Bayerische Motoren Werke AG, widely known by its initials BMW, is a German multinational automaker headquartered in Munich. It was founded in 1916, originally as an aircraft engine manufacturer, a business the Treaty of Versailles forced the company to abandon after the First World War, prompting a shift first into motorcycle production in 1923 and then into automobiles beginning in 1928. BMW's blue and white roundel logo is widely, though not authoritatively, described as evoking a spinning aircraft propeller, a nod to that founding aviation business. The company today manufactures luxury automobiles and motorcycles under the BMW brand, and it also owns the Mini marque and Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, the British luxury car maker whose naming rights it acquired in the late 1990s.
Facts
Company Type Founded Year Headquarters Connections
Operates In
A major automotive manufacturer; classified in the atlas automotive-industry.
In the Other Atlases
- Also in Geography Atlas: Germany, located there.
Sources
1. Wikipedia: BMW
Infobox, founded
1916 3 7
Infobox, type
Public
Intro, sentence 1
headquartered in Munich, Germany
View the SourceFrequently Asked Questions
Does BMW roundel logo really represent a spinning airplane propeller?
It is a popular but not authoritative explanation of the logo design.
The claim is widely repeated but not authoritative. BMW blue and white roundel is widely, though not authoritatively, described as evoking a spinning aircraft propeller, a nod to the company original business: Bayerische Motoren Werke was founded in 1916 as an aircraft engine manufacturer, a business the Treaty of Versailles forced it to abandon after the First World War, prompting a shift first into motorcycle production in 1923 and then into automobiles beginning in 1928.
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