BMW

BMW AG (an abbreviation of Bayerische Motoren Werke AG, or in English, Bavarian Motor Works), is a German company and manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles. BMW is the world's largest premium carmaker and is the parent company of the BMW MINI and Rolls-Royce car brands, and, formerly, Rover.

In German, the acronym BMW is pronounced "bay emm vay." In North America and some other regions (i.e. Jamaica), BMW cars are referred to as "bimmers," while BMW motorcycles are called "beemers".

The company's taglines in English are "The Ultimate Driving Machine" and "Sheer Driving Pleasure." The original German slogan is "Freude am Fahren," which translates to "Joy in Driving" in English.

BMW's main competitors include Acura, Audi, Cadillac, Infiniti, Jaguar, Lexus, Mercedes-Benz and Volvo.

History

Pre-WWII

BMW was founded by Karl Friedrich Rapp in October 1913, originally as an aircraft engine manufacturer, Bayerische Flugzeug-Werke. The Milbertshofen district of Munich location was chosen because it was close to the Gustav Otto Flugmaschinenfabrik site, a German aircraft manufacturer. The blue-and-white circular logo BMW still uses (illustrated above right) alludes to the blue and white checkered flag of Bavaria and also indicates the origin of BMW by symbolizing a spinning white propeller on a blue-sky background.