subject: The Brief History of BMW [print this page] The Brief History of BMW The Brief History of BMW
BMW was founded in 1916. Although many people think the logo for BMW comes from an airplane propeller spinning with the blue sky in the background, the logo actually comes from the Bararia white and blue flag.
The 12 Cylinder V12 engines that were created in 1916 were almost used in automobiles for Austro-Daimler. However, the V12 engines were first used in airplane production which was the original plan for the Company.
In 1919 production of aircraft was prohibited. BMW began to go in another direction around that time. They started design of the Victoria, a motorcycle, which was actually built by a company in Nuremberg. The R32 was the first motorcycle produced by BMW in 1924. It had a 500cc engine and was a huge turning point for BMW.
From prior to World War II through 1945, there were over 30,000 planes that used BMW engines. The Company was bombed during World War II and had a hard time recovering after the war was over.
In 1951, it looked as if the Bavarian Company was on it's way to recovery. In 1959, Hebert Quandt kept Dailmler-Benz from taking over BMW and Mr. Quandt had up to a 50% share in the Company. The Quandt family still has a 46% stake in BMW today.
With the introduction of a 700 2-Cylinder model in the 60's along with some late 60's and early 70's model, BMW was well on it's way to the BMW that we all know today. In 1994, the Company began production outside Germany. Today, the Company has a 750 Million Dollar expansion in the works to the Greenville, South Carolina plant that has been in place for years.
BWM sales are on the rise in 2010 after a dip in the economy in 2009. The future looks bright for one of the world's Top 20 brands according to Forbes magazine.
