
The name and Rapp Motorenwerke's engine-production assets were transferred to Bayerische Flugzeugwerke in 1922, who adopted the name the same year. However the name BMW dates back to 1913, when the original company to use the name was founded by Karl Rapp (initially as Rapp Motorenwerke GmbH). This company was then renamed to Bayerische Motoren Werke (BMW) in 1922. The firm was reorganized on 7 March 1916 into Bayerische Flugzeugwerke AG. Otto Flugmaschinenfabrik was founded in 1910 by Gustav Otto in Bavaria.

This section needs additional citations for verification. The Quandt family is a long-term shareholder of the company (with the remaining shares owned by public float), following investments by the brothers Herbert and Harald Quandt in 1959 which saved the company from bankruptcy. The company has significant motor-sport history, especially in touring cars, sports cars, and the Isle of Man TT.īMW is headquartered in Munich and produces motor vehicles in Germany, Brazil, China, India, Mexico, the Netherlands, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

In 2017, BMW was the world's fourteenth-largest producer of motor vehicles, with 2,279,503 vehicles produced.

The corporation was founded in 1916 as a manufacturer of aircraft engines, which it produced from 1917 until 1918 and again from 1933 to 1945.Īutomobiles are marketed under the brands BMW, Mini and Rolls-Royce, and motorcycles are marketed under the brand BMW Motorrad. Bayerische Motoren Werke AG, commonly referred to as BMW ( German pronunciation: ( listen)), is a German multinational manufacturer of luxury vehicles and motorcycles headquartered in Munich, Bavaria, Germany.
