The BMW Group: Bayerische Motoren Werke AG

Abbreviation BMW stands for Bayerische Motoren Werke AG, a German motorcycle, automobile, engine and bicycle manufacturing company. The BMW Group’s history begins with Karl Rapp and Gustav Otto (The designation “BMW Group” includes the Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft (BMW AG) and all its group entities we will see throughout the work). It all begins when the Flugmaschinenfabrik Gustav Otto merged in 1916, on Government demand, into Bayerische Flugzeug-Werke AG (BFW). The Rapp Motorenwerken became later in 1917 the Bayerische Motoren Werke GmbH, which in 1918 changed into an AG (public limited company). In 1922 the BMW AG transfers its operations, along with the brand names, to the BFW. The BFW’s birth date, 6 March 1916, therefore also has become the founding date of the Bayerische Motoren Werke AG. …show more content…
A little revolution took place in 1923 when BMW produced its first motorcycle, the R32. It got a lot of attention since BMW was only known for the production of engines and not complete vehicles.
In 1928 BMW becomes an automobile manufacturer after purchasing the Fahrzeugfabrik Eisenach. Before that, it produced planes, engines and motorcycles. The first BMW small car was only built in 1929 under licence from the Austin Motor Company, but was overruled by the company's own designs in 1932. (BMW History, 2014)
After a change in the German government in 1933, the German aircraft industry received substantial financial support. The following year the BMW AG split off its aero-engine section into the BMW Flugmotorenbau