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BMW

BMW is a world-renowned designer and producer of luxury-market automobiles, SUV’s and other motorized vehicles. The company is considered among the world’s best in terms of engineering prowess and innovation in design, and continues to be highly successful both in consumer markets and the racing industry.

With a reputation for sleek, attractive conception and luxury features, most BMW vehicles are priced to compete with other high-end brands such as Mercedes-Benz, Lexus, Jaguar and Acura. The company currently employs over 110,000 people around the world and has its headquarters in Munich, Germany. The acronym BMW stands for Bavarian Motor Works, as the firm’s Munich HQ is located in the German province of Bavaria.

BMW was prevented from operating as a manufacturer of airplane engines in the aftermath of World War I, and the company switched its focus to the development of motorcycles and cars by the end of the 1920s, however returned to aircraft production as WW2 began. BMW purchased the rights to produce a small car of Italian origin, the Isetta, the sales of which allowed BMW to maintain their operations during financially difficult times in the 1950s.

During the 1990s, BMW embarked on an aggressive campaign to purchase several vehicle brands, including the Land Rover and MG, however by the year 2000 the Rover division was sold to the Ford Motor Company due to high overhead costs and slow sales.

In a public relations coup, BMW was named the world’s most reputable company by financial publication Forbes, solidifying the brand’s reputation among critics and consumers as a vehicle mark of high value. In a legal arrangement that was finalized at the end of the 1990s, BMW was granted all production and marketing rights to the Rolls-Royce brand of cars, while the other party in the settlement – Volkswagen – obtained the rights to the Bentley mark.

For 2016, BMW has released a series of design upgrades for some of the company’s most popular models, such as the 640i convertible, the 640i Gran Coupe and the X3 sDrive28i SAV. As well, the sport-styled Z4 sDrive35is convertible, the 228i convertible and the 320i xDrive sedan are all available at authorized BMW dealerships.