(English: Bavarian Motor Works ) is a German automobile, motorcycle and engine manufacturing company founded in 1916. It also owns and produces the Mini marque, and is the parent company of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars . BMW produces motorcycles under BMW Motorrad and Husqvarna brands. In 2010, the BMW group produced 1,481,253 automobiles and 112,271 motorcycles across all its brands.
History of BMW
BMW entered existence as a business entity following a restructuring of the Rapp Motorenwerke aircraft engine manufacturing firm in 1917. After the end ofWorld War I in 1918, BMW was forced to cease aircraft engine production by the terms of the Versailles Armistice Treaty . [ 2 ] The company consequently shifted to motorcycle production in 1923 once the restrictions of the treaty started to be lifted, [ 3 ] followed by automobiles in 1928–29. [ 4 ] [ 5 ] [ 6 ]
The circular blue and white BMW logo or roundel is portrayed by BMW as the movement of an aircraft propeller, to signify the white blades cutting through the blue sky – an interpretation that BMW adopted for convenience in 1929, twelve years after the roundel was created. [ 7 ] [ 8 ] The emblem evolved from the circular Rapp Motorenwerke company logo, from which the BMW company grew, combined with the blue and white colours of the flag of Bavaria , reversed to produce the BMW roundel. However, the origin of the logo being based on the movement of a propeller is in dispute, according to an article posted in 2010 by the New York Times, quoting "At the BMW Museum in Munich, Anne Schmidt-Possiwal, explained that the blue-and-white company logo did not represent a spinning propeller, but was meant to show the colours of the Free State of Bavaria." [ 9 ] [ unreliable source? ]
BMW's first significant aircraft engine was the BMW IIIa inline-six liquid-cooled engine of 1918, much preferred for its high-altitude performance. [ 10 ] With German rearmament in the 1930s, the company again began producing aircraft engines for the Luftwaffe . Among its successful World War II engine designs were the BMW 132 and BMW 801 air-cooled radial engines , and the pioneering BMW 003 axial-flow turbojet , which powered the tiny, 1944-1945-era jet-powered "emergency fighter", the Heinkel He 162 Spatz. The BMW 003 jet engine was tested in the A-1b version of the world's first jet fighter, theMesserschmitt Me 262 , but BMW engines failed on takeoff, a major setback for the jet fighter program until successful testing with Junkers engines. [ 11 ] [ 12 ]
By the year 1959, the automotive division of BMW was in financial difficulties and a shareholders meeting was held to decide whether to go into liquidation or find a way of carrying on. It was decided to carry on and to try to cash in on the current economy car boom enjoyed so successfully by some of Germany's ex-aircraft manufacturers such as Messerschmitt and Heinkel . The rights to manufacture the Italian Iso Isetta were bought; the tiny cars themselves were to be powered by a modified form of BMW's own motorcycle engine. This was moderately successful and helped the company get back on its feet. The controlling majority shareholder of the BMW Aktiengesellschaft since 1959 is the Quandt family, which owns about 46% of the stock. The rest is in public float .
BMW acquired the Hans Glas company based in Dingolfing , Germany, in 1966. It was reputed that the acquisition was mainly to gain access to Glas' development of the timing belt with an overhead camshaft in automotive applications. [ 13 ] Glas vehicles were briefly badged as BMW until the company was fully absorbed.
In 1992, BMW acquired a large stake in California based industrial design studio DesignworksUSA , which they fully acquired in 1995. In 1994, BMW bought the British Rover Group [ 14 ] (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 ), 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.
Chief designer Chris Bangle announced his departure from BMW in February 2009, after serving on the design team for nearly seventeen years. He was replaced by Adrian van Hooydonk , Bangle's former right hand man. Bangle was known for his radical designs such as the 2002 7-Series and the 2002 Z4. In July 2007, the production rights for Husqvarna Motorcycles was purchased by BMW for a reported 93 million euros. BMW Motorrad plans to continue operating Husqvarna Motorcycles as a separate enterprise. All development, sales and production activities, as well as the current workforce, have remained in place at its present location at Varese.
Production
In 2006, the BMW group (including Mini and Rolls-Royce) produced 1,366,838 four-wheeled vehicles, which were manufactured in five countries. [ 16 ] In 2010, it manufactured 1,481,253 four-wheeled vehicles and 112,271 motorcycles (under both the BMW and Husqvarna brands). [ 1 ]
The BMW X3 (E83) was made by Magna Steyr, a subsidiary of Magna of Canada, in Graz, Austria under license from BMW until 2010. Over 45.973 were produced in 2009. Starting October 2010 the new BMW X3 (F25) is produced in BMW's plant in Spartanburg, South Carolina, USA From September 2010, the plant is producing MINI Countryman.
It is reported that about 56 per cent BMW brand vehicles produced are powered by petrol engines and the remaining 44 per cent are powered by diesel engines. Of those petrol vehicles, about 27 per cent are four cylinder models and about nine per cent are eight-cylinder models. [ 17 ]
Annual Production
| Year | BMW | MINI | Rolls-Royce | Motorcycle |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 1,122,308 | 200,119 | 692 | 92,012 |
| 2006 | 1,179,317 | 186,674 | 847 | 103,759 |
| 2007 | 1,302,774 | 237,700 | 1,029 | 104,396 |
| 2008 | 1,203,482 | 235,019 | 1,417 | 118,452 |
| 2009 | 1,043,829 | 213,670 | 918 | 93,243 |
| 2010 [ 1 ] | 1,236,989 | 241,043 | 3,221 | 112,271 |
Production by country
| Country | Make | 2006 | 2008 | Models |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Germany | BMW | 905,057 | 901,898 | Others |
| Mexico | BMW | 1,500 | 100,000 [ 18 ] | BMW X3, X5, 3, 5, 7-series |
| Russia | BMW | 1,500 | 2,000 | BMW X5, X6, 5-series |
| United Kingdom | Mini | 187,454 | 235,019 | All Minis |
| Rolls-Royce | 67 | 1,417 | All Rolls-Royce | |
| Austria | BMW | 114,306 | 82,863 | BMW X3 |
| USA | BMW | 105,172 | 170,741 | BMW X3, X5, X6 |
| South Africa | BMW | 54,782 | 47,980 | BMW 3-Series |
| Total | 1,366,838 | 1,439,918 |
BMW also has local assembly operation using complete knock down components in Thailand, Russia, Egypt, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Chennai, India for 3, 5, 7 series and X3. [ 15 ]
[ edit ]Worldwide sales
Vehicles sold in all markets according to BMW's annual reports.
| Year | BMW | MINI | Rolls-Royce | Motorcycle |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 822,181 | |||
| 2001 | 880,677 | |||
| 2002 | 913,225 | |||
| 2003 | 928,151 | |||
| 2004 | 1,023,583 | |||
| 2005 | 1,126,768 | 200,428 | 796 | 97,474 |
| 2006 | 1,185,088 | 188,077 | 805 | 100,064 |
| 2007 | 1,276,793 | 222,875 | 1,010 | 102,467 |
| 2008 | 1,202,239 | 232,425 | 1,212 | 115,196 |
| 2009 | 1,068,770 | 216,538 | 1,002 | 100,358 |
| 2010 | 1,224,280 | 234,175 | 2,711 | 110,113 |
Since 2008, motorcycle sales figures include Husqvarna models.
Current models
The 1 Series , launched in 2004, is BMW's smallest car, and is available in coupe/convertible (E82/E88) and hatchback (E81/E87) forms. The 3 Series , acompact executive car manufactured since model year 1975, is currently in its fifth generation ( E90 ); models include the sport sedan (E90), station wagon (E91), coupe (E92), and convertible (E93). The 5 Series is a mid-size executive car , available in sedan (F10) and station wagon (F11) forms. The 5 Series Gran Turismo (F07), beginning in 2010, will create a segment between station wagons and crossover SUV . [ 20 ]
BMW's full-size flagship executive sedan is the 7 Series . Typically, BMW introduces many of their innovations first in the 7 Series, such as the somewhat controversial iDrive system. The 7 Series Hydrogen, featuring one of the world's first hydrogen fueled internal combustion engines, is fueled by liquid hydrogen and emits only clean water vapor. The latest generation (F01) debuted in 2009. Based on the 5 Series' platform, the 6 Series is BMW's grand touring luxurysport coupe/convertible (E63/E64). A 2-seater roadster and coupe which succeeded the Z3 , the Z4 (E85) has been sold since 2002.
The X3 (E83), BMW's first crossover SUV (called SAV or "Sports Activity Vehicle" by BMW) debuted in 2003 and is based on the E46/16 3 Series platform.Marketed in Europe as an off-roader, it benefits from BMW's xDrive all-wheel drive system. The all-wheel drive X5 (E70) is a mid-size luxury SUV (SAV) sold by BMW since 2000. A 4-seat crossover SUV released by BMW in December 2007, the X6 is marketed as a "Sports Activity Coupe" (SAC) by BMW. The upcoming X1 extends the BMW Sports Activity Series model lineup.
- 1 Series (E81) (2004–present) Hatchback, coupe and convertible
- 3 Series (E90) (2005–present) Sedan, coupe, convertible and wagon
- 5 Series (F10) (2010–present) Sedan and Wagon
- 5 Series Gran Turismo (2009–present) Progressive Activity Sedan
- 6 Series (F12) (2010–present) Coupe and convertible
- 7 Series (F01) (2008–present) Sedan
- X1 (2009–present) Compact Crossover SUV/Sports Activity Vehicle (SAV)
- X3 (F25) (2010–present) Compact Crossover SUV/Sports Activity Vehicle (SAV)
- X5 (E70) (2006–present) Compact Crossover SUV/Sports Activity Vehicle (SAV)
- X6 (2008–present) Sports Activity Coupe
- Z4 (E89) (2009–present) Sports Roadster
[ edit ]M Models
A race-ready production vehicle. Since its debut, the M3 is heralded in enthusiast circles, in large part due to its unique geometry and award winning engines.The newest V8-powered platform became available the Autumn of 2007 in Europe, and second quarter of 2008 for the US in coupe (E92), and later the cabriolet (E93), and sedan (E90) variants. Based on the 5 Series, the M5 is the M division's V10-powered version of the E60 5 Series. [ 21 ] The M6 is the M division's version of the 6 Series, and shares its drivetrain with the M5. The Z4 M, or M Coupe / M Roadster , is the M division's version of the Z4. The X5M is the M division's version of the X5, and the X6M is the M division's version of the X6. Both the X5M and X6M share the same V8 twin scroll twin turbo.
- 1M : Based on 1 Series (E81) (2011–present) coupe
- M3 : Based On The 3 Series (E90) (2005–present) Sedan, coupe and convertible
- M5 : Based On The 5 Series (F10) (2010–present) Sedan and Wagon
- M6 : Based On The 6 Series (E63) (2003–present) Coupe and convertible
- X5-M : Based On The X5 Series (E70) (2006–present) Compact Crossover SUV/Sports Activity Vehicle (SAV)
- X6-M : Based On The X6 Series (2008–present) Sports Activity Coupe
ไม่มีความคิดเห็น:
แสดงความคิดเห็น