BMW

Bayerische Motoren Werke AG (info) (BMW), (English: Bavarian Motor Works) is an independent German automobile manufacturer founded in 1916. BMW is a worldwide manufacturer of high-performance and luxury automobiles and motorcycles, and is the current parent company of both the MINI and Rolls-Royce car brands.Beginning with aircraft engines prior to World War I, BMW (and Germany) was forced to cease aircraft (engine) production by the terms of the Versailles Armistice Treaty after the war. The company shifted to motorcycle production in 1923 and automobiles in 1928.The circular blue and white BMW logo hearkens back to BMW's early days as a manufacturer of airplane engines. It portrays the movement of an airplane propeller. [1] This emblem also contains the blue and white colors of the flag of Bavaria and incorporates a cross representing the Christian (Catholic) faith of Bavaria.BMW's first significant aircraft powerplant was the outstanding BMW IIIa inline-six liquid-cooled engine of 1918, much preferred for its high-altitude performance. With German rearmament in the 1930's, the company again began producing aircraft engines for the Luftwaffe. Among its successful WWII engine designs were the BMW 132 and BMW 801 air-cooled radial engines, and the pioneering BMW 003 axial-flow turbojet, which powered the world's first operational jet fighter, the Messerschmidt 262.BMW AG bought the British Rover Group (which at the time consisted of the Rover, Land Rover and MG brands as well as the rights to defunct brands including Austin and Morris) in 1994 and owned it for six years. By 2000, Rover was making huge losses and BMW decided to sell the combine. The MG and Rover brands were sold to the Phoenix Consortium to form MG Rover, while Land Rover was taken over by Ford. BMW, meanwhile, retained the rights to build the new MINI, which was launched in 2001.The dominating shareholder of the BMW Aktiengesellschaft since 1959 is the Quandt family. Stefan Quandt, Johanna Quandt and Susanne Klatten (born Quandt) together own about 46% of the stocks. The rest is in public float.