BMW traces its roots back to Karl Rapp and Gustav Otto. In 1916, a company known as Flugmaschinenfabrik Gustav Otto had merged into Bayerische Flugzeug-Werke AG (BFW) at the government’s behest. Elsewhere, in 1917, the Rapp Motorenwerke company morphed into Bayerische Motoren Werke GmbH, which was duly converted into an AG (public limited company) in 1918. BMW AG subsequently transferred its engine construction operations – including the company and brand names – to BFW in 1922. The date of BFW’s founding, 7 March 1916, has therefore gone down in history as the birth date of Bayerische Motoren Werke AG.

BMW announced its first motorcycle, the R 32, in 1923. Until then the company had only supplied engines rather than complete vehicles. The basic concept of the original BMW Motorrad model – a boxer engine with longitudinally positioned cylinders and shaft drive – is so sound that it continues to be employed in the company’s motorcycles to this day.

BMW’s first post-war automobile was the 501, built from 1952 onwards. A large saloon capable of seating up to six people, it was powered by an evolution of the six-cylinder engine used in the pre-war BMW 326. As a luxury car the BMW 501 was not a commercial success, but it nonetheless restored BMW’s status as a manufacturer of high-quality, technically exciting cars.

BMW presented its 1500 model at the 1961 German Motor Show, and with it penetrated a gap in the market. This was the model that re-established BMW as a successful, modern carmaker. The design of the four-door touring car immediately generated excitement, and orders far exceeded production capacities. By 1963, the company was able to record a profit once more.

BMW embarks on a new era of electric mobility. With the BMW i3, the new BMW i brand presented the first all-electric series-production model from the BMW Group. Propelled by an electric motor – and thus entirely emission-free – this vehicle delivers a completely new driving experience that is compelling for its agility and sheer fun. Never has sustainability been so electrifying.