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 Company Type
Company Type (category) 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 SourceWikidata: Bayerische Motoren Werke AG
Frequently 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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