own iconic BMW car.
Stay tuned to UAE’s top auto blog for more information on BMW models.
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