BMW. Sheer pleasure of driving
BMW AG or Bayerische Motoren Werke AG is German for ‘Bavarian Motor Plants’. It is a world-famous German automotive company. It produces cars, engines, motorcycles, scooters, and bicycles. BMW is a brand with an interesting history. It was on the verge of total wreck three times. There were times when it soared into the sky as well…
The principle of BMW AG is ‘the car is for a driver’. BMW’s motto is “Sheer Driving Pleasure” or “The Ultimate Driving Machine”
Everybody knows about the confrontation between the two leading German automobile companies - BMW and Mercedes-Benz. However, not everyone understands that their principles confront each other as well. The principle of Mercedes-Benz is ‘the car is for passengers’. And the principle of BMW AG is ‘the car is for a driver’. BMW produces powerful and daring cars that have won the hearts of many car fans all over the world. BMW’s motto is “Sheer Driving Pleasure” or “The Ultimate Driving Machine”! Try to drive a BMW and you will understand why so many people around the world love this brand.
- BMW AG has 5 factories in Germany and 22 around the world.* Over the past 30 years, only BMW and Toyota have shown profit growth every yea.*
- BMW brand value was estimated at 50 billion euros! * BMW owns MINI and Rolls-Royce brands.*
- In 2018, the concern marketed 2.49M BMW, MINI, and Rolls-Royce vehicles! *
* as of 2018-2019
Germans pronounce ‘BMW’ like ‘Baeh-Em-Vaeh’, and English speakers pronounce it like ‘Bee-Em-double-U’. Englishmen nickname BMW motorcycles as ‘beemers’ and cars as ‘bimmers’. Russians can call one ‘baeha’ or ‘boomer’, Greeks use the sweet word ‘beba’. There is a simpler way to call these – by series number. BMW 5-series is ‘Fünfer’ in German and ‘fiver’ in English.
What do numbers in the BMW model designation mean?
BMW is designated as follows: 1. the first digit is the class of the car, and the class increases with this digit; 2. the other two digits indicate ten times the engine size. The designation also includes letters.
The beginning of the story
This story began in 1913 in Munich where a tiny company produced aircraft engines. This company did not plan to produce cars. BMW released its first car only in 1932! The founders of Bayerische Motoren Werke (or BMW for short) - Carlo Rapp and Gustav Otto - set up the production of excellent aircraft engines, which Germany needed so bad in the First World War. They felt almost like kings. The plane equipped with the engine that they produced set a world record, having climbed up to 9760 m in the sky. That’s why the BMW logo was originally a white propeller against the sky. Now it is a circle divided into blue and white sectors because blue and white are the national colors of Bavaria.
One of the most stable brands in the world, BMW, has been on the brink of destruction three times in more than 100 years of its history and survived by chance every time!
Germany lost the war, and, according to the Versailles Treaty, the Germans were forbidden to create aircraft engines for planes. BMW lost its main product, which could result in the complete collapse of the company. But the talented guys Rapp and Otto found a way out. Instead of aircraft engines, they began producing engines for motorcycles… and then the motorcycles themselves, which quickly gained popularity due to their speed characteristics. BMW motorcycle in the 30s of the 20th century set the world speed record - 279.5 km/h! Only afterward, they took it upon themselves to make their own car. They started the production of true sports cars shortly after. BMW 328 is a 2-door, 2-seat supercar with a 6-cylinder engine that accelerated to 150 km/h and won many races! By the beginning of the Second World War, BMW had managed to re-establish the production of aircraft engines. And it was the first company in the world that produced a jet engine in 1944.
- In 1999, the company invented a new class of cars - SAV (Sports Activity Vehicle) - a sports car for active holidays. Its first representative - the 4WD off-road car BMW X5 - immediately won the hearts of many car fans around the world.
- In 1995, the legendary BMW Z8 entered the market and became a movie star, starring in 007 series.
- Don’t forget that one of the best and most expensive premium cars in the world – Rolls-Royce – is also produced by BMW.
Take the steering wheel of a BMW car and realize that it is a perfect car to drive!
